Ongoing Volunteer Programs
The following service programs are coordinated by CASA’s student leaders and staff, and offer a wide range of volunteer and leadership opportunities for USD students interested in working with CASA. Please feel free to contact the coordinators provided in the descriptions below for more information on how to get involved. CASA is located in Hahn University Center 113.
Africa Programs: Learn about the many issues that affect Africa by working to raise awareness among students, including the crises in Darfur, Kenya and the Congo, HIV/AIDS, and other health pandemics and issues. Engage yourself in the conversation by attending events, learning about political issues and participating in fundraisers and community outreach. Contact Summer Buckley at summer-09@sandiego.edu, Ali Wolters at awolters09@gmail.com, Jimmy Frkovich at jfrkovich-09@sandiego.edu, Felicia Baldwin at fbaldwin-11@sandiego.edu, and/or Anjuli Wright at anjuliw-11@sandiego.edu for more information.
Color Your World: The Color Your World program facilitates canvass mural painting opportunities with community students and organizations of all types and sizes. Murals engage students from varying backgrounds, ethnicities, ages and developmental levels to address group and individual concerns. You do not have to be an artist to do group murals! Contact Tanya Susoev at tanyasusoev@gmail.com for more information.
Disaster Prep Team: The purpose of the Disaster Prep Team is to ensure that USD students, staff and faculty are able to effectively deal with and respond to disasters on a local, national and global level. Beyond physical preparedness, the Disaster Prep Team organizes events to raise awareness and facilitate reflection opportunities concerning ongoing disasters throughout the world. Contact Bryony English at bryonyenglish@gmail.com and/or Julia Campagna at julia.campagna@gmail.com for more information.
Elections 2008: The USD Elections Committee is a campus-wide collaborative effort to inform students about voter registration, the election process, the issues, and the candidates through a variety of events, speakers and programs. If you’d like to get involved, email us at vote@sandiego.edu or visit USD’s website at www.sandiego.edu/vote for more information.
Hunger and Homelessness: Learn about issues of hunger and homelessness through educational workshops on housing issues, house-building projects with San Diego housing agencies, and participating in Hunger and Homelessness week with University Ministry. Contact Cara McMahon at cmcmahon@sandiego.edu for more information.
Immigration/Migration Issues: As a result of USD’s close proximity to the U.S./Mexican border, we have a unique opportunity to engage more deeply in the issues of migration and immigration. There are a variety of events and programs (see Migrant Outreach on reverse) that CASA co-sponsors addressing this important issue. Contact Cara McMahon at cmcmahon@sandiego.edu for more information.
Pro Kids Golf Academy: Pro Kids Golf is a safe and fun environment where underserved kids can learn the game of golf and develop values and life skills that will aid them in their future endeavors. Volunteers are needed to tutor youth in the Pro Kids Learning Center and assist with various events and programs throughout the year. Contact Bryce Abraham at bryce.abraham-10@sandiego.edu for more information.
Public Policy: Public Policy addresses and investigates the many social issues that impact our lives from a political perspective. From healthcare to student tuition, the aim of the public policy group is to help students understand issues that not only directly affect their lives, but also the lives and communities that surround them. Public policy issues are examined through student research opportunities, programming, speakers, and service immersion trips. Contact Brenna Hughes at brenna_hughes@sandiego.edu for more information.
Social Issues Committee: The Social Issues Committee combines the energy and talent of faculty, students, staff, administrators, and community members to expand awareness and facilitate action concerning pressing social issues. Social Issues Committee activities include sponsorship of speakers, public forums, essay contests, themed courses and conferences. Contact Valerie Lizarraga at vlizarraga-09@sandiego.edu, Summer Buckley at summer-09@sandiego.edu, and/or Marcus Lopez-Scharbach at marcuslo-10@sandiego.edu for more information.
Sustainability/Fair Trade Task Force: The Sustainability/Fair Trade task force is dedicated to educating the USD community about sustainability issues that exist in our world and in our own communities. This task force recognizes that environmental and social issues are intertwined, and by working to improve the standard of living in less developed countries, it will benefit the environmental quality of the world. The Sustainability/ Fair Trade task force is dedicated not only to educating the community about these issues, but also providing opportunities to take direct action. Contact Valerie Lizarraga at vlizarraga-09@sandiego.edu, Hannah Evans at hannahe-10@sandiego.edu, Ashlen Nimmo at nimmoa-10@sandiego.edu, and/or Marcus Lopez-Scharbach at marcuslo-10@sandiego.edu for more information.
Youth Programs: In partnership with local elementary, middle and high schools, CASA offers numerous opportunities for college students to work with K-12 youth in the San Diego community through after school tutoring and program support. Contact Brenna Hughes at brenna_hughes@sandiego.edu for more information.
Short-Term Service Opportunities
AIDS Walk: You are invited to join the CASA AIDS Walk team on Sunday, September 28, 2008 in Balboa Park for the 19th annual AIDS Walk San Diego 5K Walk and 10K USA Track & Field sanctioned Run beginning at 8am. For registration, transportation and event information, please contact Tanya Susoev at tanyasusoev@gmail.com.
Hands on San Diego: Linda Vista Recreation Center Renovation: Join fellow USD volunteers as we renovate the Linda Vista Recreation Center on Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 8am-12pm. Projects include painting, landscaping and cleaning, so wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Brenna Hughes at brenna_hughes@sandiego.edu.
19th Annual Social Issues Conference: The theme for this year’s Social Issues Conference is “Inspiring Social Change through Education.” There are numerous opportunities to volunteer for and participate in conference events taking place on campus from October 2-14, 2008. For conference information and registration, please visit www.sandiego.edu/csl. For volunteer opportunities, please contact Cara McMahon at cmcmahon@sandiego.edu.
Trick or Treat: Get involved with CASA’s annual Halloween event, which brings over 300 youth from the Linda Vista community to trick or treat in USD residence halls and enjoy various Halloween activities throughout the UC. USD clubs, organizations and individual volunteers are encouraged to dress up in costumes, host a booth, be a tour guide, pass out candy, and much more! Trick or Treat will take place on Friday, October 31 from 4:00-8:00pm. If you are interested in participating, please contact Tanya Susoev at tanyasusoev@gmail.com.
Cool Club: Cool Club is an organization in which we try to bridge the gap between the students of USD and the students of TRACE with intellectual disabilities. The goal of Cool Club is to show that, as college students, our similarities outweigh our differences. The students that attend TRACE are in their transitional period from high school to college, and Cool Club occurs a time in which they can get away from work and the classroom and just have fun. Volunteers engage with the TRACE students through various arts/crafts and sports activities. Cool Club meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:45-3:30 pm in UC 113. If you are interested or have any further questions, please email the Cool Club student coordinators, Jessica Hoffman and Chase Tushous, at CoolClub07@gmail.com.
Migrant Outreach: Migrant Outreach is a program that works with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Rancho Penasquitos. Every Sunday morning members from the parish come to celebrate mass with the migrants. The parishioners provide lunch that we eat together as a community. USD students tutor the migrants in English for about an hour prior to mass to help them succeed in their new community. It is an amazing opportunity to serve others, put a human face on contemporary global issues such as poverty and immigration, and also practice your Spanish. For more information or to sign up, please visit the CSL office (Maher 218) or CASA office (UC 113) or email Valerie Lizarraga at vlizarraga-09@sandiego.edu or Hannah Evans athannahe-10@sandiego.edu.
Volunteer San Diego: Volunteer San Diegoorganizes all service opportunities in San Diego into a user-friendly database so that people can volunteer in the community without a long-term commitment. Because you can search by dates and times, this is a great website for college students who have a busy schedule. For access to these volunteer opportunities, please visit www.volunteersandiego.org.
