Archive for January, 2011

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Let Us Turn Our Thoughts Today to Martin Luther King…

Monday, January 17th, 2011

On January 16, 2011, a new American tradition was started.  Inspired by the legacy of Dr. King, America’s Sunday Supper invited people from diverse backgrounds to come together to share a meal and discuss issues that affect their community and the possible actions they can take and highlighting the power each one of us has to make a difference.

You can watch America’s Sunday Supper below!  Let us know about your service projects on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, your own Sunday Supper event, or how you think service can address community issues in the comments below.

Tags: America's Sunday Supper, Arianna Huffington, Barton Seaver, Carl Lewis, Dikembe Mutombo, Juan Williams, , , Robert Egger, S. Leo Chiang
Posted in Volunteerism | 5 Comments »

America’s Sunday Supper

Monday, January 17th, 2011

It’s amazing what can happen when people come together over a meal.  You can watch the worry from the day melt away.  Our recent triumphs, and our little successes, are celebrated when we come together.  Our worries and our burdens are lessened because we share them with others.  Strangers become friends and friendships that already exist are strengthened through the simple act of sharing food.

If you’re lucky, the meal goes late into the night and conversations move towards things that are taboo to talk about around strangers – wishes and fears, hopes and dreams, “is” and “ought.”  At this point, though, you’re no longer strangers.  You’ve shared something more than food.  You’ve had the opportunity to share yourself with others.

If we start to integrate the idea that we can make money AND do good… our country can roar again – Robert Egger, America’s Sunday Supper

What do you think would happen if we sat down for a meal with the goal of talking about wishes and fears, about our hopes and dreams right from the start?  What if took the opportunity to talk about the community we wished we lived in; if we talked about our dreams of a better place to live?

I cannot be well unless others around me are. – Barton Seaver, America’s Sunday Supper

Last night was an opportunity to have those conversations.  People across the country came together to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. by hosting meals where people talked about their hopes for their community.  These dinners were safe places for people to talk about their community’s most pressing needs, and to take the first steps to solving those problems.

You can always lift yourself by lifting others. – Carl Lewis, America’s Sunday Supper

The greatest thing about these Sunday Suppers is that there wasn’t a requirement for how they should be held.  There are people hosting meals in their homes.  There are people hosting meals in community spaces.  There are people hosting meals in restaurants.  Some people are inviting people that they know, some people have open invitations, and some people are putting on events with community members and nonprofits coming together to learn about the community’s problems from each other.  Some people had brunches in the morning, and some people had lunches on Saturday afternoon.

If you tell people’s stories, I think the anger [towards them] disappates. – Michelle Nunn, America’s Sunday Supper

One of those conversations was America’s Sunday Supper.  Fox News’ Juan Williams moderated a discussion between Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post, Olympic Legend Carl Lewis, Producer and Director S. Leo Chiang, CEO of Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder of HandsOn Network Michelle Nunn, Robert Egger from the DC Central Kitchen, NBA Legend Dikembe Mutombo and National Geographic Fellow Barton Seaver.  The hour long conversation (that you can watch here) was an inspiring way to move from talking about service to engaging our community in action that leads to improving our community.

Let us know what you thought of America’s Sunday Supper.  Did it inspire you to start change in your community?  Did you hold your own Sunday Supper yesterday?  Are you planning on having a Sunday Supper in the future?  Let us know in the comments!

Tags: America's Sunday Supper, Arianna Huffington, Carl Lewis, Dikembee Mutombo, Juan Williams, , , Robert Egger, S. Leo Chiang
Posted in Events, Inspire | No Comments »

Kraft Foods Helps Make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Delicious

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Kraft Foods, volunteer, volunteering, volunteerismThis guest post comes from Nicole Robinson, Vice President of the Kraft Foods Foundation.

Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?

A powerful quote from Martin Luther King Jr., a man whose legacy we honor this week on the 25th anniversary of the holiday named for him.

Through these words, Dr. King challenged each us to “apply our citizenship to the fullness of its meaning” through service to our communities.  Today and throughout the year, we should ask ourselves, how are helping our most vulnerable; how are we preserving our planet; and ultimately how are we making our neighborhoods better places to live?

At Kraft Foods, we often ask ourselves these questions. As the second-largest food company in the world, living up to the challenge of community involvement is a mission we share with our consumers, customers and nonprofit partners.  It is, in fact, our responsibility.

Naturally, we were delighted when HandsOn Network invited us to honor Dr. King’s legacy through a series of service events and community conversations.  We’re excited about the activities planned, which I personally hope will serve as catalyst for year-round civic engagement.

On Sunday, we’ll attend America’s Sunday Supper at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., where I will join several amazing panelists to talk volunteerism, social issues and ways to turn our conversation into action. It is sure to be an engaging, exciting evening. Make sure to tune in!

My Kraft Foods family will do more than watch, as many of them are volunteering in communities across the country, including Chicago, Illinois and Madison, Wisconsin. Our employees are energetic, full of optimism, bubbling with ideas, and eagerly want to be involved.   We’re proud of what they will accomplish as they serve in a variety of projects including those that fight hunger and help families get active.

And to help the organizations serving our communities daily, we’re encouraging employees to make cash donations to the nonprofits of their choice in honor of the MLK holiday.  In turn, the Kraft Foods Foundation will match every dollar donated, up to $250,000 and through our combined efforts, we’ll contribute $750,000 to charitable organizations across America.

Again, I want to thank HandsOn Network and the Points of Light Institute for the opportunity to reflect and challenge ourselves to make a difference today and beyond. I’m looking forward to America’s Sunday Supper as this will indeed be a unique opportunity to connect and inspire through giving back. And remember you can be a part of conversation too, through Facebook and Twitter by using hash tag #MLK or

Nicole R. Robinson, Director of Corporate Community Involvement for Kraft Foods, leading philanthropic initiatives that are global in scope, reaching parts of  the US, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.  Nicole has served as a volunteer, board member and speaker to numerous organizations.   In 2009, Nicole testified at a congressional subcommittee hearing considering the establishment of a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition.  Nicole serves on the Corporate Committee of the Chicago Consortium to Lower Childhood Obesity in Chicago, the Council on Foundation’s Committee on Corporate Grantmaking, the Illinois Hunger Advisory Committee and the Chicago Foundation for Women board.

Tags: America's Sunday Supper, , Kraft Foods, ,
Posted in Volunteerism | No Comments »

Tips for Planning a Service Project: Step 2 – Narrow Your Scope

Friday, January 14th, 2011

After you’ve conducted your community needs assessment and identified an issue that you want to focus on, you’ll need to narrow down the number of ways you can address that issue.  This allows you to develop a project that has a specific focus and is easy to manage.

The first step you’ll want to take when you begin to narrow down your focus is to learn more about the issue you identified in your community needs assesment.  Look into what  groups are already working the area and how they’re meeting the community needs.  These groups can be great partners for your project.

Partnering up with another organization to execute a project is a great way to accomplish more with your project.

You’ll want to take the time to visit your proposed project site to determine what the greatest needs are.    When you visit your site, try to schedule a time where someone from the organization you’re partnering with can attend the visit, too.  Involving community stakeholders in the project planning process allows you to build support for the project and increase the likelihood of project buy-in from outside sources, whether those sources are community members or businesses.

Community support for a project can help you to more effectively gather resources that will help to make your project successful, whether that means volunteers, tools, permission, or some way to show your thanks to the volunteers that come out to support the project.

When you visit your site, try to look at what is needed in different ways.  You might have an idea for a large project that needs to be done, but only see a small project that needs attention.  Take the time to look around your proposed project site and see if there are other tasks that can be done.

If you have smaller project in mind, but are confronted by a very large need during your site visit, think about planning multiple small projects that can address the need you see.

Be sure that you manage the expectations of your partner organization’s contact person.  Help them to see the possibilities and limitations of working with volunteers on the project.  Don’t over promise what can be accomplished, and be clear about the project’s budget for tools and materials, and time constraints volunteers will be working under.

When you decide on a need to address with your project be sure to pay close attention to:

•    The time required to complete the project

•    Project scope: can it be scaled up or down as needed?

•    Diversity: Does the project allow for a broad spectrum of community members to participate?

•    Overall cost of the project

•    What is the plan in case of inclement weather?

•    Are buildings or facilities easily accessible?

•    How much skilled labor will be needed?  What kind?

Paying attention to these things will allow you to better plan your project and to things that may not go according to plan during your project.

Related Posts:

Tips for Planning a Service Project: Step 1 – Focus on Your Community

Posted in Volunteerism | No Comments »

Reflections on the President’s Tucson Memorial Speech

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Last night the President addressed the country from the McKale Center on the University of Arizona’s campus in response to Saturday’s shooting at a meet-and-greet event held by Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona.

… But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

…

So sudden loss causes us to look backward – but it also forces us to look forward, to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us. We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we are doing right by our children, or our community, and whether our priorities are in order. We recognize our own mortality, and are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame – but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in bettering the lives of others.

…

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives – to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

President Obama reminded us that it’s okay to disagree with each other, but while we do that, we should be respectful of one another.

The President reminded us that we are united in our hopes and dreams, in our mortality, and in our love for each other and our desire to make the American dream a reality for the generations that come after us.

No matter how you show your love, make sure you take some extra time today to show the people that are dear to you that you care for them.  Don’t forget to do it tomorrow, the day after, next week, and into the future.

Make the time today to make your community a little more loving.  If we make the commitment to love just a little bit more, imagine the community we could build.

The full text of the President’s speech available is available .

Tags: President Obama
Posted in Inspire | 1 Comment »

A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer’s Story, Part 2

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Today’s blog post comes from Perry Teicher, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Kazakhstan from 2007-2009.  This is the second of five posts about his Peace Corps service.  Read the first post here.

The Volunteer Club’s success came when the volunteers and buddies began to take the program into their own hands.  A key component of the project was a buddy program, where we paired disabled youth with volunteers.  A year after we started this program, two events took place on the same day that helped us realize how far we had come in the year.  One of the volunteers, Zhanar, planned a pizza party for volunteers and their buddies with a grant she won.  Zhanar was incredibly active at her university, but chose to spend her time with the Volunteer Club.  That night, one of the buddies, Nuriman, hosted a birthday party that was well attended by the volunteers.  Neither my counterpart nor I had any role in planning the party.  I stopped by the party that evening – even after spending hours together eating pizza earlier in the day, a huge group of our volunteers and buddies were still together, celebrating as friends with people they had not known existed only a few months earlier.

As volunteers and buddies developed friendships, my Kazakhstani counterpart Maral and I shifted our strategy to better enable this change.  Rather than planning events, we provided additional training and mentoring opportunities.  Volunteers wanted to write grants to fund new project ideas, we worked with the volunteers to refine the projects and find additional support to run these programs.  As volunteers wanted to do more, we made sure that the resources were available.

Many parents of volunteers were initially uncomfortable with their children spending time with disabled children. Working alongside my Kazakhstani counterpart, we adjusted our strategy to deal with this resistance, integrating volunteers and buddies into leadership positions and empowering them to take ownership of the club.  The volunteers are their own best advocates – when they could go to their parents and show the impact, that was much more effective than any training we could devise.

volunteer, volunteerism, volunteeringMore than two years after the club launched, there are now over 100 active volunteers.  Our starting cadre have graduated and many have left the city to pursue careers and advanced degrees, but they continue to stay involved, using their volunteer experience as a basis for working with others.  In Aktobe, the Volunteer Club has become known as a high point of youth involvement, invited to participate in activities throughout the area.  Peace Corps Kazakhstan usually only places three Peace Corps Volunteers consecutively at an organization.  After the volunteer that replaced me, my organization already had three volunteers.  Due to the success of the Volunteer Club and its growth as an independent organization, the Volunteer Club itself has received its own Peace Corps Volunteer.

Perry Teicher is the Repair the World Fellow, 2010-2011.  He served in Peace Corps Kazakhstan (2007-2009).  Feel free to e-mail him at .

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cultural Differences, Service, Volunteerism | 2 Comments »

Tips for Preparing for a Winter Weather Disaster

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

volunteer, volunteering, volunteerismFor the last three days, the southern States have been in the grip of a winter storm that dumped snow and ice on states that don’t normally get snow.  Another storm system is traveling up the east coast and getting ready to bring even more snow to the Northeast–parts of which are still trying to dig out from storms around Christmas.

Do you know what to do if your city essentially shuts down for three days (or more) because of winter weather?  What if you lose power because of ice bringing down power lines?

Disaster aren’t only floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.  Winter weather that brings our every day life to a standstill can be a disaster, too.

Have you thought about how to prepare for serious winter storms?  Here are some tips to help you brave winter disasters:

  • When you know that serious winter weather is on the way, try to keep a full tank of gas in your vehicle.  It helps to prevent your fuel lines from freezing.
  • Minimize travel.  If travel is absolutely necessary, make sure you have a disaster kit in your vehicle.
  • Avoid driving when conditions are dangerous.  Sleet, freezing rain, snow and ice all make driving more difficult.  Even after the storm has passed, you may not even see patches of ice on the road.
  • Make sure you have a disaster kit with at least a three day supply of food and water (one  gallon per person per day), battery or hand-crank powered radio and flashlight, medicine, baby supplies (if needed), extra pieces of warm clothing and blankets, and extra supplies for your pets.
  • Don’t use a generator, grill, or any other device that burns fuel inside.  Only use them outside and away from doors, windows, and vents to keep carbon monoxide from entering your home.
  • Protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia by dressing in multiple layers of loose fitting clothing (tight clothing can restrict blood flow)

We have some great resources on mobilizing spontaneous volunteers in a disaster.  The American Red Cross has different emergency specific preparedness information available here, and FEMA has an in-depth guide for disaster preparedness.

Don’t forget about your neighbors, either.  Check up on them to make sure they’ve got everything they need to ride out the storm and that they’re safe and warm.

Are you ready for winter weather?  Are you ready to watch Jim Kosek completely lose his mind while doing the forecast?  Are you sitting under a plam tree wonder just what this “snow” thing we’re talking about is?  Did you get snowed in during last year’s Snowpocalypse? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: , Disasters, Snow, Weather, Winter Storm
Posted in Disaster Relief | No Comments »

You’re Invited to Our Sunday Supper

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

You’re invited to a special virtual dinner with Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder of HandsOn Network, Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder of the Huffington Post, Olympic Legend Carl Lewis, Fox News commentator Juan Williams, NBA Legend Dikembo Mutombo and others on January 16.  The best part, you won’t have to do the dishes!  Join your fellow citizens, celebrities and service leaders across the country in conversations and online dialogues about service and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.  Sound hard?  It’s not.  It’s as easy as Kraft Mac and Cheese, fun like Facebook and wittier than Twitter.  We are asking you to do one of the following:

  • Host a potluck on January 16.  Not into lucky pots? How about Donuts and Coffee or Brunch or Cocoa and Crepes or Ice Cream or…   No idea what to talk about?  We have that covered for you.  Click here for the conversation cards. Ready. Set. Go!  Click here to register your event.
  • Share the HandsOn Network Facebook event on your Facebook page and invite all your fans and friends to attend.  Click here to visit our event page and attend.
  • Watch America’s Sunday Supper on January 16.  You can watch the live web broadcast here.

HandsOn Network affiliates across the country are holding Sunday Suppers, too.  Here’s what a few of them are doing:

The Volunteer Center of LeHigh Valley will be partnering with the Easton Area School District to educate and inspire youth volunteers.  This project is designed to give the older students an opportunity to help educate the elementary school children about tolerance, perseverance and community service, while providing the elementary school students with outstanding role models who encourage them to work hard and dream big.

The Volunteer Center of the Virginia Peninsula in partnership with the RISE Project staff will be hosting a special day of activities to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  It will be a day of presentations, volunteer activities, Safe Assured IDs for children and seniors, and will include a very special speaker, Dr. A. Terry Morris of NASA.

The Volunteer Center of Greensboro is partnering with Guilford County Schools to engage in a county-wide youth service extravaganza on January 17: MLK Jr. Day of Service.  The VC will bring together the nonprofit community and the district’s student base of over 71,000 to impact Guilford County. Students will be empowered to define and address needs in their communities by developing meaningful service projects.

Greater DC Cares, supported by Target, will lead 300 volunteers and Members of Congress in MLK Day discussions and preparation of literacy and warming kits at Tyler Elementary School, along with over 2,000 volunteers at 30 other sites around the DC area.

Hands On Atlanta will host a full day of activities to include: a Freedom Rally, Community Conversation Forums, an Oxfam Hunger Banquet and a food drive/packing effort to feed 10,000 metro-Atlanta families. The Freedom Rally will kick off the celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy via music, dance, and a generational talk.  The talk will feature Georgia State Senator Jason Carter. Over 800 AmeriCorps/VISTA members and more than 2,000 metro-Atlantans are expected to participate in the day’s events.

Let us know what your plans for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday are, either in the comments, on Twitter using #MLKDay, sharing your story, or writing a guest post about your service!

Tags: America's Sunday Supper, , , Sunday Suppers
Posted in Events | 1 Comment »

The Road to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Being a Social Media Rock Star on #MLKDay

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Today’s post comes from , Vice President, Interactive Strategy for Points of Light Institute.

I’m excited about the MLK Day holiday  – particularly the way we celebrate the holiday through civic dialogue and service.

MLK Day is just a week away so let’s rally to get the word out in the social space!

Honoring Dr. King’s legacy through service is an idea that’s taken hold and there are countless volunteer projects seeking volunteers.  There’s a project search here.

I’m also excited about this year’s addition to the MLK Day events – America’s Sunday Suppers — opportunities for people to gather over a meal and discuss the challenges facing their communities.  I’m hopeful about where these conversations might lead, what change might be born…

Folks simply register a restaurant on our Meetup.com site and let their social networks know about the dinner.  There’s a downloadable facilitation guide for leading the conversation.  America’s Sunday Supper resources are available here.

Here are a few ideas to help get the word out about service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and links to resources that you can share across your network.

Sunday Supper and America’s Sunday Supper

We’re encouraging Sunday Supper attendees to use their social networks to promote the Supper that they’re attending and talk about it.  Use the tips above to focus on your Sunday Supper Event:

Register to host your own Sunday Supper, or find one near you here.

Join us for America’s Sunday Supper on January 16 at 6pm EST!  Watch the streaming video here.  (If you’re not attending a local Sunday Supper event – why not host a “viewing party” and watch the celebrity Supper in a group?)

Facebook

Facebook logoPromote your organization’s service project or Sunday Supper event on your personal Facebook wall and your organization’s Page.  Ask your organization’s staff to do the same.

Post pictures from your MLK Day service projects on your Page after the event, and let the people who like your page know what you accomplished with your service project.

Write a short post about how your service project helped your organization to better serve its clients.

Twitter
Twitter Logo

Follow the #MLKDay hashtag on Twitter to find out about MLK Day events, and use the hashtag when you’re talking about your organization’s events.

Promote your organization’s events on Twitter, and link to information on how to sign up.  Link shorteners like bit.ly and tinyURL are great ways to link to the information, and if you sign up for a bit.ly account, you can track how many times your link has been clicked on!

Ask your followers to help promote your event.  Ask them to retweet your message, and be sure to thank them when they do.

Geolocation Services

Register your event on a geolocation service so attendees can check-in at your service event and let their friends know that they’re there.

Gowalla has a special Volunteering and Service Category, find out how to register your event from your Android phone here.  You can add a venue in Foursquare here.  Create a volunteer-based challenge in SCVNGR here.  You’ll need an account with the service to create a new location.

Each service has different rewards for check-ins.  Foursquare doesn’t have a specific volunteerism award (yet), but if you have a large event you can help your volunteers earn swarm badges.  Gowalla has a specific stamp for Volunteering and Service.  SCVNGR awards points for Challenges that users complete.

YouTube

If your organization doesn’t have a YouTube page, start one here, and find out how to make a nonprofit account here.

If your organization doesn’t have the capacity to create videos, you can create video using still images at Animoto.  You can sign up for an Animoto for a Cause account, and get a free Pro account for a year!

How are you using social media to help promote your or your organization’s MLK Day events?  Let me know via Twitter (be sure to use #MLKDay) or Facebook!

If your organization doesn’t have a YouTube page, start one here, and find out how to make a nonprofit account here.

How are you using social media to help promote your or your organization’s MLK Day events? Let me know via Twitter (be sure to use #MLKDay) or Facebook!

Posted in Volunteerism | No Comments »

Four Easy Ways You Can Be Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself for MLKDay

Friday, January 7th, 2011

At the DC Central Kitchen,  donated food is used to fuel a nationally recognized culinary job training program where unemployed men and women learn marketable skills while donations are converted into balanced meals for people in low-income D.C. communities. Through outreach and education, Robert Egger and others at the DC Central Kitchen are making a difference.

Here are four easy ways you can be a part of something bigger than yourself:

1.    Donate to your . Food banks nationwide help ensure that our neighbors won’t go hungry.

2.    Volunteer at a local shelter serving meals. Homelessness is only a paycheck away for many Americans. You can help your neighbors simply by donating a few hours to serve a healthy meal to the people in your community.

3.    Host a Sunday Supper and invite others from your community to join.  Together you can discuss the needs of your community and how you can be a part of the solution. As a host you will be eligible* for prizes like a new Flip Camera, free registration to the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service and more.

4.    Watch the live webcast of America’s Sunday Supper. Broadcasting live from Washington, D.C. on Sunday, January 16 at 6:00 p.m. EST, Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post, NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo, Olympic legend Carl Lewis, S. Leo Chiang-producer and director of “A Village Called Versailles”, Barton Seaver-cook and National Geographic Fellow, Michelle Nunn of Points of Light Institute, Robert Egger of DC Central Kitchen and other special guests will share their thoughts on civic engagement, volunteerism and how we can continue the work of Dr. King.

*Eligibility based on completion of the Sunday Supper Organizer Report.

Tags: , America's Sunday Supper,
Posted in Volunteerism | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »