SWOT volunteers at The Parade Company

"Hats off Detroit"

On Saturday, November 17th students from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and members of the community volunteered with The Parade Company that sponsors the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22nd. Members from SWOT, C.H.I.E.F., Henry Ford Community College, Jumpstart, Volunteer Dearborn, and the community worked together to help pack a float with over 300,000 Mardi Gra beeds. With over 30 volunteers on this day, everyone worked together to produce an assembly line that would open the boxes, take out the beeds and load the beeds onto the float. With the fast production of these volunteers, the process was done within 3 hours and the volunteers had time to spare for lunch.

The theme for this year's 81st America's Thanksgiving Parade is "Hats off Detroit." It recognizes the rebirth of Detroit through the success of the downtown development and the amazing success of the professional sports teams in the city. This event was setup through SWOT and was nicely advertised by Volunteer Dearborn. Some volunteers brought their families and others were just excited about the opportunity.

Group photo at The Parade Company

So "Hats off" to all the volunteers that came out on Saturday to volunteer. It was a fun and exciting day to remember how the University and local community continues to make the "Metropolitan Impact" within the community of Southeastern Michigan. Happy Holidays to all!

-SWOT

SWOT Updates

-Message from Director

November has come and I would like to thank all the participants who have dedicated some of their past Saturday's to serving our community. We have put forth many hours in the local community in a means to "changing our world with every helping hand."

In this month of November, SWOT has an opportunity to volunteer with The Parade Company that puts on the Thanksgiving Day Parade every year for Metro-Detroit. This serves as a opportunity for students of The University of Michigan-Dearborn to see all the hard work that local volunteers do throughout the year, in maintaining and constructing these phenomenal floats that travel down Woodward Ave on Thanksgiving Day. As the Director of SWOT, I am very proud to be apart of this opportunity because I remember being a child wondering if one day I could be apart of the Thanksgiving Parade. Well here's the opportunity.

SWOT will be volunteering with the Parade Company on November 10th & 17th. The 17th however is National Family Volunteer Day and we encourage students to tell their families about this amazing opportunity. Please come out and join us in the spirit of the holidays to put a smile on someones face.

-SWOT Director

Make a Difference Day 2007

"A celebration of neighbors helping neighbors."

Thank you to everyone that participated in "Make a Difference Day 2007." This national day of service was founded by USA Weekend Magazine that brings neighbors together to volunteer in the surrounding community across the country. In 2005, more than 3 million volunteers participated in this national day of service to make this annual event the largest volunteer event in the United States.

On October 27, 2007 over one-hundred students from The University of Michigan-Dearborn were signed up to participated in Make a Difference Day with United Way for Southeastern Michigan. On this day there were two community agencies for the students to volunteer at: Greening of Detroit, and Vista Maria. Amongst those agencies were three projects: Beatification of Vista Maria, the Vista Maria Craft project and planting trees with Greening of Detroit.

Students at Greening of Detroit

This year students were really excited to go out and volunteer. With United Way joining in to help sponsor this national day of Service, there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst the different Fraternities and Sororities who came out to volunteer. Once again Students Working Onward Together was also present to continue the positive energy within the community. Again thank you for your time and service to make Southeastern Michigan a better place for everyone.