CHILDREN FIRST SPRING EGG PROGRAM

On Sunday our students spent a little time in the sun decorating spring eggs for the kids at Children First.  This event, lead by RVo Student Coordinator Aixa Rumbaut, was an extension of the twice-weekly art program she has held at Children First for the past 3 years. Students painted 48 eggs with adorable designs and stuffed them full of stickers.  Thank you to our awesome volunteers who came out and helped with this event!

1 month ago · 2 notes

NIGHT WITH THE STARS PROM DECORATIONS DAY’S 2 AND 3

Ringling College student volunteers were busy this weekend continuing to work on the decorations for this year’s Night with the Stars Prom, an event held annually by local community members for Sarasota/Manatee county residents with special needs.  We are getting closer to finishing up our Arabian Night-themed decorations, and cannot wait to see how they look when they are surrounded by the wonderful residents they were made for!

1 month ago · 3 notes

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK 2013—DAY4 (LAST DAY!)

Wow! What a great day! While our volunteers spent their last day at Orange Blossom Community Garden tending to plant beds and planting to new apricot trees with Gail Harvey, Massio made us a delicious lunch consisting of his “infamous” homemade veggie burgers.  Massio volunteers at the garden every day from morning until sundown, and leads the collaborative educational program with Sarasota’s local schools.  He is also a seriously skilled cook. 

Dr. Jennifer Awe (images 2, 7), Associate Dean of Students at Ringling College of Art and Design, joined us in our efforts today, bringing along some extra laughs.

With full bellies and happy hearts we would like to thank Orange Blossom Community Garden for hosting us this Alternative Spring Break.  We had so much fun, learned so much, and cannot wait to come back!

For more information on the Orange Blossom Community Garden, you can visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Orange-Blossom-Community-Garden/281802457517?fref=ts

You can also visit their webpage (currently undergoing construction) at http://www.orangeblossomcommunitygarden.com/

2 months ago · 19 notes

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK 2013—DAY 3!

Today Ringling volunteers put up the sides on the shelter of the wood chipper—this shelter will be made completely of recycled materials, primarily wooden pallets from construction sites.  It reflects the ideologies of the garden well, where nothing goes to waste.  Resourcefulness, hard work and passion (as well as a good share of fun!) keep this garden thriving.

The volunteers also had the chance to learn how to harvest and cut collard greens, which replenish themselves quickly when properly tended to.  

Last but not least, we spotted this tiny frog whom volunteer Alex Sanchez affectionately named Toby.

We have been having such a blast! Could this Spring Break project get any better?!

2 months ago · 25 notes

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK 2013—DAY 2!

Under the guidance of Mr. Perkins (image 3, 4), a local constructor and regular volunteer at Orange Blossom, Ringling student-volunteers worked hard on installing foundation posts for the shelter of the garden’s new wood chipper.  Volunteers also tended to the peach trees that Ringling students planted in August of this year during the Orientation Service Project.  Gail Harvey (image 4, 5, 6), Master Gardener of the Orange Blossom Community Garden, taught volunteers about many different plant species, even giving some of them their first taste of fresh-picked arugula!

2 months ago · 12 notes

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK 2013—DAY ONE!

March 5, 2013

Every year Ringling College of Art and Design provides a community service project over Spring Break that gives students the opportunity to spend their break making a difference.  This year, Ringling College partnered up with the Orange Blossom Community Garden, a local community garden led by Master Gardener Gail Harvey, that provides affordable land plots to Sarasota residents and educational opportunities for kids from pre-school to high school.

Today our student-volunteers built a shed for the children’s garden and got started on converting a children’s race car bed frame into a raised garden bed.  Thank you volunteers, you worked like rock stars!!

Stay posted for more updates on this week-long project!

2 months ago · 0 notes

Making Decorations for A Night with the Stars Prom

March 2nd, 2013

Kicking off the our Alternative Spring Break programming, Ringling student-volunteers used their creative flair to fashion decorations for the Night with the Stars Prom, a dance provided by community members to Sarasota/Manatee residents with special needs.

Using  cardboard donations provided by our friends at Home Depot and Savon Furniture, the students created “Arabian Night” themed decorations to transform the site of the dance into a beautiful oasis!

We will be having a couple more of these work days to complete the decorations for the prom—details on the time and location of these work days will be posted soon.  Please join us and help bring joy to our beloved residents and community!

2 months ago · 0 notes

SAVE OUR SEABIRDS!

Ringling College student-volunteers spent this past Saturday and Sunday face painting at the Rotary Club of Sarasota Foundation’s first annual Sarasota Wildlife Art Festival and Wildlife Symposium benefiting Save Our Seabirds.  The event included an art festival juried by Ringling College of Art and Design, a beautiful display of tigers from Big Cat Habitat (a non-profit dedicated to saving endangered and abandoned wild cats), and a gorgeous display of wild birds in the care of Save Our Seabirds.

Save Our Seabirds rescues about 1,000 birds per year, responding to distress calls from local residents and dispatching volunteers to deliver the birds to the Save Our Seabird hospital.  They also have an education and research program, as well as a fully stocked mobile response unit in the case of an oil spill.

Thank you to our volunteers who helped contribute to this amazing cause!

2 months ago · 0 notes