All Things PDP
Becoming an Active Citizen/Serving the Greater Good
Identify service opportunities or issues of personal passion and take meaningful steps toward engaging with those issues.
You are not limited to these activities. You are also encouraged to find activities of your own to make it personal. Keep in mind, activities are not limited to certain categories, it all depends on the category rationale you provide to your TA.
Some activities can be done at any time of the year and do not have a specific date or time associated with them, these activities can be found at the bottom of the page.
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DO NOT sign up for any activity without prior approval of the activity and category from your TA.
Community and Career Day
Friday September 15, 9am-4pm
Join a partnership between the Dow Diamond, the Volunteer Center, the College of Business, and the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy for a day of service that connects CMU students and Dow employees.
Students will serve at Island Park with The Chippewa Watershed Conservancy alongside Dow employees, and in addition to a free lunch, students will have the opportunity to ask Dow employees questions about their career goals. Students will also receive a free Serve the Mitten t-shirt.
The event will run in two groups.
Volunteer group 1 will begin with volunteering at 9am at Island Park and finish by eating lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Volunteer group 2 will begin by eating lunch at 11:30 a.m and finish volunteering at 4 p.m.
Please be sure to indicate in the questions which volunteer group you would like to be a part of.
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RSVP Here
Fire Up the Vote
Tuesday September 19, 10am-3pm
Encourage others to stop outside the Library and the UC to learn about registering to vote, and making your voice heard. Participation would look like spending time holding signs and sandwich boards with encouraging messages about voting and talking to students. If interested, email Matthew Thomas (thoma16m@cmich.edu).
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Mount Pleasant City Commission Candidate Forum
Thursday September 28, 6:30pm
Location: Mount Pleasant City Hall at 320 W Broadway
The forum for Mt Pleasant City Commission candidates will afford students an opportunity to learn about what the city commission does and how the commission affects them as residents of the city. There are five candidates running for two commission seats. The forum audience can submit questions for candidate responses.
After the forum there will be a town hall presentation on the recent changes to voting rights in Michigan. These changes make it easier for citizens of Michigan to cast their ballots.
They are also looking for volunteers for the event, if you are interested in volunteering please call the League of Women Voters spokesperson Theresa Turner at 989-220-3859.
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Open Attendance
Letters for the Elders with TA Sophia
Thursday October 5th, 7pm-8pm
Letters for Elders is an organization where volunteers create cards to send to the elderly. The organization has sent more than 250,000 letters of love around the world. Sign up to help make these cards and write a letter to replace someone’s loneliness with messages of hope, love, and encouragement. The event will be held in the Thorpe Hall Lobby.
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Sign Up
Taking “Chip” Downtown
Friday October 13, 10am-12pm
Help the CMU Museum prepare our 1920 Transport Truck nicknamed “Chip” for use in the 2023 Homecoming Parade. Meet at the CMU Museum, then travel to the Engineering and Technology Building where Museum Director Dr. Jay Martin will give a brief talk about the company's history, why historians are interested, and how it connects to Museum Studies. Then we will clean up the truck and position it for the parade. If participating students wish to dress up in 1920s clothing or CMU attire, they can walk with the Museum/Museum Studies students in the Homecoming Parade on the morning of Saturday, October 14! [Counts as Honors volunteer hours! Pizza provided on October 13.]—Maximum 25 students
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Sign Up
HATS Dog Walking with TA Ashley
Friday October 20th, 1pm-3pm
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Come and join TA Ashley on a dog walk with the dogs from the Humane Animal Treatment Society (HATS) in Mount Pleasant. There will be 3-4 dogs and a maximum number of 10 people able to sign up.
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Sign Up
Alternative Friday Break - Discovery Museum
Friday October 20th, 4:30pm-8pm
Volunteer at the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum!
Join the Alternative Breaks program for a Friday volunteering with the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum. Volunteers will be helping to run a halloween event for families with games, snacks, and more.
Schedule:
4:30 pm - Arrive to the Student Involvement Center, Education
5 pm - Arrive at the Discovery Museum
8 pm - Finish Service, Reflection
*Transportation for this experience is not provided by CMU, however, students may carpool to volunteer locations or utilize iRide services.
*This Event is currently full but RSVP to be put on a waitlist
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RSVP Here
Clean Earth Challenge
Saturday October 21st, 11am-1:30pm
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As a part of Campus Sustainability Month, Central Sustainability is partnering with the Clean Earth Challenge to see which RSO/group can pick up the most litter! We will meet at the Gazebo in the Fabiano gardens (where supplies will be available) at 11:00 am on October 21st. Groups will have 2 hours to pick up trash. At the end of this time, we will weigh the trash and report it to the Clean Earth Challenge. Then we will sort the trash into recycling, compost, and general waste. This is also an opportunity to gain volunteer hours. This event will run until 1:30 pm. Sign-up by October 15th!
You can either make your own small group (1 person would have to fill out the form) or say you're with Honors!
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Pumpkin Painting with Honors Health Service Society
Thursday October 26, 7pm-8pm
Location: Thrope Lobby
Come join the Honors Health Service Society to paint pumpkins that will be donated to the New Hope Assisted Living Center! This is a great way to hang out with fellow honors students and give back to your community!
If you have any questions, please email TA Kate at schmi1kb@cmich.edu
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Sign Up Here
Alternative Friday Break - Clothing Inc. & The Care Store
Friday November 3, 9:30am-1:30pm
Volunteer at the Strickler Center!
Join the Alternative Breaks program for a Friday volunteering with Clothing Inc. and The Care Store. Volunteers will be helping to sort donations and assist visiting patrons.
Schedule:
9:30 am - Arrive to the Student Involvement Center, Education
10 am - Arrive at the Stickler Center
1 pm - Finish Service, Reflection
*Transportation for this experience is not provided by CMU, however, students may carpool to volunteer locations or utilize iRide services.
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RSVP Here
Paracord Bracelet Making Service Activity for Veterans
Tuesday November 14, 7pm-8pm
Location: Pearce 124
Please join us as we make paracord bracelets for veterans! We will follow the activity with a discussion about how our work is meaningful to others. This event will be led by TAs Makieran and Dakhota. If you have any questions, please email krahu1db@cmich.edu or mcshe1mm@cmich.edu. We hope to see you there!
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Sign Up Here
Volunteering at the Student Food Pantry
Tuesday November 28th, 5-7pm
Join TA Mela and volunteer during distribution hours at the Student Food Pantry on campus! Volunteer responsibilities may include keeping shelves stocked, cleaning and organizing the pantry space, answering questions about products, and assisting pantry guests as they shop. We will meet at the front entrance of the UC at 4:45 and walk over to the pantry together. There are only a few spots available as the student pantry is a fairly small space. If you have any questions please email TA Mela at hammo1me@cmich.edu.
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RSVP Here
Making Holiday Cards for Hospitalized Kids
Wednesday, November 29th, 6-7pm
Location: Moore 114
We will be making/decorating holiday cards to send to sick and hospitalized children for the upcoming holiday season! Supplies will be provided, but students can also feel free to bring their own markers/colored pencils if they desire.
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Sign up here
Volunteer at CMU Museum of Cultural and Natural History
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Sign up to help the CMU museum run events, network with community members, and learn new skills.
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Volunteer at the Karma Kat Cafe
Karma Kat Café is a state-licensed animal shelter that provides care and treatment for cats without homes, and helps cats and owners find their perfect fit. Karma Kat was founded in 2018 and has rescued more than 1000 cats already. Volunteers are needed daily from 11:30am-1pm to assist with cleaning, organization, and cat care. Stick around after your shift to hang out with the kitties. Completing one shift is required to fulfill this PDP option.
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Volunteer at Clothing, INC.
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Clothing, INC provides free clothing to those in need. Volunteer for a shift helping sort donations and/or shopping with guests. Morning shifts run 8:45am-11:30am and afternoon shifts run 11:15am-2pm. Volunteers are needed Monday-Thursday. Completing one shift is required to fulfill this PDP option.
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Volunteer at the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen
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Volunteer for a shift at the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen! Shifts run 8:30-11am and 10:30a-1:30p Mondays-Fridays. Volunteers are needed to serve and prepare meals and help in the dining room.
Call 989-772-7392 for more information or visit https://www.icsk.org/volunteer. Completing one shift is required to fulfill this PDP option.
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Volunteer at the Mount Pleasant Food Pantry
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Volunteer for a shift at the Mount Pleasant Food Pantry. Shifts run Wednesdays 2pm-6pm, Thursdays 9am-1pm, and Saturdays 9am-12pm. If interested, click the link provided, choose the position you want and the date/time you're available. Completing one shift is required to fulfill this PDP option.
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