The COAR Gift Box Drive has started! The UMW community fills gift boxes with hats, gloves, and books for 3 to 5 year old students in the Head Start program in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. The boxes will be delivered to the students by COAR staff during finals week.

Gift Box Pick Up: Email coar@umw.edu and the COAR students can deliver the empty gift boxes to you. Or, you can stop by the Center for Community Engagement in Suite 320 in the CRUC and pick out your boxes. Students will also be coming by offices over the next few weeks.

What goes in the boxes?: Each box should include a small toy, hat, gloves, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

When are boxes returned?: Boxes should be returned to the CCE by Tuesday Dec 3, if possible (use Thanksgiving Break to fill a gift box!).  COAR students can pick up boxes if needed! Just email coar@umw.edu.

Thank you: Thank you for helping our Fredericksburg community by participating in this gift drive for Head Start students.

Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project, in partnership with the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Community Engagement, is thrilled to announce the 7th annual Virginia Student Voting Summit! Students, administrators, and partners from across the Commonwealth will be coming together at the University of Mary Washington to discuss voting rights and the power of the youth vote on Friday, September 13th. The Voting Summit will be held in the Chandler Ballroom in the CRUC from 10:00-3:30. Students, faculty, and staff can register for the event here. Registration is free and a lunch is provided.

There is a session planned for 1:35-2:25 that will focus on civil discourse using the Living Room Conversations method and facilitated by Elizabeth Miller from the College of William & Mary.

Some of the workshop descriptions can be found below:

Ranked Choice Voting in Virginia, led by UpVote VA : An overview of how ranked choice voting works, the ways that voters benefit from RCV, the way it’s currently used in Virginia.

Bursting Out of the College Bubble, led by the Fredericksburg Office of Voter Registration and Elections:  will focus on statistical evidence our office has collected about voter participation and will describe which areas and which groups of people are underrepresented in Elections.

The Power of the Disability Vote, led by REV UP Virginia/DRC Fredericksburg/ODR @UMW: The Power of the Disability Vote will explore barriers to voting that have been overcome by civil rights movements, common voting needs of students and people with disabilities, and the potential power of the disability vote. Participants will learn about resources like campus Disability Services Offices and REV UP Virginia, a statewide disability vote coalition.

Beyond the Ballot Box: Your Role in Advocacy Year-Round, led by Virginia League of Conservation Voters: Join us for an engaging workshop designed to empower students to take an active role in advocacy beyond election day.