The end of the summer in Madison fills Madisonians with mixed emotions. With summer’s end comes the new school year, the promise of much colder days, autumn harvest, and of course, all those reasons entice celebration. Thus makes Madison’s summer to fall transition the perfect time for festivity. At the end of the summer, Meaningful Volunteer was present at both Africa Fest and Orton Park Festival. Both were long hot days full of fun. I have to thank Melissa Wood for all her help!
At Africa Fest, Melissa and I arrived early to set up our table. Our table showcased our Uganda program, especially highlighting the Malaria Project. Melissa Wood plans to be in Uganda to kickoff this program come May 2011! The day was full of the spicy scent of African food, the vibrant colors of African clothing and artwork, and the peppy sound of African drumming and music. Meaningful Volunteer fit right in! We had a great time talking to people about international volunteerism and met a lot of people who are passionate about international issues. We even secured a spot at the University of Wisconsin’s Returned Study Abroad Students’ Opportunities Fair. Of course Meaningful Volunteer sold a lot of paper beads from Grass Roots Uganda!
Orton Park fest was equally successful for bead sales; Madison loves Grass Roots Uganda! The people in attendance were there for a multicultural experience and Meaningful Volunteer once again had great conversations with a variety of down to earth, interested folks.
With the school year starting off, Meaningful Volunteer in Madison hopes to have a benefit concert with Rubber Soul, as well as start a student organization through the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Stay tuned!
