Volunteer
Dear U.Va. faculty, staff, alumni and friends,
On August 19-20, the UVaExpress is coming to Charlottesville! The UVaExpress provides free, coordinated transportation on UTS and charter buses for international first year students. It has been made possible by the generous support of Gordon Kirtland of the UVaClub of Singapore and is run by the Office of Engagement.
Last year, 95 international students came from 27 countries on 5 continents; 28 traveled with family members. They were greeted by Office of Engagement staff and volunteers of the UVaClub of Washington, DC, AAPAAN, and the Bolivar Network, and helped by the Housing Division to move in to their dormitories and participate in Session L of Orientation.
This year, we will welcome another 100 students to Virginia at Dulles Airport on Tuesday, August 19 and Wednesday, August 20, and the Charlottesville Airport on August 20. We also want to welcome many more volunteers from across the University to help, too. This program is volunteer-supported—and we need you, your coworkers, your friends and family to make it possible in 2008. Below, please find a brief description of the logistics and a list of volunteer roles—and an idea of the time commitment each will entail. Volunteers need not be bilingual or body-builders. We just want these students, nervous and excited about a new home thousands of miles from their own, to be warmly welcomed to the University.
For students flying in to Dulles, there will be three groups:
Group 1: Flight arrival time from 13:00 to 18:00 hours. Arrive on Tuesday, drop-off at Tuttle Lounge, early move-in, early check-in.
Group 2: Flight arrival time from 18:00 to 04:00 hours. Arrive on Tuesday, drop-off at Red Roof Inn, regular move-in, regular check-in.
Group 3: Flight arrival time from 04:00 to 13:00 hours. Arrive on Wednesday, drop-off at Tuttle Lounge, regular move-in, regular check-in.
What’s the logic? To make a long story short, many international flights arrive late in the evening, and Group 2 students will stay at Charlottesville’s Red Roof Inn overnight rather than attempt to move into their dormitories late at night. Early move-in is not encouraged but will be facilitated for the few students who arrive early enough to move-in before dark and too late to arrive by the time Orientation check-in closes.
There are a number of ways you can contribute to this program on August 19-20. Please read the volunteer descriptions below and e-mail me at katemalay@virginia.edu with any questions and to sign up for your shift. Last year’s volunteers found their time to be exciting and rewarding, and U.Va. alumnus Ahmed Almudallal (’06) of Washington, DC has already committed to come back this year.
VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTIONS
Dulles Volunteer Greeters
Dulles volunteer greeters are needed throughout the day on Tuesday, August 19 between 10:00 am and midnight. On Wednesday, August 20, volunteers will be needed from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm. The time and length of shifts is your choice, but we ask for 1.5 hours as a minimum. Volunteers residing near Washington, DC will park at Dulles Airport in short-term parking and meet the volunteer coordinator at Baggage Claim 9. Parking will be paid for by the program. Greeters will wait at Customs and Domestic Arrivals for students, wearing U.Va. shirts. They will assist with luggage, chat with students as they wait for buses, and hand out goodie-bags with food, water, and other treats. Greeters will also tag students’ luggage with the number of pieces (ie 1/3, 2/3, 3/3) and record the name of the dormitory and housing area of each student. Based on what we experienced last year, the target number of volunteers at any given time is at least 4, with 8 needed at busy arrival times: throughout the evening on Tuesday, August 19. The latest flight so far arrives at 1 am!
To volunteer, please e-mail Kate Malay at katemalay@virginia.edu in the Office of Engagement with your desired shift. You can also e-mail Kate with your availability and your desired shift length, and she will write back by July 25 with your shift assignment. We understand that life happens, so if you’re interested in volunteering but want to wait until closer to the day to choose a shift, that’s okay! We’ll take last-minute volunteers right up until August 19.
Bus captains
One of the best ways U.Va. staff can help is by volunteering to be a bus captain. Volunteers residing near Charlottesville will park on Millmont Street across from the University Transit Service building (behind Harris Teeter) and ride to Dulles Airport on a bus. If the bus is a charter, it will pick volunteer bus captains up from an on-Grounds location. Once the bus arrives at Dulles Airport, the bus captain will simply ride back to U.Va. with a busload of students. Upon arriving on Grounds, the bus captain will be dropped off at Tuttle Lounge (Group 1 and Group 3) or Red Roof Inn (Group 2) with the students to help unload luggage. The exact schedule of buses will not be determined until August, but pick-ups at Dulles will happen on Tuesday, August 19 between noon and midnight, and Wednesday, August 20 between 10am and 3pm. If you are a night owl, please consider working a night shift. The total time a bus captain should allot for a shift is 6 hours. Please ask your supervisor if this is an acceptable use of your workday.
Tuttle volunteer greeters
U.Va. staff, alumni and parents can also volunteer on Grounds as Tuttle volunteer greeters. Tuttle is a dormitory on Alderman Road, opposite the Aquatic & Fitness Center, and its first floor is a large meeting space where we can unload luggage. If you cannot commit a full or half day to volunteering, this is a great way to get involved. Volunteers will be needed for as long as they wish to commit, between the hours of 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Tuesday, August 19 and between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm on Wednesday, August 20. Tuttle volunteer greeters will help students unload luggage from the buses as they arrive. Tuesday volunteers will walk students to the Housing Office for early move-in procedure, then back to Tuttle where drivers will bring students to their dorms. Wednesday volunteers will walk students across Alderman Road to the Aquatic & Fitness Center for Orientation check-in, then back to Tuttle. Some lifting/carting will be appreciated to assist students living in dormitories adjacent to Tuttle.
Drivers
Similarly, if you cannot commit a full or half day to volunteering and you drive an open-bed truck, your assistance would be greatly appreciated as a driver. The International Host Program has been helping for years by driving students and their luggage to dorms, individually, and we are so appreciative of their help. If you’d like to join this great team, please contact Steve Braintwain directly at sbraintwain@comcast.net. (Of course, full or half days are appreciated from drivers, too!)
Everyone can help!
One more way you can help is by forwarding this to at least one person who you think would like to volunteer. People will make this successful.
To sign up for your shift, please send an email to Kate Malay at katemalay@virginia.edu and fill out the form below. While you can create your own shift, the best way to help is to give ALL of your availability and specify your desired shift length. My colleagues and I had a lot of fun last year—feel free to create an office activity out of volunteering together, or invite spouses or friends to join. You will hear back from me by July 25 with your volunteer time(s). Please send an email with the following information.
Volunteer form
Name:
Work phone:
Cell phone:
Preferred e-mail:
I would like to volunteer as a:
My availability on Tuesday, August 19 is ____ and the maximum amount of time I can volunteer is ____ hours.
My availability on Wednesday, August 20 is ____ and the maximum amount of time I can volunteer is ____ hours.
Thoughts and comments:
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