Join us for a virtual walk/run/bike ride through Africa to raise money for the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, one of the College's main community service partners. Register at www.afcaids.org/30000miles, pay your $25 registration fee (fundraise more, if you like), track your miles using Fitbit, Garmin, AppleWatch/Health kit, Google Fit, Misfit or a free app provided at registration. Participants will have the goal of trekking a collective 30,000 miles through Africa, learning about culture, food, and more via social media as they go. Email Jen at liedtka@lvc.edu to officially join the LVC team! 

Compeer supports the recovery, wellness, and a sense of belonging for individuals living with mental challenges. Complete their virtual training program and then serve as a virtual buddy for one of their members. Volunteers spend just 15 minutes each week connecting with their Compeer friend. Email Jen at liedtka@lvc.edu for more details and to sign up. 

After completing SARCC’s virtual training, you will provide resources, information, and supportive listening to survivors of sexual assault violence via SARCC’s 24-Hour sexual assault hotline. Email Kaity Nordhoff at SARCC for more information, or connect with Jen at liedtka@lvc.edu. 

After completing SARCC’s virtual training, you will facilitate programs with children, adults, and professionals to raise awareness of sexual violence and the steps we can all take to prevent it. Email Kaity Nordhoff at SARCC for more information, or connect with Jen at liedtka@lvc.edu.

LVC makes and donates no-sew fleece blankets to the Lebanon office of the UPMC Pinnacle Children’s Resource Center (CRC). It is the mission of the CRC to reduce the trauma and aftermath of abuse for children and their families. After initial appointments, children are given the opportunity to choose a blanket to take home to provide them with ongoing comfort.

• Follow these instructions.
• Fleece may be ordered on-line through Amazon, etc. (at your cost).
• Bring blankets to Frederic K. Miller Chapel lobby when we return to campus.

Loneliness is one of the greatest challenges faced by older adults, especially now. Consider offering care and support in the following ways:

• Connect with your older relatives, neighbors, etc.
  • Make a phone call (or connect via Skype, FaceTime, etc.). It’s that simple. Do so regularly, and enjoy the chance to chat.
  • Deliver food. Pick up groceries or even make a meal. Arrange a time to drop items off on the recipient’s porch.
  • Help with yard work.
• Connect with older adults at care facilities and in senior communities.
  • Make cards. Since access to care facilities and communities of older adults is currently limited, you will need to mail your cards. Contact organizations near you for guidance on doing so.

If you live locally, please visit The Caring Cupboard to find items needed and drop off times. If you do not live locally, please contact your local food pantry or United Way for suggestions.

During these days, when children are stuck at home, create a fun and educational video to help them pass the time. Include reading a book, leading an interactive lesson, or activity. Be creative!

With the warm weather (nearly) upon us, get outside and:

• Go for a walk and pick up some trash along the way.
• Use sidewalk chalk to decorate your neighborhood walkways with positive messages.

The Mission Central HUB in Cleona assembles kits for underdeveloped countries to help ensure the safe delivery of babies. Each kit contains a string to tie the umbilical cord. To assist:

• Cut string/light twine into 12-inch lengths.
• Loosely wrap three strands together. Bring your finished work to the Miller Chapel lobby when we return to campus.

Through the organization, Girls Love Mail, write a note of encouragement and hope to a recently diagnosed woman. Follow these instructions. Instead of mailing your notes directly to the organization, mail them to:

Jen Liedtka Service and Volunteerism Coordinator
Lebanon Valley College
101 N College Ave.
Annville PA 17003

Notes will be collected through May 9 and then mailed to the organization.

All of these people are working extra-hard during this time. Send notes of encouragement to them. If you know someone personally in these roles, give them a call or send them a text. If you are looking for the contact information for an organization with which you usually serve while at LVC, check out our Agency List.

Lancaster-Lebanon Habitat for Humanity is looking for a t-shirt design for three different groups:

• Construction Volunteers
• ReStore Volunteers
• Habitat Homebuyers.

If you’d like to take on this exciting opportunity, email Jen Liedtka for more details.

Many organizations that meet important needs in our communities will suffer financially as a result of COVID-19. Fundraising events are being canceled while needs are simultaneously increasing. Your financial donation matters more than ever for many of these groups. At a loss for where to give?

• Check out our Agency List of organizations. 
• Give to the Lebanon County Community Support Fund, which supports our most vulnerable friends and neighbors as we brace for the potential impact of COVID-19. For more information, please visit the United Way of Lebanon County.

Looking for ways to protect our environment? Connect with others who share a similar passion by taking part in a Greenpeace Action Call. Even during this time of social distancing, discover ways that you can make a difference through this global organization.