Ramapo College of New Jersey || Community Service Center

Community Service Center

Alternative Break Program

Announcements

"The challenge of social justice is to evoke a sense of community that we need to make our nation a better place, just as we make it a safer place." Marian Wright Edelman

The student managed Ramapo Community Service Center (CSC) promotes, facilitates and organizes community service by members of the Ramapo community, especially students within clubs and organizations. The CSC strives to respond effectively to needs identified by community agencies by empowering and uniting the campus to effect social change through direct service. In promoting service, the Center aims to support a lifetime commitment to social justice within the student body.

Fall 2009 Schedule of Service Projects
Frequently Asked Questions
Online Service Project Registration
Community Service Center Forms

If you are unfamiliar with Ramapo College's Fundraising Policy, please read here:

Fundraising and Donation Drives at Ramapo College

In an effort to nurture greater accountability, the Community Service Center and the Office of Student Activities has created a new fundraising policy, which will apply to the following groups, effective immediately:

All Ramapo College students and groups fundraising for themselves.
Charitable organizations fundraising for a stated purpose.
Student organizations fundraising for charities outside the College.
Students and organizations seeking in-kind donations for themselves or others.

Student groups that wish to seek financial support or provide a community service through fund-raising events or activities involving outside sources must first complete a Student Fundraising and Donation Drive Proposal Form and submit it to Community Service Center. The form must be returned with a letter of endorsement from the organization for which you plan to fundraise if you anticipate collecting or receiving donations greater then $200.

Often outside sources such as corporations, community businesses, private foundations and individuals are already being solicited by the Ramapo College Foundation for other needs at Ramapo College. This new policy seeks to prevent “overlap” in the solicitation process.Thus, approval of the Student Fundraising and Donation Drive Proposal Form must be secured prior to any solicitations on-campus or off-campus (corporations, businesses, family, or corporate foundations, or individuals). Following approval of the Fundraising and Donation Drive Proposal Form, students may secure campus space for approved fundraising events/activities through the Office of Events and Conferences.

Fundraising Summary Report must also be completed for each fund raising activity, which will detail the outcome of your fundraising event(s). Future Student Fund Raising and Donation Drive Proposal forms will not be approved if a campus organization has an outstanding final report due.

*Complete proposal forms should be submitted at least two weeks prior to event date with all the required paperwork completed in order to be approved.*

Contact Information

Community Service Center Staff

Rachel LaForgia
Graduate Assistant for the Cahill Center
E-mail: rwardlaf@ramapo.edu
Phone: (201) 684-7223

Nora Dougherty
Zariel Grullon
Lauren MacDonald
Masae Hori

Hours of Operation

For your convenience, we are available:
Monday: 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Contact us via

Phone: (201) 684-7586
E-mail: csc@ramapo.edu
AIM: RamapoCollegeCSC
Facebook Group: Community Service Center
Twitter: CSC_RCNJ

Service Project Schedule

DATE & TIME	EVENT & LOCATION	DESCRIPTION
September 17 Thursday, 9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.	Voter Registration "Tabling in Residence Halls" On Campus	Help spread the message of democracy by informing students of their right to vote. (Completed)
September 19 Saturday, 8:15 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Camp Vacamas Franklin Lakes, NJ	Help us clean and set up for this camp for inner city children. Lunch will be provided. (Completed)
September 26 Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Carter Burden Center for Aging "Meels-On-Heels" New York, NY	Join us as we work with the Carter Burden Center for Aging to deliver meals to senior citizens in New York City. (Completed)
September 30 Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Brightside Manor Teaneck, NJ	Spend a day interacting with the elderly of Teaneck. Calling out bingo, playing cards, and hearing tales of the past are great ways to have simple fun while learning something new about people. (Completed)
October 7 Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Greater Newark Conservancy Newark, NJ	Help promote enviornmental awareness by planting in the garden of a local school. (Completed)
October 10 Saturday, 9:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Palisades Interstate Park Commission Fort Lee, NJ	Help clean up at Fort Lee Historic Park, picking up litter and dead leaves. (Completed)
October 10 Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Flat Rock Brook Nature Center Englewood, NJ	Celebrate World Wildlife week by planting trees, shrubs, and all kinds of plants that serve as habitats for animals. (Completed)
October 14 Wednesday, 9:30 - a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Children's Aid and Family Services Paramus, NJ	Come and assist teachers with the children in the Childcare Center, and then help clean up the playground. Lunch will be provided. (Completed)
October 21 Wednesday, 8:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen New York, NY	Help serve food to the homeless of New York in one of the largest soup kitchens in the country. (Completed)
October 24 Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Rebuilding Together Hackensack, NJ	Help beautify the city of Hackensack by participating in the river clean up. (Completed) This event is also recurring in November.
October 25 Sunday, 8:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m	Family Reach Foundation Fun Run Mahwah, NJ	Come out and help organize this walk/run through Darlington Park and cheer on the runners to help raise money for the treatments of pediatric cancer patients. (Completed)
October 25 Sunday, 9:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Lorrimer Cider Fest Franklin Lakes, NJ	Join us for the annual old-fashioned celebration of cider. We will be setting up and playing games with children. (Completed)
October 28 Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.	House on the Hill Goshen, NY	Promote literacy and celebrate Halloween by reading to children from House on the Hill, an organization that provides day care services for children of migrant workers. (Completed)
November 4 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Friends for Life Fort Lee, NJ	Help prepare and serve food for persons with AIDS. (Completed)
November 7 Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.	The Apostles House Newark, NJ	Help clean up and plant some trees around the Apostles' House, an agency that provides social services to homeless and "at risk" families. (Completed)
November 11 Wednesday, 3:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.	Faces of Hunger and Homelessness Panel On Campus (SC-219)	Ending homelessness must begin with the understanding that people who are or have been homeless are our neighbors and members of our community. Listen to the stories of people who have experienced homelessness. (Completed)
November 12 Thursday, 1:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Welfare Simulation On Campus (SC-219)	Sign up quickly for this simulation which gives you an inside look at what it takes to live on Welfare for a "month". If you plan on attending this event you must stay for the entirety of the simulation. (Completed)
November 13 Friday, 7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.	Night Without A Home On Campus (Laurel Courts)	Experience what it might be like to be a homeless person for a night. This is a rewarding experience that will challenge you to examine what you take for granted. (Cancelled)
November 21 Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Rebuilding Together Hackensack, NJ	Help beautify the city of Hackensack by participating in the river clean up.
December 2 Wednesday, 12:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Broadway House Newark, NJ	Promote AIDS Awareness by coming to the Broadway house, and helping those suffering from AIDS.
December 9 Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.	CFA Dorm Storm On Campus	Join us as the semester comes to a close as we go out and collect food from students around campus to be donated to the Center for Food Action of Mahwah.
Note: A refundable $5 deposit must be left prior to being confirmed for any project. Transportation available. If you have any questions, call us at ext. 7586, email us at CSC@Ramapo.edu or visit the CSC Office located in the Cahill Center (C209).

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Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of service projects are planned?

Read Across America Program
Homeless Outerach Programs
Affordable Housing Construction
Community Park and Watershed Clean Ups
Fund Raisers for Local Non-Profit Agencies (501c3)
Campus Food Drives

What is CSC responsible for when dealing with campus clubs and organizations?

Working with Student Activities Revenue Management, CSC is responsible for documenting and registering all community service activities on campus for clubs. To facilitate this, they work directly with students to help them meet their club/organization's community service requirement to maintain a Student Activities budget. By catering to the interests and needs of students, CSC helps clubs and organizations design substantive service projects that meet real needs in the local community. CSC also works with students trying to start new clubs and organizations by helping them complete service hours to gain recognition by Student Activities.

Why should students work with CSC when they can plan service projects on their own?

Students can be certain that they are having a direct impact on the community because CSC communicates regularly with local agencies to identify the greatest needs. At the same time, CSC projects also nurture solidarity with other clubs and organizations by bringing them together to address common interests in public service. Furthermore, CSC encourages community interaction and reflection on each project, which result in a more meaningful experience for all participants. They also arrange transportation to and from the service site.

What if a club/organization has an idea for a great service project is seeking help?

Because CSC has a large base of community partners, they can help students transform their ideas for service projects into reality by connecting them with the appropriate agencies. The CSC staff facilitates the planning process because they assist with project logistics. They can also enlist the help of other clubs and organizations, making the impact of service proportionately larger.

How do students register for projects?

The online registration form is available on the CSC website, and after registration students must leave a five dollar deposit before the project in which they wish to participate. Deposits may be left in the Community Service Center Office (Room C-209) located in the Cahill Center. If CSC staff members are not present to take your deposit, you may leave it in the secure drop box located in the CSC Office. Students who do not leave a deposit may be deregistered form the event. The deposits are returned to student participants who successfully complete the service project. However, students who fail to complete the project will lose their deposits.

How do students find out about the service projects sponsored by CSC each semester?

Event schedules describing each service project are available online. Hard copies of the schedule are available in the Cahill Center and the Student Activities Revenue Management Offfice at the beginning of each semester. You may also pick them up during President Treasurer and Advisor (PTA) club meetings.

Contact Information

Ramapo College Community Service Center
Cahill Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services
505 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201) 684-7586 Telephone
(201) 684-7452 Fax