[ntwca] FW: [wcenter] International Writing Centers Week

[Shannon Carter]

Hi, all--

We've been speaking some about different ways to make use of this
organization, perhaps ways that might even garner grant monies and extend
our reach beyond the walls of our particular colleges and universities . . .
maybe into the surrounding communities. 

How about community outreach during International Writing Centers Week next
February (2008)?

International Writing Centers Week (February 13-17) was initiated by IWCA
about two years ago as a way to celebrate WCs and promote awareness and a
greater appreciation for what we do/can do. 

Check out what they are doing in the St. Louis area (below). Might we do the
same in the DFW area? Perhaps as soon as the 2008 International Writing
Centers Week? 

If so, we could include as part of our Fall 2007 meeting a discussion about
how we might make this happen in February 2008. In the short run, many of us
might be able to do little more than put out donation boxes and try to
promote literacy through the texts we might receive and share with the
surrounding community. I know many of us are pretty strapped for funding and
for staff. 

But perhaps those of us who believe we can offer some additional hours to
the surrounding community-at least for a week--perhaps we might also issue a
formal invitation to the community. It'd be a way to give back to the
community, but it'd also offer a venue for describing our services to those
who may be misunderstand and/or be unaware of them. 
. 

Even better might be to "donate" a tutor or more for a few hours during the
week at surrounding schools, after-school programs, local literacy programs
at area libraries, and the rest. In order to make this work, of course, we'd
need to do quite a bit of planning and advertising. 

Might be something we try to locate some grant monies for? as per our
conversation with the Executive Board a couple weeks ago? 

What do you think? 

Shannon Carter
Assistant Professor of English
Texas A&M-Commerce
shannon_carter at tamu-commerce.edu
http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/scarter/
903-886-5492



-----Original Message-----
From: Fran Hooker [mailto:frhooker at webster.edu]
Sent: Mon 2/5/2007 3:26 PM
To: Writing Center Mailing List
Subject: [wcenter] International Writing Centers Week
 
Although it's late, I thought I would share the activities we'll be 
conducting to celebrate International Writing Centers Week. We are 
happily stealing the "Let us be your Cyrano" Valentine's Day card idea, 
and we are sponsoring a "Name our New Fish (and Frog)" contest. But 
we're most excited about another idea that the tutors came up with. We 
will be conducting a donation drive for an area homeless shelter. 
Throughout the week, we will have collection boxes at various locations 
throughout campus, where people can donate books, coloring books, 
crayons, children's mittens, food, and other needed items. In addition, 
several Writing Center tutors will be volunteering a few hours at the 
shelter to tutor children and adults working on their GEDs. The most 
exciting part is that many other St. Louis area writing centers, who are 
members of our local consortium, are also collecting items for the 
shelter and offering tutoring hours. What better way to celebrate 
International Writing Centers week than by extending our philosophy of 
one writer helping another beyond our campuses and out into the larger 
community.

Fran

-- 
Fran Hooker
Writing Center Coordinator
Webster University
470 E. Lockwood Ave.
Webster Groves, MO  63119
314-961-2660 ext. 7589
frhooker at webster.edu 



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