Community Service

The goal of this committee is to promote volunteer opportunities by designing and sponsoring projects of service to our campus and the community.

See our calendar for an up-to-date listing of activities and programs.

Spring Service Days

As in the past, we are excited to offer opportunities to get involved with existing community organizations by helping them out in the Spring-time with our "Spring Service Days!" As we solidify our events, check this site for updates and specifics on dates, time, and locations. The organizations that we are currently researching to find out what their Spring-time needs are include:

• Casa Esperanza – serving food for dinner-time meals – March 19, 2008
  ** We need 5-8 volunteers 5:30-7:30. Please email service@pwa.ucsb.edu if you are interested in volunteering.
• Family Service Agency – Children’s Day – May 17, 2008
• CALM (Child Abuse Listening & Mediation)
• SB Rape Crisis Center
• Braille Institute – assisting with community events
• Transition House – Volunteer Family Picnic
• Alpha Resource Center – gardening around the center

While you wait for these great opportunities, we would like to encourage PWA members to volunteer their time at the existing UCSB United Way Volunteer Day! This is a great opportunity to support the institution that you work for along with a deserving community organization – Isla Vista Youth Projects! Here’s the details – make sure you contact Joel or Julie to sign-up!

3rd Annual Volunteer Day:
On Saturday, March 1, 2008, volunteers will help paint, clean, and improve the Isla Vista Youth Projects from 9 am to 1 pm. If you would like to volunteer or have any questions, please call Volunteer Day Coordinator Joel Dinan at (805)965-8591 or Julie Miller at (805)893-7382. We hope to see you there!

Holiday Gift Drive and Isla Vista Kindergarten Party

Every year around the holiday season PWA sponsors a holiday party at IV Elementary and the three other state-funded pre-schools in the Isla Vista community. With the support of the UCSB community and generous donations from the UCSB Bookstore, OSH, and Trader Joe’s, PWA is able to bring Santa, individually wrapped presents, goodies, and a teddy bear for each child to 68 kindergarteners and 72 pre-schoolers. Santa may be different every year (the red suit alternates between Vice Chancellor Michael Young and Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas), but the gratitude from both students and teachers in Isla Vista never changes.

THANK YOU!

This year was a great success and we would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to the following individuals and organizations that made PWA’s 13th Annual Children’s Holiday Party a success: Cuca Acosta, Shubra Agrawal, Akanke, Katya Armistead, Jaime Carias, Flora Furlong, Phyllis Gibson, Jeff Goldmann, Gina Gonzales, Cathe Hedrick, Andrea Helfer, Marie Howell, Joanne Madison, Wendy Meer, Shalauna Miller, OSH, Jeri Pollard, PWA Community Service Committee, Rudra Singh, Angie Tozier, Trader Joe’s, UCSB Bookstore, Chinedu Unaka, Mary Willer, Michael Young, and all those who generously donated gifts!

• Here are some sample thank you's from the students at IV Kindergarten:

Co-Chairs:

• Katya Armistead, Admissions, Visitor Center
  E-Mail: service@pwa.ucsb.edu
  Extension: 8113
• Gina Gonzales, Admissions, Visitor Center
  E-Mail: service@pwa.ucsb.edu
  Extension: 4518