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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

Tour Bus Promoting Youth Service to Stop at UWRF

APRIL 20, 2007--In the high-energy spirit of a rock and roll concert tour, AmeriCorps members from across Wisconsin are traversing the state in a big yellow school bus and stopping at various cities to promote youth service and community involvement. The bus stops at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., April 26 for a mini conference, rally and share fair.

Dubbed "R.I.S.E. Up Wisconsin! The Ride to Inspire Student Engagement," the tour aims to motivate high school and college students to lead their friends in creating sustainable solutions to issues within their own communities through service-learning and civic engagement.

Launching from UW-Parkside on April 22, the tour includes stops at Marquette University April 23, UW-Oshkosh April 24, UW La Crosse April 25, UW-River Falls April 26, and UW Marathon County April 27. The mobile rally concludes with a service-learning project conducted at a location to be announced.

Each tour stop will include inspiring speeches on the transformative power of service, hands-on workshops on community involvement and service-learning, a networking lunch in which like-minded individuals can come together to discuss possible collaborations for change, and a share fair of exemplary service-learning and community projects.

Keynote speaker at UW-River Falls is Mila Holcombe, a former Special Olympics athlete and current AmeriCorps member with Special Olympics of Janesville, who will speak on the importance of service in her life.

All events are free and open to high school and college students and their teachers. All participants will receive a packet of resources on being catalysts for change, lunch and a free R.I.S.E. Up Wisconsin! T-shirt.

Participants and attendees will also be invited to share their stories in a documentary film created of the tour by one of the AmeriCorps bus riders, featuring testimonials from activist youth, footage of the events at each stop, and more.

R.I.S.E. Up Wisconsin is a statewide initiative, organized by AmeriCorps members across Wisconsin, with support from the Department of Public Instruction, Serve Wisconsin, Wisconsin Campus Compact, Special Olympics, State Farm, the Waisman Center and UW-Extension. Further information and registration materials can be found at http://www.riseupwisc.org.

For the River Falls tour stop, contact Aaron Gilbee, AmeriCorps Vista volunteer/UWRF service-learning coordinator, at 715-425-3711 or aaron.gilbee@uwrf.edu. General tour questions can be directed to: Jamie Racine, AmeriCorps VISTA/ Madison Area Technical College service-learning coordinator, 414-297-6889 or racineja@matc.edu

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