The Richard Mauthe Center for Faith, Spirituality, and Social Justice has been selected by Youth Service America as one of 75 agencies in the entire country to lead Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) 2011 in Northeast Wisconsin, April 15-17, 2011.

“This is a special honor and a unique opportunity to live out our core value of social justice,which places service to others at the heart of its principles,” said Hung Nguyen, executive director of the Mauthe Center.

Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world and the only such event dedicated to children and youth. Each year, the event mobilizes more than one million young people, ages 5-25, on all six continents and over 100 countries, in the effort to celebrate service, service learning and the impact youth makes in communities throughout the year.

The 75 Lead Agencies are awarded a $2,000 mini-grant to help offset costs associated with the event and are expected to partner with various community organizations in involving hundreds of young people in serving others during that weekend.

The Mauthe Center hopes to engage one thousand young people in doing service during that weekend in our community and has already secured key partnerships with the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Brown County, the American Red Cross Lakeland Chapter, Girl Scouts of Northwestern Great Lakes, the Notre Dame de la Baie Academy, St. NorbertCollege, various UWGB partners, the Volunteer Centers of Brown County, Door County, and East Central Wisconsin and others.

This year’s effort in Northeast Wisconsin will place a special focus on the young people serving the elderly, however, organizations are encouraged to submit all types of service proposals.

“All 75 lead agencies participating in Global Youth Service Day have the common goal of providing youth with opportunities to serve their communities and solve the pressing problems of our time,” said Steve Culbertson, Youth Service America president and CEO. “I am delighted that the Mauthe Center and their partners in Northeast Wisconsin are creatively inspiring young people to build intergenerational relationships with senior citizens through service.”

Although the official kick off date for the effort was January 17 – the Martin Luther King, Jr.Day – the solicitation for service sites began this week and it was marked with a service project planned by the Mauthe Center’s Doin’ Good for Others initiative in collaboration with the Danz Elementary afterschool program and the Boys and Girls Club. It engaged children in making handcrafted Valentine’s Day cards for the Meals on Wheels program, sponsored by the Agingand Disability Resource Center of Brown County.

Between MLK Day on one end and Global Youth Service Day on the other, the Mauthe Center’s Doin’ Good for Others will continue to engage dozens of UWGB students and others in doing service around the community.

For more information or to join in the effort, check out the GYSD PAGE!

Students enjoyed Chicken Alfredo this Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. Stop by every week at 5:30 p.m. for a free meal and donate to help build a well in Africa.

Rabbi Shaina Bacharach is to speak on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 7 pm at the Mauthe Center as a special guest during center’s Tuesdays with Mauthe, a monthly dinner-conversation facilitated by the founder of the center, Rev. Richard Mauthe. The event begins at 7:00 pm on the first Tuesday of the month and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres (selected in consultation with the speaker), music, and a talk on the topic of spirituality seen through the lens of individual guest speakers. The event is free and open to the public.

In order to plan for food, we asks that you RSVP by calling (920) 465-5133 or emailing info@mcenter.org, but walk-ins are also welcomed.

About the Rabbi

Rabbi Shaina Bacharach has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Cnesses Israel since August 2003. She was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. Before entering JTS, Rabbi Bacharach had a varied career. She attended the University of Oklahoma and earned a bachelor of science in nursing. She also worked as a free-lance writer, including work on the Bobbsey Twin series and Nancy Drew. The rabbi’s love of Judaism and Torah study led her to teach Hebrew and Judaica at the Solomon Schechter day school in Oklahoma City and at the supplementary school and to assume a number of roles supporting Jewish life.

Rabbi Shaina works actively to foster positive interfaith relations in Green Bay. She is deeply involved in all areas of synagogue life, including pastoral care, education, encouraging congregational involvement, and fostering a sense of spirituality.

Rabbi Shaina and her husband, Bob Dick, have four children – Elise, Jenny, Sean, and Simon, and a grandson, Austin.

Guests gathered in the Mauthe Center tonight for the second Tuesdays with Mauthe of the fall semester.

Students listened to a thought provoker before enjoying spaghetti, bread, cookies and refreshments.

Check out the article published in the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Nov. 26, 2010 – the day after Thanksgiving – about the name change, the month of gratitude and history of the Center. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20101126/GPG0406/11260617/Center-at-UWGB-renamed-after-founder

Tonight, UWGB international students shared their food of choice with MC guests and staff. Everyone got to experience food from different cultures. All proceeds are going to help build a well in Africa.

Fall Jam Fest was tonight, Thursday Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. Guests enjoyed music from two musicians and one band in addition to food and refreshments. All proceeds are going to contribute to building a well in Africa.

The Mauthe Center to host Fall Jam Fest on Thurs., Nov. 11 at 7 pm. ROCK OUT TO HELP OUT with Travis Voigt, Kyle Hoppe and Tomorrow’s Yesterday. Cover charge is only $5 – and it includes food. All proceeds go to the building of a well in Africa through The Water Project.

For more information, click here.

Tuesdays with Mauthe attracted many people into the Richard Mauthe Center today, Nov. 2, 2010.  At approximately 7:45 p.m., The Ecumenical Center was formally changed to The Richard Mauthe Center for Faith, Spirituality and Social Justice.  Guests enjoyed deviled eggs, taco dip, crab rangoon and much more.

The Ecumenical Center Board of Directors announced this morning that it is changing the name of the organization from The Ecumenical Center to The Richard Mauthe Center for Faith, Spirituality, and Social Justice. The decision comes as a result of Center’s desire to honor the founder and guiding spirit behind the Ecumenical Center – The Rev. Richard Mauthe.

The name change will be made official on Tuesday, November 2 at 7 PM at The Mauthe Center during the monthly Tuesdays with Mauthe program, hosted by the Center. The event will include heavy hors d’oeuvres and a talk by Fr. Mauthe on how it all began; the vision, the inspiration, and the hope behind an ecumenical dream in Northeast Wisconsin.

The event is open and free to the public and everyone is encouraged to join in celebrating this important change. RSVPs are required, however. Please call 920-465-5133 or email info@ecuwgb.org to make your reservations.

For further information about the change, rationale, background and information about the Center click here.

For media and interview requests, please contact Adi Redzic at 920.465.5133 or aredzic@ecuwgb.org

EC Intern, Kathy Nowak, spoke to Eat Well guests before dinner about Thirsty Thursdays.  Come and enjoy free non-alcoholic drinks and games every Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Celebrating Make a Difference Day and through our Doin’ Good for Others program, 30 students will venture off this Friday, October 22  to the Boys and Girls Club in East Green Bay to play with the kids and then through Neighbor Helping Neighbor rake the leaves at five sites around Green Bay. If you want to be a part of this awesome group or need more info, let us know.