SERVICE-LEARNING INFORMATION SHEET

HOW DO I REGISTER?
Instructions to register for service-learning online:
http://www.mdc.edu/cci/downloads/Web-Based%20Application%20Instructions%202007.pdf

HOW DO I IDENTIFY A PROJECT I WOULD FIND ENJOYABLE AND WORTHWHILE?

If you would like to try identifying a partner organization on your own, try these resources:

An index of MDC partners organized by category:

http://www.mdc.edu/cci/placement_aspx/rptMPLx.aspx

A search engine for MDC partners:

https://sisvsr.mdc.edu/cci/search.aspx

A service-learning coordinator you can meet with in person to discuss options:

Tonya Thomas
Room 3210
Office #: (305)237-6734

WHAT PROJECTS ARE READY FOR ME TO PARTICIPATE IN RIGHT NOW?

If you’re interested in one of the partners we discussed in class, look over this contact information:

ROOTS IN THE CITY: A Community GardenROOTS IN THE CITY: A Community Garden

3rd Ave. & NW 14th St. (Plots are next to Overtown Youth Center)
Contacts (Co-Directors): Douglas Dunn: (786)547--9754 and Marvin Dunn: dunnfiu@aol.com

Dr. Marvin Dunn, an associate professor of psychology at Florida International University, grew
up in Miami and has seen Overtownin all of its stages - swelling with pride and, later, trampled in defeat.
After decades of tumultuous events, including the bisection of the community by Interstate 95 in the 1950s,
riots, looting and fires, and a steady decline in business activity, Dr. Dunn had a vision for Overtown. He
created Roots in the City in 1998 to help transform the depressed urban landscape into a community of
gardens, blooming flowers and shady trees. He chose a site at N.W. 14th Street and Third Avenuenext to the
I-395 Expressway which dissects the community from east to west. It was known as a haven for the
homeless and drug users. Dr. Dunn and his volunteer students worked the site almost every weekend for
three years and the community garden was fully installed by the spring of 2001. In December 2000, Dr,
Dunn committed FIU funds to hire three full-time employees from Overtownas permanent staff for the
community garden. He has started a horticultural training program for the employees with the support of
the Knight Foundation and the Miami-Dade Empowerment Trust. Since then he has employed a number of
residents from Overtown and neighboring communities.
Volunteer work is an integral part of the Roots in the City project. Aside from FIU student
volunteer work, Hands On Miami has been working with Roots in the City since 1999. Since then, more
than a thousand volunteers and members of the community have planted flowers and trees, pulled weeds,
mulched, and raked to help make Overtown and Miamia better place to live. Numerous nurseries and
businesses have donated plants, trees, shrubs, supplies and equipment to support the project. "I have
watched so many people take on large-scale projects in our garden and the most dramatic thing is that they
are doing it together," Dr. Dunn states.

Schedule: Saturday, morning till afternoon; ask instructor about sessions scheduled for semester

Directions
1: Start out going NORTH on UNITY BLVD / FL-9 N / SW 27TH AVE toward SW 6TH ST.

2: Merge onto FL-836 E / DOLPHIN EXPY (Portions toll).

 Directions
3: Take the I-95 S exit toward DOWNTOWN.

4: Take the NW 8TH ST exit toward PORT OF MIAMI.

5: Turn LEFT onto NW 8TH ST.

6: Turn LEFT onto NW 3RD AVE / DA DORSEY BLVD.

7: Turn LEFT onto NW 14TH ST.

8: End at 450 Nw 14th St

Miami, FL 33136-2636, US

Total Est. Time: 8 minutes; Total Est. Distance: 4.59 miles

“I Have a Dream” Program/Phyllis Wheatley Elementary

1801 NW 1st Place
philliswheatley.wordpress.com
Contact: Eric Lewis/(305)573-2638

The "I Have a Dream"® Program helps children from low-income areas reach their education and
career goals by providing a long-term program of mentoring, tutoring, and enrichment with an assured
opportunity for higher education. Local "I Have a Dream"® Projects adopt an entire same-grade from an
elementary school or an entire age group from a public housing development. They work with this group of
children (the "Dreamers") and their families year-round from their elementary school years through college.
With over 180 Projects in 64 cities across 27 states (75 of which are currently active), "I Have a Dream"®
has now served over 13,500 students during its more than two decades of operation. Many Dreamers who
go to college are the first members of their families to do so.

Schedule: Mon.-Friday, school and after-school hours; ask instructor about group sessions with other
MDC students scheduled every Wed. afternoon, including a gardening club once a month.

Distance: 4.92 miles

Total Estimated Time: 9 minutes

Directions Distance
Start out going NORTH on UNITY BLVD/FL-9 N/SW 27TH AVE toward SW 6TH
1. 1.1 miles
ST.

2. Merge onto FL-836 E/DOLPHIN EXPY (Portions toll). 2.1 miles

3. Take the I-95 S exit toward DOWNTOWN. 0.2 miles

4. Take the NW 8TH ST exit toward PORT OF MIAMI. 0.3 miles

 5. Turn LEFT onto NW 8TH ST. <0.1 miles

6. Turn LEFT onto NW 3RD AVE/DA DORSEY BLVD. 0.4 miles

7. Turn RIGHT onto NW 14TH ST. <0.1 miles

8. Turn LEFT onto NW 1ST PL. 0.3 miles

9. End at 1801 Nw 1st Pl, Miami, FL 33136-1710 US

Refugee Resettlement Program

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami
700 S. Poinciana Blvd. Suite 800
Miami Springs, FL 33166
Contact: Raul Hernandez/305-883-4555/rhernandez@ccadm.org
Website: http://catholiccharitiesadm.org

Our program assists refugees, asylees and Cuban/Haitian entrants by providing a number of services
including orientation, referrals of services and employment services preparing our clients to become self-
sufficient through employment in a period of 180 days or less. We provide a professional working
environment and need help to assist case managers/social workers with paperwork related to the client
caseload as well as assistance with translations. For example, we have a great need of volunteers who can
speak, read and write Creole. Research local market to identify employment opportunities for Job
Development. Support Resource Coordinator with recruitment of volunteers and fund raising. We also need
students with computer knowledge (to create PowerPoint presentations, prepare charts, design reports, etc.)

Schedule: Mon.-Fri., 8:30 am-4:30 am.; agency prefers groups of at least five coming together; speak with
your instructor or call agency to schedule visit

1: Start out going NORTH on SW 27TH AVE / FL-9 N / UNITY BLVD 1.2 miles Ma
toward SW 6TH ST. p

2: Merge onto FL-836 W. 1.3 miles Ma

p

3: Take the NW 42ND AVE N / LE JEUNE RD exit. 0.5 miles Ma

p

4: Merge onto NW 42ND AVE / N LE JEUNE RD / FL-953 N. 1.3 miles Ma

p

5: Turn LEFT onto NW 36TH ST / DORAL BLVD / FL-948 W. <0.1 Ma

miles p
 6: Turn RIGHT onto COOLIDGE DR. 0.1 miles Ma
p

7: Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto S ROYAL POINCIANA BLVD. 0.1 miles Ma

p

8: End at [672-705] S Royal Poinciana Blvd Ma

Miami, FL 33166, US p

Elevate Miami (computer tutoring program)

Contact: Jeniffer Lane
(305) 416-1564
http://www.elevatemiami.com/ElevateMiami/pages/
This program requires a drug test that costs $30 but is reimbursed by the program if you pass it.
Allow 1-2 weeks before you can start.
Location: The program conducts classes at several sites around town, including many near the
campus. The coordinator will help you choose a location and schedule that’s convenient.

Elevate Miami is a comprehensive “Digital Inclusion” program. The focus of this

program is to prepare all residents and businesses in Miami to take a leadership role
in the global economy. One of the primary components of Elevate Miami is the
establishment of public and private partnerships to offer affordable technology
packages that include internet access, hardware, and software. The other major
component of the program is training to enable participants to become more
comfortable with technology and adapt to our society’s increasing emphasis on
conducting business online. Target audiences include youth, economically or
educationally disadvantaged, minorities, and seniors. One of the program
cornerstones is to decrease the high school dropout rate and increase the proportion
of the population that pursues higher learning.

Nicaraguan Service Trip

Fundraising all year
Contact:
Alex Salinas: (305)237-6358
Carlos Gonzalez: (305)237-6028
Emily Sendin: (305)237-6172
http://imaginationfederation.org/Federation/Nicaragua.html

The campus community is working together to raise donations for a week-long

service-trip to Chacraseca, Nicaragua, a town near the city of Leon. During the week,
we will build houses, donate school supplies, work with children, grow food, and
engage in cultural exchange (See the website for more details). We’ve planned
several events throughout the semester that students can participate in to help raise
funds. See the schedule below. Students who are interested in fundraising are
expected to read through the website and inform the campus community about the
purpose of the trip.

Hungry for Culture

11 February
Lunch, 10:30-1:30pm
Flag Courtyard

Love Poems for a Buck

Feb. 9-Feb 13
In front of security office

Hungry for Culture

23 February
Breakfast, 8 a.m.-10 a.m.
Flag Courtyard

Nicaraguan Festival
March 11, all day
Flag Courtyard

Hungry for Culture

25 March
Breakfast, 8am
Flag Courtyard

Poetry for Love

March 27th, 6:00-11:00 p.m.
Room 3103

Hungry for Culture

8 April
Lunch, 10:30 am-1:30pm
Flag Courtyard