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(04/11/08 1:49am)
Seated in a circle of about 10 international students Monday at Kirkwood Hall was Hoosier Hills Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator Kim Kanney. Kanney talked to the group about volunteering at the upcoming Live from Bloomington Community Food Drive for the food bank, an organization that distributes food to the hungry.\n“The response from the group was great,” Kanney said after the session was over. “The international community in IU has always been supportive of the food drive.”\nThe food drive corresponds with the Live from Bloomington Club Night on April 17-18. Proceeds from the band showcase, as well as the compilation album of all the performing bands, will go to the food bank.\nThe food drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Nearly 12,000 brown paper bags designated for food collection have been inserted and distributed through The Herald-Times newspaper. Residents can fill the bags with non-perishable food items and then leave the brown bag, or any unwanted bag of food, outside their homes on the porch, steps or driveway to be collected, according to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank Web site.\nOn Saturday, about 60 volunteers will comb the town of Bloomington and collect bags of food left outside people’s homes, and another 40 volunteers will sort the food collected, Kanney said.\n“We will have a large map of Bloomington on that day,” she said. “The 60 volunteers will be divided into groups and each group will have a zone to cover.”\nJordan Bleckner, IU junior and director of Union Board’s Live from Bloomington committee, said that about 25 percent of what the Hoosier Hills Food Bank receives each year comes from the proceeds of this music festival.\nNow in its 23rd year, the tradition of organizing the local music festival Live from Bloomington has been to achieve two goals: to raise money and food to benefit the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, and to promote and foster the local music scene. \n“Through the festival, we hope that musicians can have a medium to showcase local music,” Bleckner said, “while at the same time aid the people in the community who need help.”\nThe purpose of this food drive is to collect enough food to last the food bank for the whole summer, Kanney said.\n“Around the holidays, in November and December, we get a lot of food from food drives,” she said. “But then spring comes and people stop giving, so our storage gets exhausted.”\nBecause Little 500 is on the same day as the food drive, volunteers were hard to find, Kanney said.\n“Every year we get a lot of support,” she said. “In the past, we received a lot of support from sororities and fraternities, but this year there is less interest because of Little 500.”\nNicole O’ Neal, an IU sophomore and supporter of Live from Bloomington, said the fact that the event has been around 23 years just goes to show that the community cares.\n“It’s great that this tradition has passed down from so long,” she said. “It’s a great way for IU students to give back to the community; it’s a great way to see people come together to celebrate a good cause.”\nBloomington resident Russ Clinton, who has volunteered with the food bank for two years, said he would be helping at the food drive Saturday. \n“An event that can create excitement and bring awareness to the food bank and its goals will be very helpful,” he said about the drive. “It is a wonderful opportunity to help.”
(03/27/08 2:25pm)
Senior Torrey Kittle says he hungers for the change that Sen. Barack Obama envisions for America. To help make this happen, Kittle gave $100 to Obama’s presidential campaign via two separate online donations. \n“I had interned with the Obama campaign team before,” he said. “And that experience really convinced me to want to give back to the campaign.”\nDonations from Indiana residents like Kittle have made Obama the top Hoosier fundraiser in a traditionally conservative state. Supporters point to Obama’s appeal to younger voters as one reason for his success. \nAccording to the Federal Elections Commission, the Obama campaign had raised $665,510 in Indiana by the end of February. More than $197,000 was raised in February alone. \nEric Love, director of the Office of Diversity and Education at IU, said the Obama campaign managed to raise more money than the other candidates in Indiana because of Obama’s grassroots appeal.\n“Obama’s approach is to be inclusive,” said Love. “He brings people from all walks together.”\nLove, who is organizing an unofficial fundraiser for the Obama campaign in April, said people in Indiana, especially young voters, appreciate Obama’s goal of change. \n“A huge factor for him is trying to change government and ‘petty politics’ involved,” Love said. “And that is inspiring even the average person not normally interested in politics to get involved.”\nDonations to the Obama campaign were mostly received from online donors who gave $25 or more, said Tim Granholm, chapter coordinator of Students for Barack Obama at IU.\n“He has managed to raise a lot of money online,” Granholm said. “Online donors contributed about 90 percent of the sum raised.”\nLove also cited the campaign Web site as an effective grassroots tool for fund raising in itself.\n“I think the format and structure of the Web site is very helpful,” Love said. “Users can set fundraising goals, they can do an individual Web page, and they can state how much they want to raise.”\nThe campaign Web sites of all three candidates had mostly the same functions and usability. The difference is, thus, in the online usership.\n“A lot of supporters of Obama are young people who go online to do research,” Granholm said. \nThe Obama campaign actually receives more by accepting only small everyday donations and saves by not organizing big luncheons to attract big donors, Granholm said.\nLove agreed. He said a few big donors can give a lot, but a million people donating a dollar can be more influential.\nThough Indiana is traditionally a GOP-leaning state, Obama’s message has clearly struck a chord with many young voters, Granholm said.\nChelsea Kane, the IU College Republicans chairwoman, said she was shocked to see the amount of money raised for Democratic candidates in this historically Republican state.\n“I sincerely hope that Indiana voters will not fall victim to the Democratic party’s empty rhetoric of ‘hope’ and ‘change’ come November,” she said. “The fundraising trend may not be reflective of where voters might actually vote.
(03/21/08 3:36am)
The Salvation Army has recently launched a new Web-based volunteer service aimed at giving volunteers increased convenience and flexibility when performing volunteer duties.\nThe service provides an online platform to access event notifications, facilitate sign-ups for these opportunities and monitor the number of work hours spent on duties.\n“Volunteers can log in and see the opportunities available,” said Peter Iversen, communications and volunteer coordinator with The Salvation Army of Monroe County. “They can track their shifts and see what benefits them best.” \nThe Christian-based organization teamed up with volunteer management company Volunteer Squared to set up this service. The partnership spans 283 Salvation Army corps across 11 Midwestern states.\nThe new volunteer system is reported to offer a user-friendly format through which volunteers can sign up to create a profile on the Web site MyVolunteerPage.com.\nPreviously, potential volunteers had to go in person to speak with a volunteer coordinator or the Corps officer in order to get involved.\n“It’s really convenient once you understand it,” said junior and Salvation Army volunteer Nick Zwissler, who estimated that it took him 15 to 20 minutes to complete his registration. “It has made scheduling and finding out opportunities easier.”\nZwissler added, however, that there were still some issues with the system.\n“There are a couple of glitches when I last checked, but it’s a new thing so that’s expected,” he said.\nWhen asked if the Web service was anything like popular social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, Zwissler said those sites were for a different audience. \nIversen noted, too, that there are stark differences between social networking sites and the volunteer system. He said users on the volunteer Web service cannot communicate with each other, though the Web site features photos of volunteers.\nFreshman Brenda Ng, a volunteer with Volunteers in Medicine, said such a service would be beneficial for her. \n“I volunteered at the hospital in the past and I had to go to my director every time I wanted to track my hours,” Ng said. “If you are able to log on and monitor the hours, then it would save a lot trouble.”\nThe Salvation Army volunteer program is supported by a combination of good volunteer practices, Iversen said.\n“The Salvation Army is one of the largest nonprofit organizations with 3 million volunteers. Hence, we are adept at hosting large groups and organizations like fraternities,” he said. “We invest so much in our volunteers because volunteers are so important to us and to the clientele.”\nThough the present number of volunteers using the Web-based service is 19, Iversen hopes this volunteer management system will bring about higher levels of efficiency in the long run to provide better services for The Salvation Army’s clients.\n“We discovered that when we increase the level of volunteer management, the services that we provide will be more efficient and more meaningful to those who really need help.”\nFor more information on volunteering with The Salvation Army, visit www.bloomington.salvationarmyindiana.org/volunteer.
(02/19/08 1:58am)
From the ground floor entrance to the second floor of the Bloomington Convention Center, hundreds of guests waited in line to lay their hands on handmade bowls and fill them with soup.\nSunday evening’s fund-raising event, the 14th Soup Bowl Benefit, was a celebration of song, dance and soup. Sponsored by the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, the event helped raise money for the food bank and awareness about local hunger.\nNearly 30 restaurants and six bakeries contributed food, while local potters provided 600 soups bowls. Musical performances by Zimbabwean performer Sheasby Matiure and The Multinhimira Ensemble of IU, guitarist Steve Sobiech and local a cappella ensemble Kaia entertained the guests.\nRobert Meitus, a founder of the event, said the Soup Bowl Benefit has become something of tradition in Bloomington.\n“The Soup Bowl has become a special Bloomington event,” he said. “It’s always so hard to pick a bunch of bowls this time of year.”\nBeverly Calender-Anderson, who said she has been attending the Soup Bowl for seven or eight years, said the event was larger now than it had been originally.\n“There are just so many more people participating,” she said. “A lot more artists participating, a lot more potters participating.”\nKaren Green Stone, who has been volunteering since the inauguration of the Soup Bowl Benefit, said preparation for the event was swift.\n“We just had one meeting, and that was it when it came to organizing this year’s benefit, because all of us are so familiar with the process,” she said.\nMore than 600 people turned up to support the event, and $70,000 total was raised, Meitus said.\nHe said attendees raised $15,000 to $20,000 and the rest came from corporate sponsors.” \nIn his speech to guests, Julio Alonso, executive director of the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, delivered a sobering message about hunger, which he said is still a growing problem. \n“The face of hunger is changing,” Alonso said. “More and more of the people are accessing emergency foods because they lost their jobs or are facing illness.”
(02/11/08 6:38am)
A wave of Chinese New Year celebrations swept through IU this past weekend.\nThe events kicked off Friday with celebrations organized by the Taiwan and Hong Kong student associations held at the Leo Dowling International Center and Woodbridge Clubhouse, respectively, and ended on a high note with a large celebration Sunday night at the IU Auditorium.\n“Our expectations are really simple — we just want to give people a chance to celebrate Chinese New Year (and) promote Chinese culture,” said Si Qin, president of the IU Chinese Scholars Student Association. “There is a sizable Chinese population in Bloomington, and so we want to bring (these) people together.”\nThe IU auditorium saw more than 800 people come out to celebrate the 2008 Chinese Year of the Rat. Food was served from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by performances such as “Tongue Twister for Kids,” “Hawaii Dance” and a multicultural show featuring students from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China performing in their dialects.\nAt the International Center, guests were treated to familiar food, games and traditional rituals. David Huang, vice president of the Taiwan Student Association, said the purpose of the celebration was to give students a sense of home during this festive season.\n“We want to give our peers a similar experience as that of home during Chinese New Year,” Haung said. “Especially so, because we are so far away from home. “\nHuang said his committee tried to capture the spirit of home by introducing common elements of Chinese New Year from Taiwan. \n“We played popular a board game, Mahjong, ate Tangyuan (dessert), Niangao (rice cake) and distributed red packets during our lucky draw to keep in tradition with the Chinese New Year,” he said.\nOutside campus, the Monroe County Public Library hosted the Asian Culture Center’s Lunar New Year celebration Saturday. Various international student associations entertained guests with cultural performances. \nVisitors to the public library were greeted with a surprise Lunar New Year welcome. Set up at the ground floor of the library was a Chinese calligraphy booth. Visitors were able to dabble in the art of writing Chinese characters. \n“My friend from Taiwan was helping with the Chinese characters,” said Krystal Pittman, a student at Tri-North Middle School, who managed to write “good best friends” in Mandarin. \nThe Pittman family chanced upon the festivities while visiting the library that day. The family stayed on to watch the performances at the suggestion of a Taiwanese family friend who accompanied them.\n“All the different cultures were really interesting; the styles and the music,” said Tamela Pittman, Krystal’s mother, who brought her three daughters to library. “Evidently, we were here at the library and we decided to stay to experience this special celebration.” \nPerformances started at 2 p.m. in the library auditorium and featured various cultural performances including lion dances, Tai Chi performance and a Korean violin piece. \nIU alumnus Ariane Lestari, who performed at the library auditorium, said her group performed “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin” using the traditional Indonesian musical instrument, the Angklung.\n“The Angklung is a musical instrument made from bamboo,” Lestari said. “Most people haven’t seen such an instrument before so they seem to find it interesting seeing us perform.”
(02/07/08 7:24am)
Behind the side entrance at the American Red Cross building on Seventh Street is a dark stairwell that leads to a room on the second story. In that room, a class of nearly 10 people is seated in a rectangular arrangement awaiting lessons. Placed on students’ desks are manuals titled “CPR/AED.”\nThis class is the first of a three-evening Standard First Aid with Adult, Infant and Child CPR course that runs Feb. 4-11. The course offers first-aid certification in adult, infant and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation. \nSue Gulley, executive director of the Monroe County chapter of the American Red Cross, said that new legislation passed in the Indiana House and Senate increased the demand for health certification.\n“More and more employers require individuals at the work site to be trained with health and safety skills set to save lives in emergencies,” said Gulley, who also said the people who attend the classes come from all walks of life and have “a desire to be ready to respond in an emergency to save a life.”\nThis course is one in a series of health and safety training courses routinely conducted at the Monroe County chapter of American Red Cross. Other courses offered at the Red Cross include CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, Bloodborne Pathogens Training and First Aid for Dogs and Cats, according to the Red Cross Web site.\nParticipants in the courses learn many skills, including how to recognize and implement basic procedures in an emergency. Skills such as performing rescue breathing, using an automated external defibrillator to treat cardiac arrest and caring for choking victims are taught to students, according to a Red Cross public service press release.\nSophomore Jonathan Lin, however, intends to enroll in a lifeguard course because the course encompasses the different skills that he wants to learn.\n“These skills are useful to have because you can actually apply them at some point of your life,” Lin said. “I personally feel that it is something valuable.”
(01/23/08 4:11pm)
United Way of Monroe County recently awarded grants totaling almost $29,000 to eight social welfare agencies.\nProjects by these agencies will be funded through capacity-building grants, which are intended to improve an organization’s infrastructure.\nThe capacity-building grants, in addition to the agencies’ monthly fund allocations, will support initiatives seen as priorities by the United Way board, according to a news release from United Way of Monroe County.\nThe agencies are part of United Way’s 26 member sub organizations that work to ensure that Monroe County residents have food, housing, emergency services and health care, according to the county’s United Way’s Web site.\nBarry Lessow, executive director of United Way of Monroe County, said in a press release that funding will help the agencies “pursue their missions more effectively and comprehensively” and will go into specific criteria where it can be most utilized.\n“Sometimes it’s a matter of infrastructure; sometimes they need furnishing for the office or equipment,” Lessow said in the press release. “Sometimes it’s for administrative purposes, or it could be use to enhance a program that (the agencies) offer.”\nThe United Way awarded Stone Belt, a service provider for individuals with developmental disabilities and a United Way agency, a capacity-building grant worth $5,620 to purchase manufacturing equipment. \nLeslie Green, chief executive officer of Stone Belt, said that new equipment gave Stone Belt the opportunity to “marry” its Leather Works and Art and Craft Studio product lines. There will be more client-produced merchandise for sale such as mouse pads, coasters, ornaments, belts and more.\n“We’re buying two pieces of equipment that allows us to put art design on leather work,” Green said. “We produced a lot of items but couldn’t put designs on them. Now we have a ‘hot stamper’ machine to emboss the designs.” \nRhino’s Youth Center, an organization that facilitates youth programs, received $4,200 to improve its media programs.\nRhino’s Youth Center director Brad Wilhelm said in a news release that the grant will go toward upgrading rapidly aging technology and assisting volunteers in producing media and promotional materials.\nAnother agency receiving a United Way grant was Options, an organization that aids individuals with disabilities. Options received $2,500 to help in creating Karst Playscape. Executive director Susan Rinne said in a news release that Playscape will be a unique place where more than 70 children with disabilities and their families can have fun together.\nLessow said that United Way and its member agencies are dedicated to addressing these critical needs and reducing them in the future by making investments now.\n“We are like an umbrella organization that is involved in many different areas,” Lessow said. “But the idea is that if there is a story of need ... we want to be there to address these concerns.”
(01/16/08 4:18am)
When sophomore Andrew Ng was a medic in the Singapore Armed Forces, his first-aid training included learning how to inject others with needles. \n“Every week we (would) practice jabbing our ‘buddy’ and injecting saline into them until we (were) good at locating veins fast and well,” said the business major, who has been a regular blood donor for the past year and a half.\nDuring January, which is National Blood Donor Month, Ng will recall some of those memories when he gives blood for the sixth time. \n“Though it is slightly discomforting at first, giving blood is for a good cause,” he said. \nCollege students such as Ng are in high demand for the American Red Cross this winter, said Loni White, communications coordinator for the local Red Cross chapter. \n“People in college need to start being regular blood donors,” White said. “They are the ones who are eligible. However, there is a problem of attracting these young blood donors.”\nJanuary is traditionally a slow month for donations at the blood bank, White said. She hopes that celebrating January as the National Blood Donor Month will attract more people to give blood.\n“Winter is a difficult time because of the cold weather,” White said. “Oftentimes, there is an increase of sickness (such as the) flu; people are just back from holidays. That’s why this month is more important than any other month when it comes to receiving donations.” \nWhite urges college-age people to be the next generation of blood donors because regular donors are typically “middle-aged and older” and might not be able to give blood for much longer because of health reasons.\nShelby Wilson, 70, has stopped donating blood regularly. \n“I’ve always given blood, whenever possible,” said the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling. “It doesn’t cost me to give blood and I always felt better after I gave, both physically and emotionally.”\nWilson said that a trip overseas put his regular blood donations to an end. The American Red Cross considered him ineligible as a donor because of concerns regarding a flu shot during that trip.\nAlthough Wilson has not donated blood recently, he said he thinks this is one way to help others.\n“In this country, people need blood, and (blood donations are) how people who need blood get it,” he said.\nAccording to an American Red Cross news release, people who are 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health might be eligible to donate blood. All donors must present positive identification. For more information or to schedule a blood donation appointment, call 1-800-448-3543.
(01/10/08 4:53am)
People will choose their favorite soup bowls and savor sumptuous soup at the 2008 Soup Bowl Benefit for the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.\nWorld music from musicians such as Sheasby Matiure, The Mutinhimira Marimba Ensemble, Kaia and Steve Sobiech will be featured in this year’s benefit, which will be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Bloomington Convention Center. \nThe 14th annual fundraiser will combine decorative, culinary and performance arts. Local potters will contribute handmade bowls, restaurants and bakeries will donate food, musicians will provide live entertainment and attendees will gather, all to serve the cause of alleviating hunger. \nProceeds will support the bank, which administers food collection and distribution to non-profit feeding organizations. \n“The issue of hunger is a growing problem,” said Julio Alonso, executive director of the food bank. “The issue now is that even working adults are having problems sustaining themselves due to the ever-increasing cost of living.” \nLast year, more than two million pounds of food were distributed by the food bank, Alonso said. The bank serves Brown, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Owen counties, according to its Web site. Resources, however, are stretched thin, according to a press release issued by the food bank.\nThe “25 for 25” campaign was thereby launched at the food bank’s 25th anniversary reception last November to erect a proposed 25,000-square-foot warehouse, according to the press release.\nThe benefit has been held at the Bloomington Convention Center for two years running, raising nearly $70,000 in 2007, according to the food bank’s Web site. Robert Meitus, chairperson of the Soup Bowl committee, said the event is not a grandiose affair.\n“We really take responsibility to further this cause,” he said. “It’s a third year at this level, and we aim to maintain the strong level of corporate and public support.” \nLisa Abbott, director of the city of Bloomington’s Housing and Neighborhood Development, has been attending the Soup Bowl event for nearly 10 years and said she expects this year’s benefit to be another great grassroots event. \n“The Soup Bowl event is really the lynchpin of charitable programs in Bloomington,” Abbott said. “It is like a close-knit family affair; that’s the place where I run into many familiar friendly faces ... It’s socially fun and interesting.”\nThe benefit was inspired by Empty Bowl, a worldwide fundraising drive for hunger prevention programs, Meitus said. \nAdult tickets are available for $25 in advance at all three Bloomingfoods stores, Yarns Unlimited and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Children’s tickets will be available on the day of the event at the door for $6. For further information, call 334-8374 or visit www.soupbowl.org.
(12/04/07 4:22am)
A new captain is onboard the Indiana faculty. \nRetired naval officer, Dr. Peter A. S. Johnstone will be taking over the chairmanship duties at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the IU School of Medicine.\nComing from Emory University School of Medicine, where he was professor of radiation oncology and hematology/oncology, Johnstone arms himself with a wealth of experience and a clear vision for his role at IU. \n“What we have got to do is continue IU’s academic mission and increase the school’s academic reputation by being actively involved in research publication and clinical trials,” Johnstone said. \nAlthough Johnstone’s role as chair is focused on mentorship and recruiting, he wants to work with other academic departments. \n“Collaboration will help in enriching everyone concerned,” Johnstone said. \nJohnstone earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and a master’s degree in communications from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He completed a residency in radiation oncology at the National Cancer Institute and received specialized training in medical acupuncture at University of California, Los Angeles. \nMuch of the leadership skills that he acquired in his distinguished navy career will come into play in this new position. \n“My perspective on leadership, as a rule of thumb, was developed in my career in the navy,” Johnstone said. “Over 20 years in the service has given me a broad range of experiences to draw from.”\nAfter receiving his bachelor of science from the Naval Academy, Johnstone commenced his naval duties as a U.S. gunnery officer and navigator at sea. Subsequently, he worked for three years at the Pentagon, where he spent one year as part of the personal staff to the Secretary of the Navy. Before retiring, he was on the board of directors at the Naval Hospital in San Diego. He served the United States Navy from 1975 to 2003. \n“Dr. Johnstone is a recognized leader in his field,” said Dr. Stephen D. Williams, HH Gregg professor of oncology and director of the IU Simon Cancer Center, in an e-mail interview. “His background and his experiences will lend themselves well to helping our patients continue to receive the best possible care available through research and state-of-the-art treatment.” \nIndeed, Johnstone has worn many hats throughout his career: He is the editor-in-chief of the bi-monthly medical journal “Current Problems in Cancer” and serves on several committees within the American College of Radiology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the American Radium Society. He is also president of the Society of Integrative Oncology, which, as stated on its Web site, functions as a nonprofit organization of professionals “committed to the study and application of complementary therapies and botanicals for cancer patients.”\nJohnstone officially replaced Dr. James G. Morphis II, the William A. Mitchell Professor of Radiation Oncology, on Saturday.