December 10, 2004
Caroling at Harris Regional Hospital and Mountain Trace Nursing Home (see photos of our practice session)

December 7, 2004 - 5:30-8 pm
Holiday Party Helpers - for kids and their families - this party will be at SCC ! We'll help the Family Resource Center put it on!

December 3, 2004 - 4-6 pm
Decorating for the Holiday at the Family Resource Center
(see photos)

November 11, 2004 - 2-4 pm
Helping with inventory at the Community Table in Sylva

October 2004
Thursday, October 21, - The SSS adopt-a-highway clean up!!! This is our chance to take a walk along the beautiful Tuckasegee River, soak up nature, dodge cars, bend down 538 times to pick up trash, and enjoy the good company of other SSS students and staff. It's a good time, really! Be there or be unclean.

September 2004
Our second volunteer opportunity this year will be at the Jackson County Family Resource Center in Webster. Thursday, September 16, 3:pm - 4:45 we'll go do some weeding around their building. There is a special area they need cleaned up so they can paint a mural. - The FRC is a great place that offers a family literacy program, parenting classes, respite care services, and other things as well.

The folks at the FRC also want help staffing their booth at the Mountain Heritage Day at WCU, September 25th . This is a fun activity, good for those who like to interact with children.

August 2004
Thursday August 26 1:00 to 4:00 we will make a simple return trip to the Community Table, a soup kitchen, to help out. We will probably cook the meal for that night but may do some organizing of canned goods as well. It's OK if you can only come for part of the time.

July 2004
Tuesday, July 20th - at 10:am. It's Adopt-a-Highway time again. We have discerned that the weather that day will be glorious, just right for picking up trash by the beautiful Tuckasegee River. (The North River Rd from Webster to Dillsboro.)

June
The Community Table in Sylva is a place where anyone can eat and those in need are most welcome. It is a "welcome table" where community is created. Our good friends at Table really need volunteers to help make and serve meals through the summer. Most of the WCU students who volunteer (a third of the total volunteers) leave for the summer so there is a genuine appreciation for anything we could do in the next few months.
Cooking and serving are regular needs. But they've gotten in two large donations of food recently and have not had the time to organize it all to make it more useful.

So, please join us and help cook Monday, June 7th from 1:00 to 3:30 pm.
And help organize their pantry Thursday, June 10th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. --- And then we'll join them for a meal!

May
More Spring Cleaning: the Family Resource Center in Webster has need of our helping hands. There are chairs to steam clean and a few weeds to pull that will make the center look better inside and out. We'll go there Wednesday May, 19 starting at 10:am and going till 2:pm. Lunch will be provided. ---

The FRC has also invited us to help have some fun with kids Saturday, May 22, at Kids Super Saturday (4:pm to 8:pm) at the Rec Park in Cullowhee. They will be doing a booth with hands-on activities for young children and need five people to work in two-hour shifts (that's 2 groups of 5). This is actually a lot of fun. Let's go and help out.

April
Spring Cleaning!!! Isn't it always easier to clean someone else's mess than your own? Join us, again, Wednesday, April 14 from 2:00-5:00 (or whatever you can make) to help The Community Table get its canned goods in order and fill up some bags to give away. --- Our organizing this time will help them keep their status as a USDA food distribution site; this is important.

March 26-27, 2004 - SCC Students and Staff to appear on UNC-TV - Students and staff members from Southwestern Community College's Students Support Services (SSS) program will appear on UNC-TV as Festival 2004 volunteers from 10:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 27.

March 25, 2004 - The SSS Adopt-a-Highway clean up - 1:00-3:15 p.m.

March 10, 2004 - Bowl For Kids’ Sake - 3:00-7:00 p.m.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a terrific organization that pairs children and adolescents from single-parent homes with adult mentors.

January 15, 2004 - Community Table - 2:00-5:00 p.m.

December 9, 2003 - The SSS Adopt-a-Highway clean up - 12:00 noon - 2 p.m.

December 5, 2003 - Family Resource Center Christmas Party - 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 8, 2003
Do you like to create order out of chaos? The pantry at the Community Table is totally disorganized and needs cleaning. We could use your hands and your ability to separate out Chef Boy-ar-dee from Captain Crunch and the Jolly Green Giant. Help reorder the universe Wednesday October 8th from 2:50 to 5:00. We’ll meet at the SSS office.

The Community Table provides healthy meals in a restaurant setting four nights a week. Come see what it’s like.

Thursday, September 18, 2003
The SSS Adopt-a-Highway clean up


P.A.W.S. is a no-kill animal shelter for cats and dogs near Bryson City. They do a great job with rescuing and placing abused and lost animals throughout the WNC area. Volunteers are always needed to help feed, water and play with the cats and dogs, as well as to clean kennels and grounds. Because smaller groups work better in this setting, we will take two groups of 6-8, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday.

SCC Students and Staff to appear on UNC-TV Mar. 9, 2003
Students and staff members from Southwestern Community College's Students Support Services (SSS) program will appear on UNC-TV as Festival 2003 volunteers from 6-11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 9. (. . read news story) (. . see photos)

February 26, 2003 - Bowl For Kids’ Sake
Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a terrific organization that pairs children and adolescents from single-parent homes with adult mentors. Special THANKS . . to all who participated in the Big Brother/Big Sister bowl-a-thon! Besides having a good time and surviving the bowling shoes, we helped raise a lot of money for a great cause. Because of you, more children and adolescents from single-parent homes will be paired with adult mentors, offering support, activities and a positive relationship. (see more photos)

Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 3:00-5:00 pm - Adopt A Highway
So many people have been asking when we get to suit up in orange and pick up more trash! The time is finally here again. Bring comfortable clothes, a warm coat, walking shoes and maybe a pocket-sized can of Lysol. We will honor our commitment to keep the North River Road between Webster and Dillsboro clean and beautiful. Meet at the SSS office at 3:00. We’ll have hand cleaner and hot chocolate at the end!

Thursday, December 5, 2002 - Holiday Party with Smart Start kids
Smart Start is a service agency that works with young children and their families, making sure that kids are ready and healthy to begin pre-school. We will help put on a holiday party, complete with refreshments, activities, presents and a visit from Santa Claus. From baking cookies, to helping with arts and crafts, to spending time with the children and their families that night, we made a difference.

Thursday, November 14, 2002 - Community Table
The Community Table is a non-profit agency that prepares and serves meals in restaurant style for hungry people in the Jackson County area four nights each week. We will were responsible for that night’s preparation, service and clean up. (see more photos)

October 22 and 23, from 9:30 to 11:30 am to help with Disabilities Awareness Day at Scotts Creek, Fairview and Cullowhee elementary schools. We helped the staff from Pathways for Independent Living demonstrate technology and equipment for those living with disabilities to 6th grade students. (see more photos - Fairview and Scotts Creek)

THANKS to all who participated in the adopt-a-road highway clean up on September 23. In addition to making the North River Road between Webster and Dillsboro look more beautiful, we also had a lot of fun in the process. (see photo)

Ever wanted to be a Big Brother or a Big Sister? Both are greatly needed throughout the Jackson, Macon, Swain and Haywood County area. A couple of hours a week can make a real difference in a child’s life and yours.

Got an old computer? Pathways for Independent Living welcomes donations of computer equipment to update and refurbish for distribution to homebound, disabled and/or elderly persons. Pathways volunteers teach them how to access the Internet and e-mail, so that they can develop a social network. Computers and volunteers are needed!