“Wrap that Palette”

Doc to Dock Service Project 5/26

We woke up to rain, wind and some unseasonably cold temperatures. That didnt stop us though. We made the trek from Long Beach into Brooklyn and met up with students from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. We walked to 300 Douglass Street in Brooklyn and volunteered with an organization called Doc to Dock. Doc to Dock is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the health and lives of people in Africa by providing healthcare workers with the tools they need. It is estimated that in the United States thousands of tons of medical supplies are discarded every day due to overproduction, procedural excess and regulatory requirements. This surplus of medical materials is either incinerated or deposited in landfills, both of which are harmful to the environment. Doc to Dock strives to reverse this cycle of waste by collecting the unused medical supplies from New York hospitals and shipping them to hospitals and clinics in need in Africa.
We spent our time at Doc to Dock organizing supplies and preparing palettes in order to be shipped to Africa. It was crazy to hear how many medical supplies in America are thrown away each year that are perfectly fine. It was truly awesome to know that we were having an impact on a community in need across the globe. It was a great day of service with the students of Bishop Louglin. To see other young people giving of their time after school was inspiring to the Call to Serve team. If you have a moment, click here to watch a short video on the Doc to Dock organization.

Send Off Party

This is a little out of order, but we just picked up an air card from Verizon so we are in business now. We had over 50 people come out to the send off party. It was great to see everyone and it also allowed family and friends to get a glimpse as to what we will be doing over these 30 days. It seems as though everyone enjoyed checking out the RV. A big thank you goes out to my parents for working hard all week to get the yard in top notch shape for the party. Despite the rain, we had a great time. Thanks to all for coming and out and donating to the Call to Serve.

Open Mic / Coffee House

Despite downpours all day and your typical Pittsburgh weather, we had a decent turnout for our first open mic night. A big thank you goes out to Elisa and Dave Panseri, and the Borger family for putting everything together for us. We also want to thank Dunkin Donuts, Panera Bread, and CoCo’s Cupcake Cafe for donating. You can see pictures of the performers by clicking here.

OPEN/MIC – COFFEE HOUSE..MAY 16th

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: St. Barbara’s Church – Social Hall
Street: 111 Raymaley Road
City/Town: Harrison City, PA

Come out and support The Call to Serve before they leave for their maiden voyage at the end of the month!

Suggested donations at $5 and will help this awesome organization start their journey of service throughout the country.

To sign up for a spot to perform early, please contact Elisa at: elisa.panseri@gmail.com

Bring your guitar, favorite poem, or sing a tune! We’ll have sign ups at the front door for you to pick your time to perform. If you have a band or want to sign up early, please send me an e-mail.

Hope to see you there!

www.thecalltoserve.org

Call to Serve and Kickball 365

We just want to thank Kickball 365 for giving us a shout out on their site. Click here to check it out.

1st Annual Kick for The Call..SUCCESS!!

After months of planning and changing the registration deadline 3 times, the 1st annual kickball tournament was a great success. We ended up having 8 teams and well over 90 people come out. The weather couldnt have been better, 80 degrees and sunny.
The tournament started off with a delicious breakfast courtesy of Dunkin Donuts and Trader Joes. We then went to pool play. 3 games for each team determined seeding. Top 4 teams advanced to the championship round. The first 4 teams eliminated from play were Chocolate Rain, Katies Kickball Crew, New Blazians, and the J-Birds. The 4 teams who moved onto to championship play were, Kicking & Screaming, Van Buron Boys, Rotary Westmoreland, and Jock Jams (best dressed team). Rotary Westmoreland (most hot-headed team, ha) was definitely playing to win and made quick work of Jocks Jams. Van Buron Boys’ all day comeback antics were not on their side as they were defeated by Kicking & Screaming in an epic battle. The stage was set for the championship game, Rotary Westmoreland versus Kicking & Screaming. After going back and forth for innings, Rotarys power house kickers were too much to handle for K&S. The final game ended in a 10-5 win for Rotary Westmoreland. We would like to congratulate Rotary on winning the tournament. Your title is up for grabs next year.
On behalf of the Call to Serve team, we would like to thank everyone who came out and supported our cause. It is greatly appreciated. For all of those who helped with behind the scenes stuff (food, drinks, clean up, etc.), we cannot THANK YOU enough.
We had a few pulled muscles, one bloody eye, many controversial calls, and a lot of sunburned skin ( I received word that Jonathan Pipes is stitched up and doing fine). All in all, the day was a great success and we hope to see all of you next year. Be sure to click PHOTOS at the top to see pictures from the tournament.