Greetings Miami Environmental & Ecolunch Listserv Members!

This email is to invite you to participate in this year's "GIS Day" and Geography Awareness Week activities on Miami's Oxford campus.  I realize this is a cross-post for most of you, but this will be such a wonderful event that I wanted to make sure to get the word out to as many people as possible.

This year Miami is focusing on public outreach for its GIS Day/Geography Awareness Week activities.  We have partnered with a local non-profit, Caching Our World (www.cachingourworld.org), to bring over 300 Title One fourth grade students to Miami's Oxford campus for geography-related activities.  Students will be on campus Tues, Wed, and Thurs (Nov 13-15) from 10am-1pm.  They will move around to 4 different activity stations and have lunch while they are entertained by Cincinnati Zoo's Wings of Wonder program and a professional story-teller.
The theme for this year is "MAPloration 2007:  Africa in 3D, Demographics, Diversity & Discovery".

What we need are volunteers to help shepherd the children around while they are on campus for those 3 days.  Ideally volunteers would be available from 9am-2pm on the day they choose to volunteer (although this can be a bit flexible).
Aside from a great experience working with the kids and great lunch-time entertainment, volunteers will receive some type of (yet to be determined) freebie for their time.

If you are interested in joining us, please send me an email listing what day(s) you are available BY THIS FRIDAY (NOV 2).  Once I get you signed up you can look for more information to follow within the next week.

Also, please mark Friday, Nov 16 from 6-8 on your calendars for the event Open House/Map Gallery in the Octagon Room in the Lower Alexander Dining Hall on the Western Campus.  This will be an opportunity to highlight what the children have done during the week, as well as the event sponsors, supporters and volunteers.  Light food and drink will be provided.  There will also be a silent auction to purchase items used throughout the week, as well as items donated by local businesses and event sponsors.  This event is open to everyone (you do not need to have been a volunteer!).

Please feel free to pass along this information to any friends or colleagues.

Thank you!
Robbyn Abbitt

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Robbyn J.F. Abbitt
GIS Coordinator
Department of Geography
Miami University
211 Shideler Hall
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-5016
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