W H A T ’ S

I N S I D E

Relay for Life

(cont’d) &

Terp Thon

2

FUN-draising

Ideas &

Project Linus

3

Service

Organizations

On– and Off-

Campus

4

PHS Spotlight 5

Opportunities

& PHS Events

6

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Newsletter N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1

PRIMANNUM HONOR SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER

STAFF :

Molly Bumbera

Chelsea Kajs

Olga Kushnir

Tacy Lambiase

David Oliver

Christine Poisson

Emily Stern

Angelica Eng

Newsletter Chair

Christina Lee

VP of Communications

Brought to you

by Primannum’s

Communications

Committee

By Molly Bumbera

Over the course of my

undergraduate experience,

participating in Relay for Life

has been one of the most

rewarding experiences I have

had the privelege of being

apart of. Each year, the Uni-

versity of Maryland commu-

nity joins together to sup-

port a cause dedicated to

finding a cure for cancer.

After participating on a team

for Relay for Life (RFL), I

wondered what kind of prep-

aration go into planning, or-

ganizing and running this

event. Ironically enough, my

team captains during Relay

2010 have been heavily in-

volved with RFL throughout

their years at UMD.

Molly Robinson and Amy

Kelly, juniors at the Universi-

ty of Maryland, have held

many positions behind the

scenes of organizing Relay

for Life. Both Amy and Mol-

ly have been team captains,

committee volunteers, Ad-

vertising committee mem-

bers, and are now Co-Chairs

of the Logistics committee.

Because of their extensive

involvement, I asked them

for some information regard-

ing their responsibilities,

other committees involved in

RFL, how to get involved,

and what students could

expect for this year‟s Relay

for Life event.

As Co-Chairs of the Lo-

gistics committee, Molly and

Amy‟s main roles concern

the event‟s „day-of‟ tasks.

Molly explained that they are

responsible for duties such

as “ “securing a location for

the event, making sure regis-

tration flows smoothly, the

event layout, set-up, clean

up” among others. She then

told me that the Relay For

Life UMD team consists of

eleven different committees

Relay for Life: An Event to “Celebrate,

Remember, and Fight Back”

see RELAY, page 2

This month’s newsletter theme is Service. During this time of the year, we often think about what we are grateful for and want to give back to our community. There are many organizations and events both on– and off-campus that are geared towards service-learning, which you can get involved with and give back all year-round!

SERVICE

P A G E 2

“For the Kids” - Maryland’s Terp Thon

Last spring, hundreds of

students arrived at Richie

Coliseum prepared to dance

– and stand – for 12 hours

straight. Their mission was

to participate in a dance mar-

athon that lasts as long as the

work shifts of nurses at the

Children‟s National Medical

Center. Not only did the

students remain on their feet

for the duration of the event,

but they raised thousands of

dollars in the process.

This charity event, Terp

Thon, was started at the

University of Maryland to

raise money for children

receiving treatment at the

Children‟s National Medical

Center. In only its second

year, TerpThon raked in

almost $140,000 for the hos-

pital – over twice the

amount raised in its first

year. Now a large student

organization with around 150

active members, Terp Thon

aims to make this year‟s

event the most successful

yet.

As a first-time participant

in last year‟s Terp Thon, I

wasn‟t quite sure what to

expect when I first signed up

to participate. The experi-

ence, however, ended up

being a very rewarding one.

The event is a huge celebra-

tion of all of the money

raised by the participants,

and also a celebration of

Terp Thon‟s “Miracle Chil-

dren.” These children have

been treated for serious

medical conditions at the

Children‟s National Medical

Center and attend the event

as honorary guests. Through-

out the event, the children

and their parents share inspi-

rational stories of hope

about their personal experi-

ences, and represent just a

few of the many miracles

that are made possible

through generous donations

from organizations like Terp

Thon.

I highly recommend par-

ticipating in Maryland‟s 2012

Terp Thon. In the midst of

dancing, eating, games and

laughter, you will hear ex-

traordinary stories and

watch miracles happen -

thanks to the service and

volunteerism of Maryland‟s

dedicated students.

By Tacy Lambiase

and Co-Chairs of the overall

event. Some of these com-

mittees include Sponsorship

committees, the Marketing

committee, the Entertain-

ment committee, and the

Finance committee. Molly

mentioned that if any student

is interested in being part of

the behind the scenes plan-

ning of RFL, there are com-

mittee meetings every other

Wednesday in Stamp Student

Union. If interested, they

shou ld contac t re la-

yumd@gmail.com for more

information about how to

get involved.

However, if you only

want to participate in the

event, there is always the

option of becoming a team

captain or joining a team. In

order to do so, visit

www.relayumd.org and click

sign up, then choose either

“start a team” to be a captain

or “join a team” to be a

member. The maximum

number of people on any

team is 20. Signing up con-

sists of a $10 registration fee

per person, which includes

the T-Shirt you will get on

the day of the event.

While many of the details

about Relay UMD 2012 are

still being planned, Molly

explained that there are

many activities that students

should look forward to this

year. For example, Molly

said, “Each year we have the

Luminaria Ceremony, which

represents all of those who

have survived, who are

fighting, and those we have

lost to their fight with can-

cer, which is definitely the

most moving part of the

night.” Additionally, there

wil l be performances

(singing, dancing, comedy,

etc) from campus groups,

food, sports, games, zumba,

on-site fundraisers, vendors,

and much more.

I asked Molly what the

most rewarding part about

being involved with Relay for

Life is for her, and she ex-

plained that it comes down

to knowing that the money

she raised is going to a good

cause, seeing her hard work

pay off at the event, and

making sure everyone is hav-

ing a great time. Moreover,

she enjoys knowing “that

Relay is about more than 12

hours of celebrating, it‟s

about one day in the future,

not having to worry about

friends and family being diag-

nosed with cancer.” Which

fits perfectly with Relay for

Life‟s slogan “Celebrate, Re-

member, Fight Back.”

Molly Robinson

(3rd from left) and

Amy Kelly (1st on right)

hang out with their

team during last year‟s

Relay for Life event.

RELAY

from page 1

Did you know Terp

Thon…?

… Was

recognized

as the most

successful

first year

dance

marathon

EVER

… Won

Best New

Dance

Marathon

for the year

of 2010

P A G E 3

FUN-draising Ideas For Everyone Do you enjoy giving back to the community? Do you enjoy being involved in fun activities

like Relay for Life and Terp Thon? To participate in some of these service activities you may

need to raise some money! How can you go about doing this, you may ask? Fundraising is an

excellent way to actively participate in various service events and to raise money to effectively

serve others!

Here Are Some FUN-draising Ideas!:

Bingo: Have a bingo night where all proceeds go towards the events. Ask for donations

from companies and restaurants around College Park to be used as prizes.

Dodgeball Contest/Sports Event: Have teams pay a fee to register to play dodgeball or

some other sports event and give the winning team a prize. The prize could be a donation

from companies and restaurants from around College Park.

Cake walk: Have members bake cakes to donate to the event. Then have entrants pay a

fee to enter the cake walk. Everyone will walk around various numbers, kind of like the

chairs in musical chairs, and once the announcer says "stop" the announcer will call out a

number. Whoever is standing on the number wins a cake. There can be multiple rounds

depending on the number of cake donations.

Bake Sale: Have some members bake the goods and have some members sell them. You

can do this individually also! Another suggestion- late night bake sale by the bars from

12am-2am. This has been a HUGE hit in the past!

Silent Auction: Get donations and group them in baskets or keep them separate. Have

people write their name down and bid on them for a specific amount of time. After time is

up the last person to write their name down with the highest bid wins.

50/50 Raffle: Sell tickets and then draw one person to win and get 50% of the money that

was raised.

Sell Candygrams/Flowers: Set up tables outside of Stamp and have members actively selling

candygrams/flowers for a donation. Once they make a sale they can have the customer fill

out a sheet with the recipients information so you can deliver.

Restaurant Night: Work with local restaurants around College Park to arrange a specific

night where a percentage of the proceeds will go towards you or your team. Some restau-

rants may have you create and hand out flyers that customers must present to get a per-

centage of the proceeds. This can be done individually or with a group.

Crafts: If you are handy with some craft or skill that you think people might buy, make a

stockpile of these items and then sell them to the public. You could set up a table outside

of Stamp or spread the word through flyers. This is a great individual fundraiser!

By Chelsea Kajs

Blanketeering for Project Linus On October 17, 2011,

Primannum members made

fringed, fleece blankets for

Project Linus, a wonderful

organization that often

doesn‟t get the recognition it

deserves.

Project Linus is made up

of thousands of volunteers all

striving to achieve the same

mission: “to provide love, a

sense of security, warmth

and comfort to children who

are seriously ill, traumatized,

or otherwise in need” by

giving them the gift of hand-

made blankets.

Roughly 46 students

showed up to Primannum‟s

Project Linus event. They cut

the edges of child-sized piec-

es of colorful fleece and tied

them into knots. Sophomore

Samantha Medney is one of

the members who helped

out. “I really enjoyed making

the blankets for Project Li-

nus,” she said. “I liked work-

ing as a team and we bonded

over the service project. It‟s

a great event and I hope we

do it again.”

Since the organization‟s

beginning in 1995, it has giv-

en over three million blan-

kets to needy children. The

headquarters are in Bloom-

ington, Illinois, but there are

chapters in all 50 states, in-

cluding nine in Maryland.

Project Linus seeks to pro-

vide a fun and rewarding

service activity, which is just

what it did for the

Primannum members who

attended the “blanketeering”

session.

To get involved with Pro-

ject Linus and for further

information, visit http://

www.projectlinus.org.

By Emily Stern

Pictures of Primannum

members

“blanketeering”.

P A G E 4

Service Organizations Around Campus By Christine Poisson

Around this time of the

year, many organizations

around campus start to

advertise different service

opportunities to the student

community. However, many

of these organizations focus

on service year-round, not

just during the holiday

season. Whether they are

service fraternities, clubs, or

living and learning programs,

all of these organizations

provide some amazing

service opportunities for

students.

One organization on

campus that focuses on ser-

vice is the Alpha Phi Omega

(APO) fraternity. This is a co

-ed fraternity, which accepts

new members at the begin-

ning of every semester.

Students interested in joining

this fraternity can attend

rush events to meet the

brothers and then he or she

officially becomes a brother

after completing certain re-

quirements throughout the

semester that they rush

APO. APO requires that

each of their members log 20

hours of community service

per semester, and they offer

a variety of opportunities to

members in order to do this.

These opportunities can be

on campus, or in the sur-

rounding DC community.

For more information about

APO you can visit their web-

site at http://apo-em.org.

Another organization

which is dedicated to service,

is Circle K International, or

CKI for short. CKI is a na-

tionally recognized service

organization for college stu-

dents. Through CKI, mem-

bers have the opportunity of

not only participating in com-

munity service activities on

campus, but they can also

travel to DC and parts of

Virginia to participate in larg-

er community service activi-

ties with surrounding univer-

sities. For more information

about joining this organiza-

tion, visit www.umdcki.com.

Another way students in

the Maryland Community are

involved in service is through

living and learning programs,

such as CIVICUS. CIVICUS is

a two-year living and learning

program, in which students

are accepted based on their

application to the University.

Through this program, stu-

dents have the opportunity

to further their academic

studies through volunteering

with non-profit organizations

in the surrounding areas, as

well as creating their own

community service projects.

Students in CIVICUS are

required to participate in a

minimum of four community

service projects per semes-

ter, and they have the op-

portunity to volunteer in DC

at local food banks or repair

homes in PG County. For

more information about

CIVICUS, you can visit

www.civicus.umd.edu.

These are just a few of

many organizations around

campus that focus on com-

munity service. All of them

offer amazing opportunities

for you to be involved in

community service, and it is

never too late to start get-

ting involved. For a full list of

on campus organizations you

can visit www.stars.umd.edu

and start giving back to the

Maryland community, as well

as the surrounding communi-

ty, today!

Thanksgiving is not only a time of appreciating what we have, but also recognizing that we must

to give back to our community to help those in need.

There are a plethora of opportunities to volunteer in Washington, including but not limited to:

Greater DC Cares (http://www.greaterdccares.org/HomePage/index.php/volunteers/

vol_us.html) – All you have to do is fill out your profile and complete a 15-minute orientation

online that will match you with organizations you will be best to help.

Prince George‟s Volunteer Center (http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/1800Vol/PGVC/

vcindex.do) - Here, you can volunteer as well as recruit young service members and reward

them for their efforts to help the community.

Serve DC (http://serve.dc.gov/cncs/site/default.asp) - Work with organizations promoted by

Mayor Vincent Gray.

The community needs people like Primannum students who strive for leadership, character, and

of course, service.

Off-Campus Service Opportunities By David Oliver

P A G E 5

Monthly Member Spotlight:

Tell me a bit about your-

self first.

I am a junior History and

English major here. I am from

Northbrook, IL, which is

about 20 miles north of

Chicago.

What do you do on cam-

pus and off-campus that is

service-oriented?

I am the Co-Chair of

Marketing with Relay For Life

UMD. Relay For Life is an

event that raises money for the American Cancer

Society. Since I've been here, we've nearly tripled our

fundraising totals; last year, we raised about

$230,000. That all goes towards cancer research and treat-

ment. Anyone interested in participating this spring can

sign up at relayumd.org. They can start their own team or

join the Primannum team(s) this spring!

I also like to participate in Habitat For Humanity and

other similar projects that involve building or renovating

homes for people in need. I've taken part in these projects

in Baltimore, Harford County, Michigan, North Carolina,

and Jamaica.

Also, I am a part of CIVICUS and Teach For America,

both of which involve service.

I understand that you are very involved with

CIVICUS? What exactly do you do as a part of this

living and learning program?

I am an alum of the CIVICUS Living and Learning

Program here on campus, and I currently work for them as

both a Student Assistant in their office and a Teaching

Assistant. During my first two years here, I did countless

service projects on- and off-campus with CIVICUS, ranging

from volunteering at local schools to cleaning up nearby

parks and rivers to helping organize donations at a food

bank in DC. Also, last Spring Break, I traveled to

Greensboro, NC to take part in Habitat For Humanity with

them.

You also mentioned that you work for Teach for

America, correct? What do you do for them?

I am a Campus Campaign Coordinator with Teach For

America, which means I am in charge of our campus's

recruitment and marketing efforts. My job includes giving

presentations to classes and student organizations; placing

flyers, lawn signs, and handbills around campus; networking

with different colleges, departments, and offices to

look for new ways to reach students and faculty; and

documenting all of our efforts in our internal

database. That all, in short, means it's my job to get as

many people to apply for Teach For America as possi-

ble and increase awareness among underclassmen.

As the VP of Volunteerism for Primannum

Honor Society, what are your responsibilities?

I oversee the Volunteerism Committee, which puts

together all of our society's volunteer and service

activities. This includes communicating with

organizations we can work with and ensuring we have

all necessary materials, transportation, etc. to run

smoothly. We just held an event called Project Linus

where 46 of our members handmade blankets to

donate to children in need. My duties included

purchasing the fabric, booking the location, reaching

out to our VP of Communications to send out

information, and organizing the blankets' delivery.

Why are you involved in all of these activities

and community service projects, such as Teach

for America? What do you get out of working

and helping others?

I am really interested in education reform, so a lot

of the work I do is with children or for schools. I had

an amazing education growing up, and I know that I

wouldn't be where I am today without all of the

support and resources I had. Being able to give others

some of that support or more resources to succeed is

really rewarding for me.

What can you tell others about service and

volunteering, and why they should do it?

The famous tennis player and civil rights leader,

Arthur Ashe, once said, "True heroism is remarkably

sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all

others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others

at whatever cost." This quotation really resonates

with me. Most of the time, community service and

volunteerism aren't particularly glamorous things;

often, you don't even see the direct impact that you

have. But that impact is there, and it matters. We all

have different goals, aspirations, and dreams, but no

matter what yours are, you can always take an hour

out of one of your days to feed the hungry, plant trees

for a community, clean up a local river, tutor children

in need, or raise money and walk to fight cancer... and

you might even have a little fun while you're at it.

Primannum’s Vice President of Volunteerism: Ryan Heisinger

By Olga Kushnir

P A G E 6

2141 Tydings Hall

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742

Phone: 301-405-1692

E-mail: PrimannumHonorSociety@gmail.com

The Primannum Honor Society is a University of

Maryland Honor Society which represents two

national honor societies, Alpha Lambda Delta and

Phi Eta Sigma. Both of these national honor

societies recognize academic excellence during a

student's first year in college.

Primannum Honor Society

Check out our website at: http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/prim/

November 4—Scholarship Applications DUE

November 16—Thanksgiving General Body Meeting

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving GBM, 0130 Tydings at 7pm. One point for attending.

Other November events to be announced later!

Opportunities on Campus

Upcoming Primannum Events

President Loh Open Forum

November 3 at 5:30pm in the Oakland Hall Multipurpose Room

All North Campus residents are welcome.

Pizza will be served at 6:15pm.

Maryland Leadership Conference: Unstoppable Leadership Starts Here!

November 5-6 at the Skycroft Conference Center in Middletown, Maryland

Please consider joining us for the 33rd annual Maryland Leadership Conference.

UMD is hosting the first leadership conference on a college campus in the

country and we‟re building on more than three decades of success!

Transportation is included.

Registration and information at www.thestamp.umd.edu/mlc

The Community and Diversity in American Life Colloquium Series: ―KIDS COUNT‖

November 30 at 4:30pm in the Nyumburu Cultural Center

Dr. Patricia McCarthy, President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, will be speaking on the Foundation‟s most

recent Data Book (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec11/childrenpovert_08-18.html)