News: Winchester Youth Center Service Learning Projects

Throughout the year the WYC runs a ton of different special events in an effort to provide teens with great alcohol and drug-free alternative activities. It’s all part of the Peer Leaders’ commitment to helping their peers make good decisions! Check out our website to learn about all of our special events and mark your calendars for all the things you won’t want to miss. Throughout the year the WYC Peer Leaders coordinate and participate in a huge variety of community service projects. The Peer Leaders are committed to making a positive difference in the world and encouraging others to do the same. If you’re interested in doing something good for our community, stop by the WYC and find out how you can get involved. Please check out our website for a complete description of our service efforts. ALS COMMUNITY OF HOPE: Haley’s Comets Project Leaders: Hallie Stone Please support our efforts to defeat ALS ?a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s Disease. We have created “Haley’s Comets,” a Community of Hope Fund at web.alsa.org/goto/haleyscomets. Our goal is to raise money to support people in our community with ALS and to spread awareness of the urgency to find treatment and a cure for this disease. Please join our team at the North Shore Walk to Defeat ALS in Wakefield on Saturday, October 13. Contact us at the WYC to learn more about how you can get involved. WINCHESTER LANTERN WALK Mark your calendars and join us for the Winchester Community Lantern Walk on Sunday, November 11t at 4 pm on the Town Common to address the issue of stress and its negative impacts on the youth and families in our community. The goal of the Lantern Walk is to raise awareness of the negative impacts of stress and the resources available in our community for dealing with stress. ?We are inviting families with school-age ?children to take one night off from stress-inducing activities (i.e. meetings, homework, etc.) and to gather on the Common for a ?lantern-lighted walk through downtown, Walkers will return to the Common where we will hang lanterns of hope that have been created by students during art class. There will be information regarding community resources and a pledge board where all ?participants can write one thing that they each plan to do to reduce stress in their lives. The Lantern Walk represents a peaceful and beautiful statement of support, awareness, ?prevention, and change. Please check our website at www.winchesterlanternwalk.org for more information, resources, and lantern-making instructions. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Project Leaders: Britta Erikson, Joel Miller, Dan Holahan, Tyler Antonevich For the past 7 years the Peer Leaders have participated in a week-long service-learning project with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for needy families. During April vacation we will travel to another area of the country to participate in our 8th annual week-long service trip. The Peer Leaders will be running a variety of events throughout the fall and winter in an effort to fundraise 100% of the expenses for our trip. Please contact us if you would like to make a donation toward this amazing ?service-learning experience. HOLIDAY CRAFTS & JEWELRY SALES Project Leader: Julia Hughes, Lilly Rohan, Lyndsey Kowalczyk, Kat Roll Are you looking to purchase some unique and beautiful holiday presents this year? Then come to our Holiday Craft & Jewelry Sales in December. The Peer Leaders have created original crafts and jewelry that are sure to please everyone on your list. All proceeds will benefit the Peer Leaders’ Habitat for Humanity trip and other service-learning programs at the WYC. Please check our website for dates and times. . MIDDLE SCHOOL ACTIVITY NIGHTS Project Leader: Jake Biel, Julia Salemme, Sean Keating The WYC co-sponsors monthly activity nights for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders with the McCall Middle School Parent’s Association and McCall Student Council. Participants are welcome to hang out, play games, or watch ?a movie in the Drop-in Center and listen to ?the DJ play music for the dance in the gym. All students must enter through the McCall front door, admission is $10. Check our website for upcoming Activity Night dates. HALLOWEEN WINDOW PAINTING Project Leaders: Julia Salemme, Kat Roll, Lyndsey Kowalczyk, Tyler Antonevich The WYC works corroboratively with the Winchester Recreation Department to sponsor and organize this annual event for children all over town. Participants will be painting the outside of designated downtown business windows with a Halloween theme on Saturday, October 20. Please contact the Recreation Department to register. The Peer Leaders will be in their Halloween costumes to present medals to all participants! WYC HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY COFFEE HOUSE Project Leaders: Britta Erikson, Jake Biel, Elli Loria, Sean Keating On Friday, October 26, the Peer Leaders will transform the WYC into a spooky Halloween-themed Coffee House. All attendees are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and get into the Halloween spirit! As always, ?the Coffee House will feature live music and ?delicious homemade treats, frappes, and coffee drinks. The Coffee House is open to high school ?students only. Admission is $5. All proceeds will benefit the Peer Leaders’ Habitat for Humanity trip. HALLOWEEN HAUNTED HOUSE Project Leaders: Cam Currie, Tyler Antonevich Join us on Saturday, October 27, and prepare to be scared! The Peer Leaders will create a spooky, scary house of horrors for your entertainment. Location to be determined, please check our website for more details in October. Admission to the Haunted House is $5 and all proceeds will benefit WYC Habitat for Humanity trip. ROCK FOR YOUTH Project Leaders: Amanda Toumayan, Cam Currie, Dan Holahan Each year the WYC sponsors a Battle of the Bands for local high school rock stars. ?The first of three rounds will take place Friday, November 30, in the Winchester Town Hall Auditorium. If you are interested in registering your band, contact the WYC or email us at rock4youth@gmail.com. If you have friends in a band or just like to listen to great, live music be there to select the bands that will move on to Round 2. Admission is $10 and each audience member receives one ballot to vote for their favorite bands. As with all WYC events, no outside drinks are allowed and students are not allowed to re-enter. Proceeds from Rock for Youth benefit the WYC’s Youth Service Award Scholarships. 5th GRADE SCAVENGER HUNTS Project Leaders: Dan Holahan, David Geyer, Julia Salemme, Kat Roll, Lyndsey Kowalczyk The WYC will host Scavenger Hunts for all 5th graders from all five schools in the Spring. Admission is $10 and includes pizza and a t-shirt. The Scavenger Hunts offer students a chance to get acquainted with McCall Middle School, the Winchester Youth Center, downtown Winchester, and 5th graders from other schools. Please check our website for more info in the spring TOWN DAY FUN RUN FOR KIDS Project Leaders: Kat Roll, Lilly Rohan, Lyndsey Kowalczyk Mark your calendars now for the Winchester Town Day Fun Run for Kids! The WYC sponsors a series of races for 3–10 year olds on Town Day morning on the track at Manchester Field. Beginning at 9 am, the WYC Peer Leaders will get all of the participants warmed-up and then the races will begin. Every child will receive a t-shirt and a medal! RELAY FOR LIFE OF WINCHESTER Form your teams, start your fundraising, and plan to join us for the second annual Relay For Life of Winchester on June 22–23! At the first annual Winchester Relay nearly 300 people participated in more than ?30 teams and raised over $60,000! Relay For Life is the signature fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. ?It unites communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against this disease. Teams of 8–15 people from all walks of life camp out at local school, parks, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times, while special entertainment, music, and fun activities keep things lively. Symbolizing the 24/7 battle that cancer patients fight, Relay is an overnight event, lasting up to 24 hours in length. Teams raise money prior to the event then celebrate their fundraising efforts while honoring survivors and remembering those lost to cancer in special ceremonies during the event. The Winchester Youth Center and Connect & Commit will again be forming the Leadership Committee for the second annual Relay For Life of Winchester. Our goal is to bring community members of all ages together to raise money for the American Cancer Society, raise awareness of cancer, and honor all of the Winchester residents who have battled this disease. Go to www.relayforlife.org/winchesterma to register your team, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @winrelayforlife. Please contact the Winchester Youth Center 781-721-0906 for more information.