We are incredibly excited to announce our partnership with Ursinus College as part of our “Opening Doors on Campus” initiative. Join us every Monday from 12-2 pm in the Myrin Library Lounge for our community-building, inclusive volunteer projects!
Too often, students with disabilities watch their brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends go off to college, never having the opportunity to benefit from campus life themselves. While there are exciting, new opportunities for some students with disabilities to attend college, young people with more significant disabilities are still left out. We are partnering with Ursinus College to make a meaningful place for people of all abilities to engage on campus with students, faculty and staff through volunteerism.
Among other service activities, we will be running the Sleeping Mat Project. The Sleeping Mat Project is an innovative, fun activity with widespread community appeal. We engage volunteers in recycling plastic grocery bags into sleeping mats for people experiencing homelessness in our community. Each mat recycles between 700-800 plastic bags and provides an opportunity for people of all abilities to be providers of service to others. The project offers comfort to our community members without homes or a comfortable place to sleep.
This project represents a diverse collaboration between multiple community organizations. Local school districts, agencies serving adults with disabilities, senior groups and faith communities will all volunteer their time with us. Agencies doing street outreach and the local police departments distribute the mats to those in need.
This one project has the power to embrace inclusion, environmental awareness and homeless outreach. It represents a powerful way for us to show that everyone, no matter what challenges they face, can be seen and celebrated as a valuable provider of service in our shared community. Your support would empower us to sustain this established and successful project model, multiplying our impact. Thank you for supporting this exciting new initiative, and thank you to Ursinus College for being an incredible community partner and game-changer in our shared community!