April 19, 2024

Don’t Miss COAR’s Annual Variety Show on Friday

The Annual Variety Show will be held on Friday, Feb 15, in Dodd Auditorium. Doors open at 6 p.m.. This event, sponsored by UMW’s Community Outreach and Resources (COAR), is a fundraiser for Mary Washington’s Alternative Service Break trips. It’s also a great opportunity to see a variety of talented acts, bid in the silent auction, and learn more about the University’s excellent Alternative Service Break programs operated in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Student groups, such as Bella Acapella and One Note Stand, will perform, as will community dance/theater groups.

Tickets are $3 for students, $5 for non-students, and $10 for families of 3 or more. Raffle tickets for prizes are $1 each, and there will also be a silent auction.

COAR’s Spring Forward, April 3

Join the Community Outreach and Resources Office at Brompton on Sunday, April 3, from 1-4 p.m. to celebrate our Spring Forward event. There will be lots of fun children’s crafts, games, snacks and an Easter egg hunt. Hope to see you there!

COAR’s Variety Show

Support UMW’s Community Outreach and Resource’s office by attending the Variety Show on Feb. 19 beginning at 7 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium. We will have raffles and will be auctioning off various items. All proceeds will go to supporting the Habitat for Humanity Alternative Break Trips. This is a family-friendly event.

COAR’s Annual Head Start Gift Box Drive

The holidays are coming, which means it’s time for COAR’s annual gift box drive! Each year we ask students, faculty, and staff to fill boxes for children 3-5 years old for the government-funded Head Start Program. Some of the items we will be collecting this year include hats, gloves, scarves, small toys, crayons, markers and small books.

COAR is happy to drop off boxes for faculty and staff who are interested in helping this cause. Please email us and let us know where to drop them off at coarumw@gmail.com. We will also be accepting donations to fill the boxes and are happy to pick them up from faculty and staff. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thank you, and we hope that you will help out in the Head Start Gift Box Drive!

COAR’s Spring Forward Festival

NS Easter Roll 9Are your kids as excited for Spring as we are?  This year COAR will be hosting its annual Spring Forward
Festival on Sunday, March 29  from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m at the President’s home at Brompton for an afternoon of fun!

The afternoon will be filled with spring-oriented crafts and hourly egg hunts. The best part? This event is free of charge! COAR loves to see UMW families at these events, so bring your children to an event they’ll get excited about!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact COAR by email at coarumw@gmail.com or by phone at (540) 654-1802.

UMW Students Spend Spring Break with Habitat for Humanity

Turning a concrete slab into a full-fledged structure with trusses might not illustrate the typical college spring break – unless you were one of 45 University of Mary Washington students and staff advisers who donated their time to rebuilding and rehabilitating houses last week.   UMW’s student-run Community Outreach and Resources (COAR) team organized three alternative spring break trips in Mobile, Ala., Maryville, Tenn. and Palm Bay, Fla., Feb. 28 through March 8. At each location, the students collaborated with Habitat for Humanity to help eliminate substandard housing. Click to view slideshow. Kelly Bryant, a senior psychology major, co-led the trip to Alabama this year for her third alternative spring break trip. “It is such a cool experience to learn how to hammer, square a house and put up roof trusses, all in the pursuit of giving someone a better life,” said Bryant. “It makes me so happy and proud to know that with my one short week I have made a lasting difference in someone’s life.” For some students, one trip is all it takes to change their perception of spring break. “After working with Habitat for Humanity last year, I couldn’t imagine spending my break any other way,” said sophomore and international affairs major Caitriona Cobb. “The feeling you get after volunteering is irreplaceable. The trip is such genuine fun and I was fortunate to get the opportunity to co-lead the trip with two of my best friends.” Alternative Spring Break is part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge, which calls students to aid impoverished communities.  In the past 26 years, approximately 230,100 students have participated in the program nationwide.  UMW has been involved in the program for at least 18 years, according to Christina Eggenberger, director of service in the Center for Honor, Leadership and Service. “We have a couple seniors on the trips that have gone on Alternative Spring Break every year,” said Eggenberger. “For them, college spring break means building homes with Habitat for Humanity.”

COAR’s Annual Variety Show, Feb. 20

Bring your friends and family out to Dodd Auditorium for COAR’s 4th Annual Variety Show on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. to support UMW performance groups and help us raise money to send students to build Habitat for Humanity houses over spring break! Admission is $1 and we will be having a silent auction and raffle with great prizes from amusement parks, sports teams, and restaurants! See you there!

UMW Hosts Pumpkin Palooza

The University of Mary Washington hosted its 2014 Pumpkin Palooza on Sunday, Oct. 26 on the Fredericksburg campus.   Click to view slideshow. The event, coordinated by COAR, UMW’s student-run volunteer office, featured an afternoon of trick-or-treat and fall festivities for children and families in the local community. More than 100 families attended, with over 200 children dressed up in Halloween costumes. Children played games like “Donut on a String,” “Pin the Bow Tie on the Skeleton,” and sack races, in addition to creating  Halloween crafts. Families also went on a trick-or-treat tour of Mary Washington’s residence halls, guided by UMW students. UMW COAR had 93 student volunteers participate to coordinate the event with the help of the Association of Residence Halls at UMW. For more information about COAR, please visit the Center for Honor, Leadership, and Service website: students.umw.edu/chls.

Spring Variety Show, Feb. 8

On Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, UMW Community Outreach and Resources is hosting its annual Spring Variety Show to benefit Habitat for Humanity and UMW Alternative Breaks. There will be lots of student talent including One Note Stand, Eagle Bhangra, Save the Arcadian, and more! We will also be auctioning and raffling off amazing prizes such as professional massages, restaurant gift cards, and gift cards for family fun! This event is open to students, staff, and the Fredericksburg community. There will be $1 admission and all proceeds will go towards the cause. Please help us spread the word!

Head Start Gift Box Drive

Fill a box for this year’s annual Head Start Gift Box Drive, and help make sure every 3 to 5-year-old child in local Head Start programs has what they need to get through the winter with a smile on his or her face.

Here’s what you can do:

Pick up a box at the Nest, Underground, or COAR Office

Fill it with: a hat, gloves, scarves, small toys, toothpaste and toothbrush, book, markers/crayons, and coloring book.

Return the box to the COAR office in the basement of Seacobeck by Dec. 2!

The presents you donate will be delivered to the children at the beginning of December!