Fourth Annual PennMOVES: Volunteers Needed May 2-31; Sale in June at New Location |
|
April 19, 2011,
Volume 57, No. 30
|
Once again, the Business Services Division is pleased to announce the launch of our annual PennMOVES—Move Out Volunteers Engaging in Service—initiative. PennMOVES is seeking volunteers from the Penn community. This is a great way to support Penn’s sustainability goals and President Gutmann’s climate commitment. Since its inception in 2008, PennMOVES has collected close to 300,000 pounds of items that students can’t take with them when they leave campus in the summer—clothes, furniture, kitchen gear, nonperishable food items, etc. Rather than ending up in the landfill, these items are now distributed to individuals and organizations throughout our local community.
This year, Penn is collaborating with Goodwill Industries to provide technical expertise and logistical support for the effort. Goodwill Industries is one of the world’s largest nonprofit providers of employment training services for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment including a new partnership with the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Reintegration Services for Ex-Offenders (RISE). Launched in 2009, RISE helps get ex-offenders back on their feet and to work by receiving hands-on light industrial skills training while earning a weekly paycheck.
In 2010, Goodwill helped organize the sale and distribution of the clothing—the largest single category of items contributed to PennMOVES.
Also new this year is our community sale location, Penn’s recently acquired facility at 3401 Grays Ferry Avenue.
The sale will be held Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, but bargain hunters can pay an early admittance fee of $5 for entry on a first-come, first-served basis between 8-10 a.m. Free parking is also available. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Goodwill’s local job training programs.
Although Goodwill is handling the organizing and sale functions, Penn volunteers are needed starting May 2 through May 31 to assist with the collection of items from students and to ensure that they get to our collection point set ups at campus residences. Volunteers may sign up in two hour increments from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are also early evening and weekend volunteer slots as well. Anyone interested in helping can register online at www.upenn.edu/pennmoves. It is more fun to volunteer with your colleagues so we welcome departmental teams. If you have questions about this effort please send an email to pennmoves@upenn.edu
—Division of Business Services
Related: April and May Volunteer Opportunities |
