The ELI Weekly
Out and About: Volunteering
This weekend, ELI students have two volunteer opportunities: Green Bridges and Mill Creek Horse Farm. Did you know volunteering is an important aspect of American culture? Though the number of hours that Americans volunteer has decreased since the pandemic, volunteering is still strong in the U.S. In 2023, 75 million Americans, or 28% of the population, volunteered in their community.
Many companies encourage their employees to volunteer, and many schools require volunteer hours for their students. In Florida, high school students who meet certain academic requirements and volunteer 100 hours in the community are eligible for a scholarship that covers tuition at state universities, like the University of Florida.
Volunteering might seem like a selfless act, but it is actually very beneficial to the volunteer! Volunteering helps connect you to other people, teaches you valuable job skills, and improves your mental and physical health. It may even help you find a passion that you didn’t know you had.
ELI students have many valuable skills and talents. However, no special skills are needed to be a great volunteer. Volunteering just requires compassion, an open mind, and a positive attitude.
Where will you volunteer? If you are looking for even more opportunities to volunteer in Gainesville, here is a list: https://www.gainesvillevolunteer.com/where-to-volunteer/
Weekend Event: Volunteer Weekend
Help out your local community! Choose one of the following options:
Option 1: Saturday, September 27th – Green Bridges: UF Ethnoecology Gardens (close to the Bat Houses) – 10:00am to 12:00pm
An ELI alumnus you may know, Jeftey, has a special project for ELI students to volunteer and learn! Do a sustainability and farming workshop, gardening practice, and farming! Jeftey will lead the way and you will get to explore and contribute to an amazing, sustainable garden right near campus! Meet at the garden, take bus 20.
Address: 2799 SW 7th Pl, Gainesville, FL 32607
You must sign up to attend this event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-58629421-green
Option 2: Sunday, September 28th – Mill Creek Retirement Home for Horses – 9:15am to 1:30pm
Help maintain a horse farm that makes a sanctuary and home for older horses! Clean up the farm and help with other maintenance tasks so the horses have a great place to live! At the end of your volunteering, you will get to feed the horses! Meet at Norman Parking Garage. You must wear closed-toed shoes. Bring water and sunscreen!
You must sign up to attend this event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-58629421-green
CIP Weekday Activities
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Monday, September 22nd– Coffee Talk – 6:30-9:00pm |
| Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Mochiry! Play games, speak English, and drink a coffee or get dinner at the food truck in the area! Take bus 6.
This semester, the location will change each week. Address: 3822 Newberry Rd Suite D, Gainesville, FL 32607 |
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Tuesday, September 23rd – Volleyball – 6:30-9:00pm |
| Play volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2 Volleyball Courts with us! No experience necessary! You can also watch, socialize or play other games if you don’t want to play volleyball. Take bus 35.
Address: 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
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Wednesday, September 24th – Trivia Night at Satchel’s – 6:00 – 9:00pm |
| Check out this iconic pizza restaurant filled with amazing recycled art! Shop at their super fun gift shop and try some delicious pizza. Explore the garden in the back and even sit in mini airplane! Trivia will start later in the evening so get your team together and see if you can win! It is free to play but bring extra money for pizza and shopping if you would like to. Try to come right at six so we can reserve some good tables before it gets crowded for trivia night. Meet in the BACK entrance of Satchel’s Pizza (called Lightning Salvage). Take bus 15 or a rideshare.
Address: 1800 NE 23rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32609 |
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Thursday, September 25th – Soccer – 6:30 – 9:00pm |
| Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field on campus! No experience necessary! You can also watch, socialize or play other games if you don’t want to play soccer.
Address: Woodlawn Dr, Gainesville, FL 32603 |
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Friday, September 26th – Reitz Game Room – 6:30 – 9:00pm |
| Hang out with friends in the Reitz Game Room! You can go bowling, play pool, and play board games! Bring your Gator1 ID for cheaper rates. Many Fridays are Gator Nights so bring your ID to check in and see all the fun themed activities the Reitz may have planned for you this week in addition to the game room!
Address: 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611 |
CIP Photo of the Week: Coffee Talk
Other CIP Reminders
Conversation Partners
Want to meet with a fluent English speaker and make a new friend? Sign up for a CP! If you choose to sign up, you must meet with your partner for one hour a week. It can take up to two weeks to get a partner from when you sign up. Please sign up here!
Please email Elijah at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her in the CIP Office during office hours.
CIP Passports
| Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders at the event (not after). We don’t hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift, a photo for the ELI Instagram, and your name published in the ELI weekly! |  |
Need a new CIP Passport? Stop by the CIP Office.
Find the Pineapple
Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Notes from the Office
A Note about Perfumes and Colognes: You may have noticed some signs on the doors in Matherly Hall asking people to be considerate about wearing too much fragrance. While Americans do like things to smell clean, we may not be used to a lot of perfume or cologne. For some people, heavy amounts of fragrance can cause headaches or allergies. So, you may want to reduce the amount you normally use. Thank you!
People Out: Daryl will be out of the office from September 25th to September 30th. Christine will be out of the office on September 26th. Please plan around these dates if you need to speak to them.
Instructor Work Day: Monday, September 29th is an instructor workday at the ELI. There will be no ELI classes this day, but the ELI Main Office will be open. UF classes will still be in session.
International Student Scholarships
The GATEWAY English Test is offering multiple $1,000 cash scholarships for international students, with the first one to be announced at the end of September. International students only need to enter once and will have multiple chances to win.
Amount: $1,000 cash scholarship
Eligibility: Open to all international students currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university, or who plan to enroll in the next 12 months
Deadline: September 30, 2025
Click here for more information
Birthdays
| Students | Staff | ||
| None this week! | None this week! | ||
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Grammar
Q: Why do you need so many words to ask a question? Why do you have to say, Did you eat? Why can’t you just say, You ate?
You’re right—often English grammar requires us to put in extra words to ask a question. These words are called auxiliary verbs. These words help the listener know that we are looking for information or a yes/no response. Sometimes you can ask a question without these words, for example Who ate all the cookies? We don’t need the auxiliary verb in this case because we are asking about the subject.
One thing we do to make the question sound shorter is blend the sounds of “Did” and “you.” We say something that sounds like Didju eat?
Joke of the Week
Q: Why are bananas never lonely?
A: Because they come in bunches!
From the Editor
Would you like your writing to be published in the ELI Weekly?
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Jen Ramos (jenramos@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.
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