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News :: Miscellaneous |
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University YMCA collecting items from Students before they go into dumpsters |
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by Michael Walcher
Email: solaraycer (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!) |
09 May 2002
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I have been volunteering with the YMCA this week on their "DUMP and RUN" program, in which we have been placing large boxes around campus collecting items that ordinally quite possiblly get thrown away and into the landfills.
Also, YOU are encouraged to call 337-1500 to make arrangements and we will come by and collect items that then will be sold in the Annual Sale to be held Sept 5th - 7th |
Dump and Run is a fundraising project which the YMCA is undertaking for the move out period of spring 2002. The basic concept is simple: we collect reusable items which students would otherwise dispose of as they move out, and then sell the collected items at our Annual Garage Sale in early September. This project will reduce litter, reduce consumer waste, save space in landfills, lower dumping costs for certified housing units, provide inexpensive items for students to purchase next fall, and act as a fundraiser for the University YMCA.
Dump and Run is a national program now running at about over fifteen colleges around the country. Since this is the first year we are running the program here at the U of I, we're going to target only a small number specific places were students live. We are planning to work with private certified housing facilities, fraternities, sororities, Orchard Downs and a limited number of apartment buildings. We hope to eventually expand the program to serve all students at the UIUC campus.
How can I get involved??
We are going to need many volunteers in order to make this program a success. Although we are working with several groups in order to round up the volunteers we need, and additional volunteers would be greatly welcomed. If you or your organization would like to volunteer, please contact us. You can volunteer for as little as 30 minutes, or as much as 30 hours, it's up to you to decide how involved you'd like to be. There are many perks to volunteering such as free t-shirts and free Pepsi. Best of all, volunteers get first dibs on collected items at a special event the night before the garage sale is open to the general public.
How will it work?
Volunteers coordinated by the University YMCA will actively retrieve items from participating housing facilities. In some cases, we will have volunteers and a vehicle on hand at sites for several hours each day to directly receive items. At many facilities we will have drop off sites where volunteers can pick up items on a daily basis and bring them to the Y. We will gladly accept donations from anyone willing to drop them off at the YMCA itself. Dumpster diving, that is removing items which have already been put in trash cans or dumpsters, will be strongly discouraged. Our aim is to remove reusable items from the waste stream before they end up in the trash.
What kind of items will be collected?
It is easier to say what we are NOT collecting! We will only accept clothing which is in good condition. Other then that, we'll take just about anything,: furniture, appliances, electronics, backpack, bicycles, school supplies, jewelry, winter clothing, shoes, kitchen wares, CDs, books, old computers, artwork, toys, sports equipment, nonperishable food items, soap and other household goods. If you think an item is not be in good enough condition to be resold, give it to us anyway, hopefully we can find it a home! "When in doubt, don't throw it out."
When will it happen?
We will be actively collecting items during finals week, primarily from Tuesday May 7th to Friday May 10th. There may be further collections this summer depending on the volume received in May. The items will be sold at the University YMCA's Annual Garage Sale, on September 5th through 7th.
How Do I Learn More?
More details will be available as our plans become more concrete in the near future. If you'd like to learn how you can get involved, or just want more information feel free to contact one of the below YMCA staff members:
Aimee Kandrac: aimee (at) universityymca.org 337-1500
Frank Hassler: frank (at) universityymca.org 337-1514 |
See also:
http://www.universityymca.org/
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