AE nccs national volleyball championships

Get involved and give back to Dallas or your own community

Looking for self-fulfillment, to help those less fortunate, or to put a smile on a child's face? The 2010 AE NCCS National Volleyball Championships have exactly what you are looking for! Teams registered for the Championships will have an opportunity to volunteer and provide a great service to the city of Dallas. On Wednesday, March 31, teams can choose between two community service projects - White Rock Lake Park or the Texas Trees Foundation.

White Rock Lake Park is considered one of Dallas's hidden treasures. Teams are needed to do various park cleanup tasks to help maintain the park's natural beauty. The Texas Trees Foundation sustains a tree planting initiative for neighborhood parkways and medians, schools and other public open spaces, a tree growing facility to assure a healthy supply of trees for the future, and education programs to teach the importance and benefits of maintaining a healthy urban forest. Teams are asked to help nurture and maintain the trees by planting and transplanting seedlings, staking, weeding, mulching and watering.

To register for one of these two activities,  click here.

Can't make it to Dallas for the Championships or looking for other opportunities to give back? No problem! There are other ways you can do your part by donating money and other items to the following organizations:

• Tanner's Totes, Inc.: Aiding pre-teens and teenagers who are undergoing treatment for cancer and other long term illnesses. Tanner Smith is a basketball player for Clemson; see his story here (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3914889). Donations or items on the tote list can be sent to Kathy Smith, Tanner's mom, at Tanner's Totes, Inc., 10400 Stanyan St., Alpharetta, GA, 30022. See their website for more details.
• Project Linus: The mission of Project Linus is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers." They also provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children. To get involved, contact a local chapter listed on the Project Linus website.
• Busy Books: Inspire creativity, develop motor skills and keep a child happily occupied. This book of fun activities is so easy to make. Learn how at http://www.ehow.com/video_5116773_make-busy-book-toddler.html. Donate your Busy Books to your local hospital, church, daycare or family services organization.
• American Red Cross - Haiti Relief: On January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.5 to 7.3 devastated Haiti. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Haitian Red Cross, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster. Your gift to the American Red Cross will support emergency relief and recovery efforts to help those people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Assistance provided by the American Red Cross may include deploying personnel, sending relief supplies, and providing financial resources.

The aforementioned items can be sent to a hospital, doctor's office, school, or other business of choice in your own respective community. If your team chooses to do any services projects in your community prior to the Championships, be sure to send us a summary about your experience and include some pictures of your service so we can share your story with the rest of the NIRSA!

We are looking forward to seeing you in Dallas!

NCCS Volleyball Work Team,

Ruchelle Dunwoody, Miami University
Bob Gough, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Carly Morse, Washington State University
Ben Piper, University of Texas at Dallas