Re: Please, No Ribbons

Everyone,

First,  I must say that I have been a silent member on the SL ListServ for
several years and I must say it has been comforting to read others thoughts
about the tragic events and the impact on the idea of service.  However,
after reading the "Please No Ribbons" message I felt a need to respond.

Thanks for your alternative input Rachel, but quite frankly I think that
although ribbons may be "trivial" to you the ribbon itself is not the point,
the show of solidarity is!  Students on my campus are looking to somehow
help out and show that they have been touched by these tragic events and
feel the call to serve their beloved community.  The monies raised through
the sale of ribbons can be used to aid those in the rescue effort as well as
others that have been affected, and I do not see this as trivial.

These tragic events are a Call To Action! This is not a time to bash each
other's efforts to help.  Now is the time to come together and support our
beloved community.

Peace,

Kelly Thomas
Coordinator
Clearinghouse for Volunteers
University of Rhode Island

-----Original Message-----
From: service-learning-owner@csf.colorado.edu
[mailto:service-learning-owner@csf.colorado.edu]On Behalf Of
Rigolinr@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 8:36 AM
To: service-learning@csf.colorado.edu
Subject: Please, No Ribbons


Everyone,
Here at the State University of New York at New Paltz, about 90 min. from
the World Trade Center, our campus community and our local community have
been personally devestated.
While I know we are all searching for "something to say or do," I implore
instructors not to reach for the usual banality. Symbolic ribbons (there are
now so many we don't even know WHAT COLOR TO USE) are a trivial
commercialization of a unspeakable, devestating event. Please, don't.
Rachel Rigolino
SUNY at New Paltz
rigolinr@newpaltz.edu