Think Global, Volunteer Local!

 

Guest Blog Post: Eliza Clark (HOTC Board Member)

As a member of the HandsOn Twin Cities Board of Directors, much of my “hands-on” volunteering happens within the four walls of the HandsOn conference room. While important, it’s gratifying when my involvement with the organization also affords me the opportunity to roll my sleeves up and make a visible impact in the community!

On Friday, April 20, I joined forces with an enthusiastic group of volunteers from General Mills to help prepare the beautiful Lake Harriet Rose Garden for the spring and summer seasons. With a team of seven people, our group was able to transport all of the leaves and debris from the park to the nearby compost pile, and prune back a huge number of plants that will delight park visitors in only a few short weeks!

General Mills partnered with HandsOn to organize and execute its “Think  Global, Volunteer Local” initiative in the Twin Cities. Think Global, Volunteer Local brought 400 General Mills employees and retirees out to volunteer for 17 projects throughout the week of April 16-20.  The Twin Cities program was part of the company’s broader volunteering program – you got it – across the globe! It felt very momentous to know that I was one of thousands of people donating their time to improve their communities in cities throughout the world.

If you’d like to get out and volunteer in your own community, check out www.handsontwincities.org to find an opportunity that fits your interests, skills and desire to make a difference. What are you waiting for?!

Spring into Action… Volunteer Action!

It’s finally April, and each year that means a lot for Minnesotans. April 1^st rings the heralding bell that it is time to replace the snow shovel leaning against our garage with a charcoal grill. It means it’s time to put those cross country skis back under the bed and tune up our bicycles. It means it’s time to add ice to our coffee and bistro tables to our patios. But most importantly, it means it’s time to ditch the hibernation tactics we cold-weather country dwellers so often employ and get out and about! Spring is positively the best time in Minnesota to meet your neighbors, make new friends, to reach out beyond your realm of comfort and help others!

Here at HandsOn Twin Cities, we call April VOLUNTEER MONTH! We know these sunny early spring days fill your bodies with the energy and drive to get outside and to spread joy to others, so we’ve been hard at work providing LOTS of opportunities for you to do so all across the metro, all month long! Check out our website here to find a volunteer opportunity near you!

Let us know what you’re doing this spring to make the Twin Cities a better place for all!

Youth Board Accepting New Members!

I have been coordinating the Youth Advisory Board since its beginning 2 years ago, and it has been a fun, dynamic, challenging, and rewarding journey for me (and, I hope, for the YAB members!). I have supported and at times just sat back and observed as these groups of fabulous high school students have learned about community issues, planned projects, given out and applied for grants, and grown as individuals and as a team. Not only is serving on the board a great resume builder and professional experience for the members, but it is also a unique opportunity to meet and interact with other high school students from across the metro area.

I have personally learned so much from this group of youth who consistently rises to challenges and makes decisions and plans in ways that prove they are wise beyond their years. I am simply delighted to announce that we are now accepting applications for a third term of the YAB! If you or someone you know is a student between the ages of 14 and 18 and is interested in promoting and learning more about service, volunteerism, and the nonprofit world, this is definitely an opportunity you should look into! Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot (or any!) experience with volunteering or leadership – we look at this as an opportunity for you to build skills and experience as well!

If you’d like to apply or if you just want some more information, email me (Abby) at abby@handsontwincities.org or call me at 612-379-4900 ext. 11 anytime. I look forward to hearing from you!

Be the Change!

Youth Advisory Board hosts Hunger Banquet

YAB Members gather around the wall of service pledges from banquet guests.

A few weeks ago, the HOTC Youth Advisory Board hosted an awareness event around the issue of global and local hunger. The event, a Hunger Banquet, was a dinner that simulated and facilitated discussion around hunger and poverty. The event was thoughtful and inspiring, and we received a great deal of positive feedback. One of our Youth Advisory Board members offered the following reflection. Contact Abby at abby@handsontwincities.org for more information about the Hunger Banquet or the Youth Advisory Board.

When I initially think of Hunger as an issue, my mind immediately wonders to a child in Africa. Hunger is often times solely associated with Sub-Saharan Africa and because of this, I fail to look past the massive hunger issue in Africa to the issue of hunger in other countries.

Thanks to the Hunger Banquet put on by the HandsOn Twin Cities Youth Advisory Board, I learned about hunger as it relates to villages in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan.  With the OxFam Hunger Banquet, I was able to see learn about the stories of real people and their struggles with hunger. Putting names, not just a generic picture, to the issue of hunger is quite moving.

Along with learning about hunger on a global level, Ted Evans from the Emergency Food Shelf Network talked out hunger on a local scale.  His presentation really hit home, especially with his specific stories about people, and when he had pictures I was, to say simply, quite astonished. I also found it interesting that a donation of cash will go further than a donation of food in terms of the amount of people it will help.  Now that is not to say that individual donations aren’t helpful, cash is just helpful in ways individual donations are not.

All in all, what a fantastic night filled with rice, beans, education, and great conversation it was. I would strongly encourage all you, if given the opportunity, to participate in a Hunger Banquet. It’s a great way to learn about hunger on a personal level and engage oneself in the fight to end hunger.

Peace,

Clara Dockter, member of the HandsOn Twin Cities Youth Advisory Board

Service as Remembrance

 

In 1994, Congress designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national day of service, marking it as the only federal holiday dedicated to volunteering, helping our neighbors, and making our communities better places. Because of this designation, many individuals and families use their day off to serve others and to teach their children about the value of being a good citizen. But how does this connect us to MLK?

Most of us know about Dr. King’s struggle for racial equality and his critical role in the Civil Rights Movement, but it doesn’t seem like we spend enough time as a society focusing on the broader context of his vision. MLK called us to serve one another. He urged us to treat each other with the utmost respect, dignity, and always with nonviolence. He pushed us to reach beyond our own circles of influence to work together with the poor, the oppressed, the under-represented as well as the wealthy, the powerful, and the policy-makers.

As I served this MLK Day, I called to mind the deeper meanings imbedded within MLK’s I Have a Dream speech. I thought about how continuing to serve others, to fight for justice, and to hold deliberate dialogues with those around me are ways to remember those who have gone before us serving the cause. So let’s continue to volunteer together to remember Dr. King, to create stronger communities, and to build the dream society from his speech TODAY!

Give of Yourself this Holiday Season

The holiday season is a joyful time to spend evenings with loved ones, indulge your senses with delicious food and drinks, and reflect on the past year from the cozy confines of your home. As you enjoy these fleeting moments this December, we here at HandsOn Twin Cities urge you to call to mind those less fortunate than you.

Perhaps instead of watching the holiday episode of Glee this year, you could sing some holiday carols of your own at an elder care facility. Or rather than piling up the gifts around your fireplace or under your tree, maybe this year your family can adopt a less fortunate family in your community for whom you can purchase gifts. Instead of packing up those warm coats your children have outgrown in a box in the attic, donate them to a shelter or better yet, start your own warm clothing drive at your school, faith community, or gym! Encourage your children, your friends, and your community members to be creative this year, and invite new traditions of giving and volunteering into your life. We think you will find giving of yourself and your time to be quite fulfilling.

Visit our website to find specific ways you and your family can “Be the Change” this holiday season!

Nonprofit Collaboration-Saving Resources, Improving Communities

By: Liz Jones, Community Networking Coordinator, HandsOn Twin Cities

“Come together, right now.”

In response to the recent tornado devastation in North Minneapolis and in honor of 9/11 Day of Service, HandsOn Twin Cities and Rebuilding Together Twin Cities have partnered up to conduct repairs on the homes of 30 Minneapolis and St. Paul families.  Included in these homes are those of military Veterans, as well as homes that were affected by the tornado. 

Repair projects began earlier in the month and will continue throughout September. 

Nonprofit collaboration not only saves time and resources, but allows for a serious community impact to be made.  Together, HOTC and RTTC’s efforts will result in:

15 Home Repair projects (a Rebuilding Together Twin Cities program) which include: light carpentry, light electrical work, plumbing, painting, landscaping, etc. Each rehab will mobilize corporate employees and entail $5,000 of supply and management costs and will impact 15 families.

15 light repair projects which are identified through Rebuilding Together Twin Cities’ Safe at Home program. These projects will receive minor home safety or accessibility modifications with a supply and management budget of $2,000 per home. 15 families will be the recipients of these projects.

 

When organizations combine forces and pool their staff, efforts, connections, and ideas together, the outcome can be nothing less than amazing.  Whether they are working on a specific series of projects-like HOTC and RTTC, or are working toward a long-term community goal-like such coalitions as the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless and the Affirmative Options Coalition, nonprofit collaboration has continually been a proven success. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with HandsOn Twin Cities.  Together, we will honor those who have given so much for our country and help more local families live independently in safe and warm homes.”

                           - Kathy Greiner, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Twin Cities

“We are proud to be part of both a local and national collaboration in memoriam of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.  The Twin Cities corporations, organizations and volunteers continue to be inspirational in its community actions and we look forward to making a great impact for this Tribute.” 

                       -Kristin Schurrer, Executive Director of HandsOn Twin Cities

Join our tribute to the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11 and take part in this National Day of Service and Remembrance by participating in our culminating event:

On Saturday, September 10^th at Victory Memorial Flagpole at 9am, volunteers will gather and listen to local dignitaries share the importance of service. Attending the event is Brian Dunn, Best Buy CEO; Kathleen Burnett, teacher and civic leader; and invited local leaders. Immediately after the speaking engagement, participate in volunteer opportunities until 12pm, including:

• Clean and polish tribute markers along Victory Memorial Drive

• Beautification needs at Farview Park in North Minneapolis

• Tree and shrub planting at Theodore Wirth Park in North Minneapolis

• Speed volunteering opportunities:

-      Draw and write on a Freedom Banner

-      Send electronic tributes to troops

-      Letters to the troops

Community members, individual volunteers, and volunteer groups may attend the culminating event and partake in the service projects without pre-registering.   

Registration begins day of at 8:45am, speaking engagements begin at 9am, and community members can pop in to participate in the speed volunteering projects anytime before wrap-up at noon.

Victory Memorial Flagpole is located at 45^th Avenue North & Memorial Parkway in Minneapolis, MN. 

 

 

Leading the Nation in Volunteerism

By: JoAnn Schinderle, Community Networking Coordinator, HandsOn Twin Cities

 

CONGRATULATIONS TWIN CITIES- YOU DID IT!!You’ve been nationally recognized for your kindhearted acts of volunteering! According to www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov, Minneapolis/St.Paul has been ranked #1 once again for highest percentage rate of volunteers per metro area! On average 37.1% of Twin Cities community members volunteer. In a close second is Portland, OR with 36.2%, behind that number is Salt Lake City, UT at 34.1%.  Minnesota as a state ranks #3 in overall volunteering.

HandsOn Twin Cities would like to extend much gratitude for all the raking, weeding, painting, cleaning, building, organizing, collecting, donating, mentoring, leading, sharing of knowledge and goodwill to build an all encompassing sense of community. You truly carry out the ‘Minnesota Nice’ stereotype, which proves to be a good thing.

So what is it about the Twin Cities that we’ve kept this title 5 years running? “It’s in our Midwestern values, it’s the way we raise our kids” says HOTC Executive Director Kristin Schurrer. Those values shine true not only in families, but in schools and work environments. Metro area schools focus on service-learning for students as graduation requirements. Local corporations highly encourage their employees to volunteer, even allowing them to do so during office hours. It just seems natural for Twin Cities residents to lend a hand, most of the time people are volunteering without even knowing it!

As a Nation, volunteers served 8.1 billion hours in 2010, valued at an estimated $173 billion (www.nationalservice.gov). That’s a whole ‘lotta people power! Living in a society where money is being nickel ‘n dimed and daily schedules are packed to the brim; it’s refreshing to know that helping out your neighbor is still a priority on America’s ‘Things To Do’ list.

This extensive research done by the Corporation for National & Community Service calculates all citywide organized volunteers,  yet it does not reflect the numbers of un-sung heroes in our area (those who deliver food to shut-in’s, or who watch their neighbor’s kids) we’d like to recognize those day to day acts of kindness as well. Thank you Twin Cities for individually and collectively volunteering in your communities, your work truly does make a difference.

 To see pictures of all volunteer work being done with HOTC around the community, check out flickr page!

Impact Now: The Perfect Opportunity is Waiting for You

Guest Blog Post by: Mary Palin, HandsOn Twin Cities Project Coordinator

 

I graduated from Winona State University in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.  For three of my four years of undergraduate experience at WSU, I worked in Housing & Residence Life as both a resident assistant and assistant hall director. Res life employees are an interesting bunch; creative, excited, optimistic, hard-working and kind.  I learned many skills in residence life; conflict resolution, emergency preparedness, cheerleading, counseling, advertising, teaching, and arts & crafts to name a few. 

Looking back after a year outside of the res life world (that is so different from my world now); I’ve had a hard time finding ways to translate my res life skills into my current life.  While at school working in residence life, I was creating awareness and making a difference in the everyday lives of students by making bulletin boards with information about ‘National Ice Cream Month’ or ‘Autism Awareness’. Currently, I work at the front desk of a medical clinic and although I “relate to the public” every day, I’m not using the fun skills I’ve acquired from my res life days.

Then I discovered HandsOn Twin Cities.  Volunteering was one of my biggest passions while in high school and something I unfortunately didn’t have time to do a lot of while in college.  Now being back in the Twin Cities working full-time with no extracurricular activities, I’ve been searching for something to do.  I was aware of HandsOn Twin Cities from their annual Volunteer Expo at the Mall of America.  After volunteering at the expo last February, I browsed through the HandsOn website and found a link to the Impact Now programs.  I signed up for “Day at the Museum” a volunteer opportunity that occurs on Saturday’s at the Minneapolis Children’s Museum.  My favorite aspect about the Impact Now program is that it can be a one-time commitment; allowing you to volunteer for a day and then decide if this is something you want to continue signing up for. 

I went to the museum that Saturday, enjoyed my experience but wasn’t sure if the museum was a perfect fit for me.  I returned to the HandsOn website to find a new opportunity and ended up founding information about becoming a Project Coordinator.  I’ve led volunteer activities, programs, and projects since I was in high school, so this felt like the right fit for me. 

With all of the diverse Impact Now programs offered, it took me almost a month for one to open up that I knew would be ideal for me- “Decorating Day”.  Once a month, I’d bring a few volunteers to decorate bulletin boards at a skilled nursing facility in Minneapolis.  It was the perfect program for me after my 3 years of making bulletin boards almost every month.

The main point to my life story here is that with the Impact Now program, the perfect project is out there waiting for you and your special skills or interests.  I wasn’t sure where I would fit in outside of a residence life setting with my strange ability to decorate bulletin boards but here I am, leading a project that does exactly that. 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To find the perfect volunteer opportunity for you- visit our regularly updated

HANDSON TWIN CITIES PROJECT CALENDAR.

 

Making a Definite Impact.. HandsOn Twin Cities Impact Now Program

Written below is an uplifting message from Colleen O’Connor, the Volunteer Coordinator at Our Saviour’s Housing. Colleen wrote this article from an organizational perspective on how helpful Impact Now projects and their volunteers are to the operations and livelihood of organizations.

   A few months ago, Our Saviour’s Housing began hosting Impact Now projects. We have been a HandsOn affiliate for many years, but Impact Now has been an exciting new venture. Supper Servers @ Our Saviour’s has been the perfect solution to our challenges: offering accessible volunteer opportunities, meeting our meal needs, and reaching new supporters.

Volunteers serve dinner at our Emergency Shelter every night of the year, but they must be self-organized teams.  I often receive phone calls from people eager to help, but unable to bring an entire group and provide the whole meal. Until Impact Now came along, we weren’t able to accommodate these volunteers. We didn’t have other equivalent opportunities to offer them either; most of our positions for individuals require a long-term commitment. Impact Now offers an easy and flexible alternative by making it possible for individuals to be a part of our work without them needing abundant time or resources.

This partnership has helped my organization connect with dozens of new supporters who otherwise may not have known about us or been able to volunteer. Thanks to the volunteer Project Coordinators, the added workload for me has been minimal. Not only do our Project Coordinators lead and educate the volunteers, but they have become advocates for us, as well. They’ve helped with other projects, attended our special events, and sent new volunteers my way.

Every Impact Now shelter dinner is a special one. The volunteers are eager and friendly. Their menus are delicious. Even better, the servers share a true kindness and hospitality with our residents. I love the chatter, laughter, and games that are a part of an Impact Now evening here. I can’t thank our HandsOn volunteers and Project Coordinators enough!

To find volunteer opportunities that spark your interest and fit your schedule, please take a look at our Project Calendar. Together, we can be the change.