PURPOSE
The purpose of the Graduate Relief Team is to get a group of graduate students together to provide services where needed in our community. We believe that many grad students want to help but do not know how or where to begin. The Graduate Relief Team serves to connect those in need to the grad students who can provide the help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Want to learn more and be part of the team? Blitz the Graduate Relief Team to join our mailing list or like us on Facebook!
UPCOMING EVENTS
ACS Relay For Life (Saturday, May 11th – Sunday, May 12th 2013)
The GRT is once again participating in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on May 11th/12th 2013! Relay for Life helps communities around the world celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. If you are interested in walking to support cancer research, join our team! We have several spots still open so visit our page to learn more or if you would like to make a donation to help us raise money to fund cancer research – all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. You can find pictures from last year’s event on our Facebook page!
You can also dedicate a Luminaria bag to honor a loved one who is/has battled cancer. If you would prefer to decorate one yourself please email the GRT with your hinman box and we will send one to you! Each Luminaria is $10 and goes towards helping us fundraise to fight cancer. All the Luminaria will be displayed alphabetically around the Relay for Life track on May 11th so please come by Maynard Lot ~9pm to help us honor them!
MORE COMMUNITY SERVICES
Want to get involved in other community services? Check out:
Also, visit them on Facebook, or e-mail them at tucker.foundation@dartmouth.edu
PAST EVENTS
Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity Build (Saturday, February 16th, 2013)
Our first volunteer event of the year was a Habitat for Humanity build on Saturday, February 16th from 12:15PM-3:30PM! Four GRT members, Angelyca Jackson, Erin O’Malley, Yu Zhao and Waheed Zarif volunteered to help at a site that was damaged in Hurricane Irene. Learn more about Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity and the amazing work they do. Find pictures from a past GRT-Habitat build here.
Food Drive at the “Blizzard Ball” (Saturday, February 2nd, 2013)
To kick off the new year, the Graduate Relief Team teamed up with the GSC’s social chairs to run a Food Drive at the Blizzard Ball on February 2! This philanthropic giving opportunity benefitted The Upper Valley Haven. They are especially in need of any and all canned foods and/or non-perishable food items since their shelves are generally depleted over the holidays. One free drink ticket good for any wine, beer, or cocktail at the Blizzard Ball was given to the first 50 dance attendees through the door who brought 3 or more cans of food or other non-perishable food item with them on the 2nd. We collected a boxful of food in just a few hours! Thanks to all those that gave and the GSC for helping to make this possible.
Holiday Food Drive for the Upper Valley Haven (December 2012)
The Graduate Relief Team continued the tradition of having a food drive for the Upper Valley Haven over the holiday season (December 3 to December 21) to assist the families in our community that rely on them. Students from different departments donated almost 500 cans, non-perishable food items and holiday items over those 3 weeks! A huge thank you to everyone who contributed! The Haven relies heavily on private donations and volunteer hours to keep running. A special thank you and congratulation to the PBS department! They donated the most items (~155 items total!) and decorated the most festive box to win the food drive competition!
3rd Annual Day of Caring at Dartmouth (Saturday, September 29th, 2012)
On Saturday September 29th, the GRT joined the rest of Dartmouth and the Upper Valley for the 3rd year in a row at the annual United Way Day of Caring at Dartmouth. We had a fun and rewarding Saturday morning helping set up a vegetable garden project at the local middle school in WRJ, VT. It was a great opportunity to get an introduction to volunteer opportunities in the area, raise awareness of community issues and services, see the impact of our donations and make new friends! Check out pictures of work on our Facebook page! Find out more about this event on the Tucker Foundation’s Day of Caring page.
Habitat for Humanity (Saturday, August 25th, 2012)
On Saturday, August 25th, the GRT worked on a Habitat for Humanity project from 9am – 1.30pm. This time, the job was quite different from the usual Habitat projects. Amanda Balboni, Alex Busch, Ashley Zurawel, Carolyn Parkinson, Marie Braem, Olivia Kang, Vinoy Vijayan, Marie Onakomaiya and her mother spent the morning and early afternoon helping Don Derrick of Upper Valley Habitat do major cleanup, lawn and garden care for a house that was just donated to Habitat! Habitat will soon be selecting a deserving family with whom to refurbish the home and the work the GRT did on Saturday helped get it ready for that next step! Look for pictures on our Facebook page!
Helping to build a house can be a lot of fun and a potential stress-relieving activity! A typical morning or afternoon at a Habitat site is spent hammering, sawing, painting and enjoying the outdoors. **NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY** For more information you can also check out the Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity website.
The Prouty (Saturday, July 14, 2012)
For over 30 years now, the Prouty has brought thousands of cyclists, walkers and rowers in the community together to raise awareness and money for cancer research. This year, GRT members Stela Celaj, Marie Onakomaiya and Ashley Zurawel volunteered in the Kids’ Tent, painting faces, doing arts and crafts and keeping the kids busy while their parents participated in the event. Check out pictures on our Facebook page! Several other graduate students also volunteered in other areas and participated in the events helping to make this year’s Prouty a huge success!
Dinner at the Upper Valley Haven (Saturday, June 30, 2012)
The Graduate Relief Team once again hosted dinner in Hixon house at the Upper Valley Haven (the shelter in WRJ) on Saturday, June 30th. The Haven provides residents and people in need with dinner every night and rely heavily on volunteers to donate time and resources to keep running. This time, Angelyca Jackson, Emily Schaeffer, Stela Celaj and Marie Onakomaiya made a “Summer Barbecue” dinner for the Haven guests. You can find pictures from our last dinner on our Facebook page!
We have more dinners coming up in the next few months. If you would like to learn more and hear about future events, please blitz the GRT (Graduate.Relief.Team@Dartmouth.edu).
ACS Relay for Life (Saturday, April 28, 2012)
This year 10 graduate students (Adina Fischer, Amanda Balboni, Andrew DeCastro, Anna Hatch, Fadzai Chinyengetere, Lan Guo, Lisa Marie Mustachio, Marie Onakomaiya, Sondra Downey and Stela Celaj) joined the Graduate Relief Team to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life! The theme was Relay Olympics and we were Greece! The GRT was there from 3.30pm on Friday until 6.30am the next morning at Memorial Field and Leverone field house. We helped with setting up the Luminaria bags around the track for the Luminaria ceremony, ran a ”Polaroid photobooth” to raise money on-site and participated in several of the themed laps including the Luminaria. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our campsite to support us! Find the pictures on our Facebook page!
A huge thanks to all our donors – the GRT raised over $1,700 for the American Cancer Society! Congratulations to GRT member Andrew DeCastro for winning the final Relay fundraising challenge!
Dinner at the Upper Valley Haven (Saturday, March 31, 2012)
The Graduate Relief Team hosted dinner in Hixon house at the Upper Valley Haven (the shelter in WRJ) on Saturday, March 31st. The Haven provides residents and people in need with dinner every night. They rely heavily on volunteers to donate time and resources to keep running. Graduate students Anna Hatch, Elizabeth Gillaspy, Emily Schaeffer, Kate Byrne, Lisa Gayetsky, Marie Onakomaiya and Olivia Kang prepared food for the Haven guests. Check out pictures on our Facebook page!
We have more dinners coming up in the next few months. If you would like to learn more and hear about future events, please blitz the GRT (Graduate.Relief.Team@Dartmouth.edu).
Water Pressures Documentary and Discussion (Friday, March 30, 2012)
The Graduate Relief Team in association with ONE.org and the ONE campus challenge screened the award-winning “Water Pressures” in Filene Auditorium on March 30th! This documentary highlights water management projects focused on providing clean water to developing countries around the world to raise awareness for the problem of access to clean water in such regions. Thanks to all those that helped with putting it together and to everyone that came out to see it and join the discussion! Visit our Facebook page for pictures!
Relay for Life Fundraiser at Margaritas (Monday, March 26, 2012)
In an effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, we hosted a restaurant night at Margaritas Mexican Restaurant (Lebanon, NH) on Monday, March 26th. Margaritas donated 15% of the proceeds from the night to the GRT’s Relay For Life team! Thanks to Margaritas for hosting us and a special thank you to all those that came to dinner to support our efforts to raise money for cancer research! Look out for more fundraising events coming soon!
Shamrock Shuffle (Saturday, March 17, 2012)
On St. Patrick’s day 2012, 5 members of the Graduate Relief Team volunteered to help the Lebanon Parks and Recreation department with their 11th annual Shamrock Shuffle, a 5K road race in Lebanon, NH that supports youth activities scholarships . Amanda Balboni, Angelyca Jackson, Ashley Robbins, Marie Onakomaiya and Stela Celaj were on parking detail before the race then helped with covering the race on video and cheering on the runners. Many Dartmouth graduate students also ran the 5K! Look for pictures on the Shamrock Shuffle Picasa page.
The 2nd Annual United Way-Dartmouth Day of Caring (Saturday, October 1, 2011)
On Saturday October 1st, 4 members of the Graduate Relief Team – Ashley Zurawel, Dawn Ling, Elizabeth Clark and Marie Onakomaiya joined the rest of Dartmouth and the Upper Valley community for the second year in a row to volunteer their time with different area non-profits, raise awareness of community issues and services, meet new friends, learn about the Upper Valley, and give back to our community. They were assigned to the Enfield Green-up Team for the day. Check out pictures on our Facebook page!
Shamrock Shuffle (Saturday, March 19, 2011)
On Saturday, March 19 from 10:30am to 1:30pm, we helped Lebanon Recreation and Parks with their 10th annual 5K road race and 1 mile fun run. This is a fundraising event that occurs during St Patrick’s Day Weekend and the proceeds go to benefit scholarship program for local youth with a demonstrated need. The event was held at the Lebanon Green / City Hall (51 North Park St, Lebanon, NH). The following are the grad students who served as course marshals and water station helpers: Li Chang, Tuobin Wang and Kiah Sanders. Plus, there were many Dartmouth grads (and former grads) who ran the 5K themselves!!! Go Dartmouth Grads!!! Check out pictures on the Grad Studies Flickr page
Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity Build (Saturday, January 29, 2011)
On Saturday, January 29 from 8:30am to 12:30pm, we helped Dartmouth Habitat for Humanity build houses for those in need. We hammered and mudded and had an awesome time! The following are the grad students who have helped with the build: Li Chang, Karlene Barrett, Marie Onakomaiya, Lois St. Brice, Sierra Kent and Tuobin Wang. Check out pictures on the Grad Studies Flickr page
Help building a house can be a lot of fun – and a potential stress-relieving activity to do after a day of research! A typical morning / afternoon at the Upper Valley’s Habitat house sites is spent hammering, sawing, aiding, painting and enjoying the outdoors. **NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY**
If you are interested, the builds are usually on Monday afternoons (12:30pm-4:30pm), Saturday mornings (8:30am-12:30pm) and Saturday afternoons (12:30pm-4:30pm). Monday builds are often hard to fill, so it would be great for those interested to try and schedule in a Monday build! Just remember to sign up first by blitzing Habitat!
For more information, please contact Habitat (habitat@dartmouth.edu) or check out their website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~tucker/service/local/food/habitat.html
Thanksgiving Dinner Service (Friday, November 26, 2010)
On Friday, November 26, we helped Students Fighting Hunger (SFH) cook Thanksgiving meal for those in need. The event was held at Our Savior Lutheran Church (across from Hanover High School, on Summer Street). Students Fighting Hunger provided the food for the Thanksgiving meal, and the following grad students were present to help cook the meal: Li Chang, Karlene Barrett, Elizabeth Alice Clark, Erin E. O’Flaherty and Erin L. Yao-Cohen (med student). Check out pictures on the Grad Studies Flickr page
Bummed out that you missed the event? Do not worry! Students Fighting Hunger hold weekly Friday night dinners at Our Savior Lutheran Church (across from Hanover High School, on Summer Street). Cooking usually starts at 4 pm and will likely be finished around 6:30 or 7 pm. For more information, please contact SFH (sfh@dartmouth.edu) or check out their website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~tucker/service/local/food/hunger.html
The Upper Valley Day of Caring (Saturday, October 9, 2010)
The UPPER VALLEY DAY OF CARING is a chance for all individuals in area communities to give, advocate and volunteer. It’s a day to join hands, open hearts and show the community how to “Live United.” Saturday, October 9, 2010 was the inaugural Day of Caring sponsored by Dartmouth College, Hypertherm, Timken, Trumbull-Nelson and Ledyard National Bank. The event gave volunteers first-hand experience with area non-profits to raise awareness of community issues and services, as well as to better understand the impact of their donated dollars. For this event, we gathered six graduate students to help out: Li Chang, Marie Onakomaiya, Amanda Balboni, Andrew Decastro, Stela Celaj and Elizabeth Clark. Check out pictures on the Grad Studies Flickr page
Chad Hero Half Marathon (Sunday, August 29, 2010)
The first event the Graduate Relief Team took part was the CHaD HERO Half Marathon held on Sunday, August 29, 2010. CHaD stands for Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth- Hitchcock and the event’s sole purpose was to fundraise money for CHaD. Why is it called a “HERO” half marathon? Because it is encouraged for participants to dress up as superheroes! And this year, 1500 superheroes helped CHaD set a NEW Guiness World Record! Of course, in order to pull off the event, lots of volunteers were needed to help feed, water, direct and cheer the participants – and that’s where the Graduate Relief Team came in to help! For our very first event, we gathered eight graduate students to help out at the event: Li Chang, Yi Zhang, April Semilla, Sheila Chang, Lynne Morgan, Jessica Weng, Katherine Weng and Ashley Laughney. Check out pictures on the Grad Studies Flickr page