Project Panther Service Days

Schedule of Events for Volunteer Week (April 22-26)

Project Panther Service Days is a once per month community service activity organized through the Office of Community Outreach and Leadership Development. Our goal is to provide easy access to service projects for the entire Drury community while also providing an opportunity for students to work beside faculty, staff and alumni to address social issues and help our campus become better connected to itself, its community and its future.  Use the new Community Connection Leave Policy (paid leave for employees to engage in the community). For more information or to sign up for one of these events contact Emily Journagan, the Volunteer Services Coordinator, at ejournagan@drury.edu.

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

Young Athletes Day

September 15th, 2012
Location: Harrison Stadium (located in Curry Sports Complex) at Drury University
Time: Event runs from 1:00 to 3:00; Set up starts at 11:00; take down starts at 3:00
Description of Event: Stations will be set up all over Harrison field where youth can go and learn about different sports via short activities/drills.  Additional stations include face painting, and Minute to Win it games.  At the end of the event participants can attend the volleyball game at 3:00 for free.  Volunteers are needed to help set up for the event, to help run the stations (alongside our student athletes,) to take registration and to help take down everything at the end.  Youth are invited from the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, Boys and Girls Clubs, CASA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Town and surrounding schools.

Victory Mission’s Victory Square

October 27th, 2012 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
“Victory Square is the largest homeless men shelter in Springfield and the Ozarks with 150 beds. We provide our shelter guests with a clean, safe and sober place to stay, and the support they need to get back on their feet.,”

Description of Activity: The rooms in which the homeless stay are in need of deep cleaning. We will be moving furniture and helping clean rooms.  Students from Ozarks Technical Community College are invited to help serve as well.

Friends Against Hunger
Event:  Meals a Million Pack-a-thon

November 9th 4:00 to 6:00
November 11th 2:00 to 4:00

Description of Event: Friends Against Hunger is hosting this three day, meal packing marathon with the goal being to package over 1 million meals.  This is a city wide event with all other local colleges participating as well.   Our shifts are listed above.  The meals we help pack will go to Mexico, Haiti and the Ozarks.

Musgrave Unit Boys and Girls Club

December 13th, 2012 6:00 to 7:30

Description of Event: For many of the youth who attend the Boys and Girls Clubs, Christmas traditions are limited.  In an effort to give these kids traditions they can look forward to every year, our office is teaming up with the Musgrave Unit to offer the youth a night of Christmas traditions.  We will be decorating cookies, making ornaments, drinking hot cocoa and performing other activities.

To sign up, or for more info contact Emily Journagan, the Volunteer Services Coordinator, at 873-6803 or ejournagan@drury.edu.

Event:  Valentine Making for Veterans with the youth of the Rare Breed Outreach Center.
Location:  Rare Breed Transitional Living Facility 411 E. Blaine Springfield, MO 65803
Date/Time:  February 6th, 4:30pm-5:30pm
Description:  We will be going to the Rare Breed Youth Outreach Center to make valentines with their youth.  The valentines will be sent to local veterans.  The Rare Breed Youth Outreach Center’s goals are to connect with local homeless, runaway, and street youth, to establish trust over time through relationships, to determine youths' needs, and to provide services to meet the self-identified needs of over 700 youth per year, helping them to leave the streets and to reduce sexual exploitation and abuse.

Event:  Serving dinner at Ronald McDonald House
Location:  Ronald McDonald House located at 949 E Primrose St, Springfield, MO 65807 by Cox South Hospital
Date/Time:  March 13th, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Description:  We will be preparing and serving dinner to the guests of the Ronald McDonald House.  Ronald McDonald House provides a "home away from home" for families when their seriously-ill or injured child is in a hospital far from home.

Schedule of Events for National Volunteer Week

In the fall the Drury community voted, using Facebook and Twitter, on which social issue they would like to learn about through service during National Volunteer Week. The social issue which received the most votes was Underprivileged Youth.  All service projects offered during National Volunteer Week will show participants a different aspect of the social issue chosen. To sign up or to receive more information about any of the events listed, contact Emily Journagan, the Volunteer Services Coordinator, at ejournagan@drury.edu or call 873-6803.

Ongoing Projects Throughout the Week
Participants of these projects are free to schedule their own work shift that best suites their schedule during the week

  • Boyd Elementary Project:  Join Kappa Delta as they paint the continents and oceans on Boyd Elementary's basketball court.  Outlining the mural will take place from 6-8 p.m. on 4/23.  Painting of the continents and oceans will take place from 6-8 p.m. on 4/24.  Part of National Volunteer Week. http://boyd.spsk12.org/pages/BoydES

  • Musgrave Unit Boys and Girls Club Sand Volleyball Court Project:  Help build a sand volleyball court for the Musgrave Unit Boys and Girls Club.  Project will take place all week when weather permits.  Tasks include laying a weed barrier down, spreading sand, setting volleyball posts in cement, etc.  Participants are able to sign up to help for any time during the week.  Sand for this project was donated by Conoco.  Other materials were donated by Journagan True Value of Aurora, MO.  http://www.bgclubspringfield.org/

  • Beautify Harmony House's Outdoor Kids Area Project: Serve at Harmony House through cleaning up their children's courtyard, making a vegetable garden, hanging an outdoor chalkboard, planting flowers, and painting an outdoor mural.  This courtyard is used by their youth residents.  Harmony House provides a place of refuge for victims of domestic abuse.  http://www.myharmonyhouse.org

Friday, April 19th & Saturday April 20th
Rock n Ribs Festival
Volunteers are needed to help with many different aspects of the event.  To sign up to volunteer at this event visit the Rock N Ribs webpage http://www.rocknribs.com/festival/volunteers/ This past year, the 13th Annual Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival raised $150,000 for agencies that serve "Children of the Ozarks", including: Boys & Girls Town of Missouri, Ronald McDonald House Charities-Mobile Dental Unit, Ozark Trails Council - Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, Ozarks Regional YMCA and Harmony House. The funding was used to provide specific programs and services to disadvantaged and at-risk children.

Monday, April 22nd
8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Cleaning up Commercial Street with youth of the Rare Breed Transitional Living Facility and residents of the Missouri Hotel. 
Website: http://rarebreed.thekitcheninc.org/

Monday, April 22nd
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Working with Ozarks Food Harvest.  Only 10 spots available.
Website: http://www.ozarksfoodharvest.org/about.html

Tuesday, April 23rd
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Creating art work with the youth of Boys and Girls Town.  The Boys and Girls Town will be selling all art work on Saturday, April 27th in a fundraising event.
Website: http://www.bgtm.org/

Wednesday, April 24th
6:00 to 7:00
Oxfam Hunger Banquet hosted by ONE Drury.  Participate in the Oxfam Hunger Banquet and your dinner is provided for free.  Open to all Drury students, faculty and staff.  Free admission.  75 spots available.  Hear guest speakers from Convoy of Hope and Ozarks Food Harvest speak about hunger issues affecting our world and our local community.  Experience firsthand what it is like to not have the option of eating what others are able to eat. 
Website: http://www.oxfam.org/en/getinvolved/hunger-banquet

Thursday, April 25th
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Maintenance work at Musgrave Unit Boys and Girls Club and Henderson Unit Boys and Girls Club.  Ongoing projects all day.  Volunteers are free to come and go as their schedule allows.  Tasks included are painting concession stands, painting picnic tables, spreading mulch, cleaning, painting handrails.
Website: http://www.bgclubspringfield.org/

Thursday, April 25th
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Ice Cream social at Henderson Unit Boys and Girls Club.  Hosted by Drury Volunteer Corps.
http://www.bgclubspringfield.org/

Friday, April 26th
11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Working with the Kitchen Inc. serving meals and completing other tasks as requested.
Website: http://www.thekitcheninc.org/

Friday, April 26th
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Celebration of Service in Commons.  Be on the lookout for the Office of Community Outreach and Leadership Development and Drury Volunteer Corps handing out free cupcakes. 
Website: http://www.drury.edu/outreach

Friday, April 26th
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Game room tournament at the Musgrave Unit Boys and Girls Club.  Tasks include helping set up for tournament, time cup stacking races, judge pool and ping pong competitions, and help pass out trophies at the end.  Many Boys and Girls Clubs from Southwest Missouri come to Springfield to participate in this competition. 
Website:  http://www.bgclubspringfield.org/

Event:  Artfest on Walnut Street
Location: Walnut Street, downtown Springfield
Date/Time: To Be Announced
Description:  We will be volunteering at the annual Artsfest on Walnut Street.