In the midst of this war, financial worry, and fish moniker protests, it's nice to see an organization out and about Ithaca College whose sole purpose is positivity. No matter how small the gesture, the Do Anything Nice organization is striving to inject a little joy and spontaneity into what would be your otherwise mundanely college day-to-day.
]]>“Whyyy?”, “Okay then...” and suspicious glances pervaded the halls. Kids stared at us in wonderment while cautiously chewing their Starburst as if waiting for the bombs in them to detonate at any minute. A girl stares at us and a tense, deep silence ensues. “We’re just doing something nice, is that so wrong?” D.A.N. Member StephAnn finally says in a chipper voice.
The new D.A.N. chapter in Jamaica has been off to a solid start. The school at which we are located – the American International School of Kingston, is relatively new and does not offer many student-run clubs and organizations. Due to the demonstrated need for student body unity and development of the schools facilities and programs, and the simultaneous surplus of eager and dedicated teenagers, the new chapter to Do Anything Nice was born. In the first month alone, plans were made to introduce the club to the school, to make personal introductions by hand-distributing candy and plans were made to enhance student life.
In the category of “enhancing student life” is the new recycling venture that we have embarked on. Half way into it, and after finding a sponsor for recycling bins, it was discovered that the school already had a somewhat established recycling program. In the category of student life, the need was recognized for student unity, especially due to the nature of the school – one with many children who have been moved to Jamaica from their homeland, D.A.N. saw it imperative to strengthen the student population as a family. Among our upcoming projects are student rally and campus wide treasure hunts.
Eventually, we hope to create more programs such as an after school homework program for the youth of surrounding (less-privileged schools), which would foster a spirit of service in the school community. There are no limits for our club at the moment, we plan to open it to the entire school community next year, and following this, aim to attack problems facing the youth in our society – one nice act at a time.
The first 30 minutes of the meeting were dedicated to the three objectives:
As the new academic year approaches we will be announcing our 2009 D.A.N. chapters.
]]>This particular meeting is very special as it marks the first time that all current and future D.A.N. Chapter presidents will be in the same meeting. Our objective is to accomplish three things:
The Headquarters staff is hard at work preparing for the Fall months. We have a lot of neat upgrades to the organization that we are excited to share in the coming months. So, be sure to stay tuned.
If you are a student and wish to lean more about D.A.N. opportunities at your school, please contact us via our online form.
]]>Now it the perfect time to start to think about getting a D.A.N. chapter started at your school for Fall 2009! Our website has all the information to get started; just click on the link above called "Start a D.A.N. Chapter".
D.A.N. Headquarters will work together with your school to determine get you off to the best start possible. We look forward to hearing from you.
]]>We welcome input from the chapters or community to be included in the agenda. Please submit comments or discussion topics to Michael Unis via our online contact form.
]]>30,000 chopsticks in the Grossmont College Campus lawn representative of the number of children dying in the world of poverty and hunger each day.
Richard Unis, a board member of Do Anything Nice (D.A.N.) and professor at Ithaca College hosts an awareness project with his class in Grossmont College, California.