Hands On Charlotte making an impact at KIPP Charlotte

For as much as we talk about the impact of Hands On Charlotte volunteers, it felt pretty great on Friday when WSOC TV did a spot on our program at KIPP Charlotte. Reporters came and looked at our tutoring program at KIPP Charlotte, a charter school for underserved communities.

Thank you to all the volunteers who participate at KIPP Charlotte and at all of our tutoring programs in Charlotte. Want more information on how you can get involved in one of our Charlotte tutoring programs? Email Shari Williams.

An open letter from Executive Director Lisa Quisenberry

Dear Hands On Charlotte volunteers,

Some of you may remember that almost 20 years ago a group of 15 concerned citizens came together to found Hands On Charlotte in order to make it easier for people to volunteer their time. While the scope and impact of HOC have grown through the years, our core mission remains to inspire, to equip and to mobilize volunteers to meet critical community needs.

I am blessed to have been able to be part of Hands On Charlotte’s evolution from that original group into one of our city’s most important nonprofits. Our volunteer programs assist hundreds of nonprofits, schools and agencies and engage 12,000 volunteers. Together, we have built HOC into an impactful and sustainable institution.

I was reminded of the importance of sustainability recently when I met a student volunteer at Hawthorne High School named Jasmine. Jasmine looked at my nametag and said, “I remember you and Hands On Charlotte. You used to come to the Boy’s & Girl’s Club and teach us and play with us. You all were so nice”. I was astonished that she would know me, as it’s been at least 10 years since I volunteered there. But what really excited me was that now SHE was volunteering 4 hours of her time on a to help build a memorial garden for a Hawthorne student who was murdered last year.

That’s the legacy of HOC. That a teenaged girl has such a good memory of volunteers who spent time with her that she would joyfully get up early on a Saturday morning and volunteer herself! This legacy would not be possible without the continued support of you – HOC’s committed volunteers.

Helping others is a life-changing event, and I am dedicated to making sure that many, many more people get that chance. I hope you will join me in ensuring that Hands On Charlotte is sustainable next year and many more years to come by making a financial contribution. We’ve made it easy for you – just click this link to give online. If you prefer the tried-and-true method of mailing a check, our address is:

Hands On Charlotte
1616 Central Avenue Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28205

Thank you so much for all you do for Hands On Charlotte and have a wonderful holiday.


In service,

Lisa Quisenberry
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Hands On Charlotte

Friday Roundup – 12.17.10 – The Holiday Party Edition

Is anyone going to a holiday party this weekend? Apparently there are a few of those around town this weekend. I’ve posted a poll over to the left, below the logo.

We’ve cemented our plans for MLK Week, and we hope you’ll join us next month. To find out more, visit the special events section of our website. If you have any questions about how to get involved on MLK Day in Charlotte, please email me.

One final note: tune into WSOC TV tonight between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. One of our AmeriCorps members, Shari Lerline Williams, and her Hands On Charlotte project at KIPP Charter School will be on the news!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy your parties!

Our different contributions and our collective action

Dear friends of Hands On Charlotte,

“Service” is a buzzword this time of year. “Community” is another. Add to the list of holiday feel-good phrases: “charity,” “helping the less fortunate,” and “giving back.” I’m confident we all agree that these words and ideas are, in large part, what make the holiday season so special.

But what gets lost in the season is that these ideas look very different to each of us. We each serve our communities in distinct ways. Each of our contributions is based on a number of factors – our talents, our capacities, our schedules and our desires.

For the past 18 months, my service has taken shape as a member of AmeriCorps. If you’re unfamiliar with AmeriCorps, it’s like a domestic Peace Corps. AmeriCorps members work 40 hours per week and earn a stipend just below the poverty line. I spent a year in Chicago, working for the public schools’ homeless education program, and now I’m here with Hands On Charlotte. I’m young. I’m idealistic. And I’m energetic. I need service opportunities that allow me to jump in headfirst – to give substantial amounts of time and thought to specific organizations.

While AmeriCorps is the right opportunity for me, it’s not the right opportunity for everyone. Some volunteers have more precise skills – lawyers, facility managers, accountants – and they prefer to donate those skills to specific tasks. Some people prefer volunteer opportunities that give them direct contact with people – like mentoring kids or spending time with senior citizens. Some people prefer to be outside, working to make schools, parks and public places look beautiful.

Therein is the critical importance of Hands On Charlotte. We facilitate all of these opportunities. We empower people to serve their communities through the means that best suit their talents and desires. Community service can be a nebulous idea. We help you assign it meaning.

One form of service, however, is uniquely defined. Donating money. Yes, donating money is a form of community service. Hands On Charlotte needs your financial donation in order to continue providing the many service opportunities we provide throughout the year.

As we approach the final days of 2010, I urge you to make a charitable donation to Hands On Charlotte. This support allows us to continue providing you with your volunteer opportunities in Charlotte. Please donate on our website today.

We all serve our city in different ways. But collectively, our work is a penetrating and meaningful force. This idea of collective action is important as we close out the year with a donation campaign. We have the goal of raising $20,000. We’re at $6,000. If everyone donates $7, we’ll reach our goal by Christmas. Our collective action starts with your contribution today.


Together in service,

Tanner Kroeger
AmeriCorps & Program Manager, Strategic Partnership Initiative
Hands On Charlotte

Friday Roundup – 12.10.10

The office renovation project is in its final stages. We will come back Monday to some repaired walls and fresh paint. Perhaps it’s not as riveting of a story for everyone in the blogosphere, but for us at Hands On Charlotte, it’s a big, big deal.

Through all the excitement, we’ve been working on two fronts. For one, our holiday donation campaign is in full swing. Have you considered making a charitable donation to Hands On Charlotte this holiday season? If you want to donate this weekend, amid all the holiday shopping, please visit our main website.

In addition to working on the holiday campaign, we are in the thick of planning for our MLK Week of Service, which we will kick off in mid January. News of our big plans broke on WSOC earlier this week. I promise to keep you updated on here over the next five weeks. Hands On Charlotte’s MLK Week of Service is going to be fantastic! Stay tuned.

Of course, you don’t have to wait until January to volunteer in Charlotte! Here are a couple opportunities to volunteer through Hands On Charlotte:

• Saturday – Thunder Road Marathon: Charlotte is buzzing about tomorrow’s marathon. Here is you chance to watch the event while helping make it a success.
• Saturday – Metal Recycling at Habitat ReStore: One of our favorite projects, come join Habitat for Humanity’s efforts on a different level. By sorting through donated materials, volunteers help make Habitat’s process more efficient and impactful.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back to the blog next week!


Tanner

Why I Chose Hands On Charlotte and Why HOC Needs You

Hands On Charlotte is a great organization for young professionals. Coming to Charlotte in 2006 from a co-ed service fraternity at UNC-Chapel Hill, I wanted to get involved in the community and to meet others with similar interests. HOC allowed me to go online and to pick a project that worked for my schedule. This worked well for me since I couldn’t volunteer, say, every Thursday night, and it allowed me to volunteer at a variety of agencies based on my interests. I was impressed with how HOC organized the project and provided an on-site coordinator to keep the project running smoothly.

Now all of this sounds great, but I wondered… How are these projects and the volunteer coordination funded? Joining the Board, I quickly found out that this is not an easy task.

Coming from the for-profit world of banking, I was always taught that I could not finance a deal in which I could not get paid back with some sort of return. This is in stark contrast to the non-profit world in which many tasks are done for free simply to better the community in which we live. I never thought about how the mulch, rakes, trash bags and tools got to the HOC project sites. I never thought about how the website was funded or who paid the salary of the full-time staff.

So who is funding the non-profits? Corporate America is cutting back on the dollars they are giving to non-profits because they are struggling themselves. Many non-profits are under pressure to maintain their existing commitment to the community and some will simply not survive in this weak economy. This is why it is so important for HOC to build, maintain and preserve the relationships with the people who make HOC successful at tackling our community’s toughest issues…. YOU!

HOC Needs You

Many of us have sacrificed some “wants” over the past couple of years, but no one is able to sacrifice their needs. Non-profits around the city rely on volunteers from Hands On Charlotte for the volunteers' time, dedication and hard work. This is how the needs of our community are met. No one wants to tell a student that someone will no longer be able to come to have lunch with them at school. No one wants to tell the elderly that their weekly bingo has to be canceled. No one wants to tell those that are disabled that their bowling league can no longer continue.

With the year end approaching, Hands On Charlotte is now in need of our volunteers and supporters.

• We need you to support 1 volunteer for a year in order to positively impact our community ($21.66 per year).
  
• We need you to pay for our communication costs ($54.66 per month).
• We need you to support a project with 10 volunteers ($118.22).
• We need you to pay for 1 month of our online calendar ($472).
• We need you to give a stipend and healthcare to 1 AmeriCorps member ($1,738 per month).
  

HOC will be celebrating its 20th birthday next year. Let’s give it the best present it could ask for…. the funds necessary to help homeless families, guide at-risk youth, tutor disadvantaged children, feed the hungry, care for our environment and deliver a real and measurable impact to the community we call home.

Please help HOC meet a need by donating today on our website.


John Wyatt is a member of Hands On Charlotte's Board of Directors.

Friday Roundup: The Office Renovation Edition

We are t-minus 2.5 hours away from a minor office renovation. That means office clean-up. Floors debris free? Check. Desks cleared of all loose items? Check. Computers stowed away? (Almost) check. In a little more than a week, Hands On Charlotte’s office will have a slightly fresher look. Drop by and check it out.

While the renovation gets started this weekend, there are plenty of opportunities for you to volunteer in Charlotte.

• Saturday – Assistance League Thrift Store: Help organize clothes for the AL Thrift Store. Proceeds from the store benefit local youth and low-income communities.
• Saturday – Panthers Recycling Program: Yes, you read correctly. While there isn’t a Panthers game Saturday, the ACC Championship football game is at the stadium Saturday night, and we need your help with our recycling program.
• Saturday – Pet Therapy at White Oak Manor: Bring your pet (with updated vet records) to this senior home in the Cotswold neighborhood. Be sure to read the description for pet specifics before you sign up!

As the holiday season shifts into overdrive, we know many of you won’t be able to make it to a project until next year. However, we hope you will support Hands On Charlotte by making a charitable donation on our website. Without your financial support, we would not be able to offer the volunteer opportunities that you love. Thank you for donating to Hands On Charlotte!

OK, Shari is telling me to turn off my computer and to put it under my desk. That means I need to run. Have a great weekend!


Tanner

Volunteer Diary: Liz Horgan at the Charlotte Nature Museum

I signed up for the outdoor workday/morning at the Nature Museum for 2 reasons. First, I used to take my kids there when they were younger, thought it was a great place, and know how difficult things are for non-profits today. Second, because I enjoy working outdoors. When I arrived (this being my first time volunteering at this site with HOC), I was surprised to see that I knew the activity leader! We're in the same class in grad school together! Small world.

The day was perfect, sunny and cool. We put down mulch, and on the nature trail helped mitigate the impacts from invasive plant species (that's an attempt at finding an impressive way of saying we pulled ivy from the hardwoods and ground cover - wheelbarrow fulls). I met a diverse group of people, all there happy to "help", and ended up having fun while benefiting the community. Thanks for organizing this project!


Liz Horgan is a volunteer for Hands On Charlotte.

Do you want to write a Volunteer Diary for our blog? Email Tanner Kroeger for details.

Everyday Needs Versus Holiday Wants - an appeal from Sara Collins: Chair, Board of Directors

Dear friends of Hands On Charlotte,

The holidays are often about "wants."

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, proclaims the opening line of a popular old holiday song.

Kids want a bike, or the newest Uggs, or the bloodiest video combat game with the coolest explosions.

Grown-ups want a new car, or just a couple of minutes to relax, or to happily discover at midnight on Christmas Eve toy assembly instructions that aren't written in Mandarin Chinese or Swahili or some ancient Russian characters.

(For the record, I want a decent pair of black leather gloves and for there to be no fog on 77 North heading over Fancy Gap as I travel to West Virginia.)

But for many, the holidays are about "needs" - basic ones, such as food and shelter; and more complicated ones, such as education or money to pay medical bills.

"Find a need and fill it," advised Ruth Stafford Peale, wife of theologian and author Norman Vincent Peale and an author, editor and speaker in her own right. Good advice at any time, but especially during the holidays, and especially during this time when needs are staring us in the face every which way we turn.

Hands On Charlotte has needs. You may not realize that, but we do.

We need you to keep our projects full so we can help our partner agencies keep their focus on meeting our community's critical needs.

We need you to let us know when you're coming to a project, and when you're not, so our project leaders can manage the projects and continue to deliver the best volunteer experience possible to both you and our partner agencies. People are depending on you!

We need you to let us know if there are other ways you'd like to serve the organization or our community, whether that's serving on one of HOC's many committees or suggesting a new project or partner agency.

And Hands On Charlotte needs your financial support.

Volunteering may seem like it's free, but it's not.

Like you - and perhaps your own business - we have bills to pay. The website you use to register for projects and learn more about HOC didn't spontaneously program itself into existence in the cyber-world. The lights and water don't "volunteer" to turn themselves off and on in the office.

The mulch you spread on Hands On Charlotte Day or at a BIG Project didn't chop itself into tiny bits or deliver itself to project sites. Unlike a Disney movie, the shovels and wheelbarrows and paint cans and brushes don't magically come to life and dance across the city to other project sites.

We have the single most dedicated staff of any nonprofit organization in this city, but they don't "volunteer" to work for us. Like you, they have mortgages and kids and car payments, too.

Houses of faith often solicit their congregations for their "time, talents and treasures." We at Hands On Charlotte are deeply grateful for the time and talents you share with us every day of the year, and we don't take lightly the contributions you make in these ways to meeting the needs of our community.

But we need your treasure as well to ensure that Hands On Charlotte can continue to provide ways for you, in turn, to help meet the needs of the community.

As the onslaught of holiday charitable appeals begins to hit your mailboxes and in-boxes and phones, I hope you'll consider making a gift to Hands On Charlotte to meet our needs this season.



With gratitude for your service and support,

Sara Collins

Chair, Board of Directors

To the Holiday Volunteers

As the holiday season and the end of the year quickly approach, I believe this is a time many people reflect on life, and express their thankfulness while trying to find purpose and meaning. This sentiment causes people to become naturally selfless and give of themselves. While this feeling and sudden urgency is commendable, we should not let a season dictate our civic engagement and philanthropic deeds.

As a nation, there is a huge trend to volunteer during the holidays. Please don’t misunderstand me; giving service at anytime is a tremendous gesture, but I’m here to challenge you. Start volunteering this holiday season, but don’t stop after Christmas. On Monday, January 3, when the holiday season passes, the homeless man will still be hungry, the middle school girl will still need your guidance, and the elementary school garden will still need beautification. We need your efforts year round. I challenge you to push yourself, and break from the culture of just holiday giving.

Of course, some people prefer to donate financially during the holiday season. If you are in a position to make a charitable donation to Hands On Charlotte, we hope you will visit our website today. Without your financial support during the holiday season, we would not be able to fund our service projects throughout the year.


Shari Lerline Williams is an AmeriCorps member with Hands On Charlotte

Friday Roundup 11.19.10 - The Let's Have a Discussion Edition

Slow down, life! I am trying to enjoy the next six weeks. Christmas carols are on the radio. People are cooking delicious food. Colored leaves are falling from the trees. It’s just a great time of year, and I need life to shift down a couple gears. Who is with me?

Busy week at Hands On Charlotte. My fellow AmeriCorps members and I played catch up after being away at the conference. We are in full swing planning service projects for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so be sure to check back here for details as we move into 2011.

At the core of MLK Day and most of our programming is the idea of civic engagement. Hands On Charlotte exists, in large part, to facilitate opportunities for Charlotteans to connect with their community. So when I read a recent article explaining how North Carolinians are participating below most national averages for civic engagement, I took a step back. How can Hands On Charlotte better engage YOU?

Look, I have access to readership statistics, and something like 30 people read this blog. So let’s have a little discussion here. How can Hands On Charlotte better reach out to you, your neighbors, your friends and your family? How can we compel you further to join us at our projects? What is it going to take to get 3,000 new volunteers to join us for MLK Day? Post a comment or send me an email. We would love to hear from you!

Normally on the Friday Roundup, I list a number of weekend projects for you to consider. This week, I’m highlighting only one. Tomorrow’s BIG Project is at Hawthorne High School, where our volunteers will join students and faculty in building a peace garden in memorial of Tiffany Wright, the pregnant teenage student who was gunned down over a year ago while waiting for the bus. We need 80 volunteers, and we currently have 50 signed up. Can you join us tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.?

Thanks for reading! Check back next week as we kick off the holiday season in style!


Tanner

Weekend project has special meaning

All Hands On Charlotte projects are important, but this Saturday’s BIG Project may be one of our most meaningful efforts of the year.

I’m sure you recall the headlines from last year: Pregnant Teen Gunned Down at Bus Stop. That teenager was Tiffany Wright, and she was a student at Hawthorne High School. In the aftermath of that tragedy, her fellow students spoke about building a peace garden in remembrance of Tiffany. For more than a year, that garden has remained just an idea. Until now…

As part of HOC’s monthly BIG Project, our volunteers will be building that peace garden at Hawthorne. We hope it will serve as a lasting memorial to Tiffany and to other area youngsters whose lives have been cut short by violence. We hope it will provide some comfort to students whose daily existence is marked by conflict and anxiety. We hope that building the garden helps our volunteers deepen their appreciation for the blessings and the people in their lives.

And we hope you will join us. Please visit the HOC web site to sign up.


Bob Young is the associate director of Hands On Charlotte

Back in Charlotte and fired up!

Whew! That was a very busy week. We left Sunday for Atlanta and put in 56 hours in four days. Then I flew to Chicago for a wedding then to Raleigh then home to Charlotte. It feels great to be back.

The trip to Chicago gave me a few days to digest the Hands On Network’s AmeriCorps member conference. If there was an overriding idea to the training, it was that we – as individual citizens – are connected to the people in our communities in important ways. As AmeriCorps at Hands On Charlotte, we have the opportunity to foster those community connections. Here is how we think we can reach that end:

1. Organize volunteer events: A.M., Bryan, Janelle and Shari are part of Hands On Charlotte’s frontline in designing service projects for Charlotte-area volunteers.
2. Recruit volunteers: Marcel, Sarah and I help out here. Whether it’s in person, on the phone, through email, blog, Twitter or Facebook, we are always trying to find ways to bring new Charlotteans onto the volunteering seen.
3. Support volunteers: Once we have volunteers at our events, it’s our job to support them. We have to let them see the impact their making and equip them to continue their work.

So here’s my question to you, our most dedicated supporters: How can you help on these fronts? With which of these three bullets can you bolster our efforts? Do you know an area non-profit that needs some help in the coming months? Organize an event! Do you know someone who wants to volunteer but doesn’t know where to start? Recruit someone to join you at an HOC project! Do you have ideas about how HOC can better support its volunteers? Send me an email, and I’ll read it aloud at our next staff meeting!

What I learned at the conference is this: AmeriCorps members can organize, recruit and retain volunteers until we’re blue in the face. Unless we convince the community to join these endeavors in significant ways, our impact will lack the breadth and depth to answer sufficiently our community’s needs.


Tanner


PS – The wedding was great! And if you haven’t been to Chicago, I suggest you make it a priority…in the summer.

Pop quiz (and it's easy yes/no questions!)

Can you read?


Can you do basic (no more than algebra) math?


Can you describe a platypus?


If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're perfectly qualified to tutor in one of Hand On Charlotte's adult literacy/GED tutoring labs.


Each week, HOC provides volunteers for labs at two Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) campuses, Central and Harris (by the airport). Six projects are offered at various times during the day and evening Tuesdays through Thursdays.

I've been a tutor since I joined HOC in 2000 and have co-led the Thursday night project at CPCC's Harris Campus since 2003 (I think!). It's been the most rewarding of all my HOC experiences by far. I've been a bookworm since I was a kid; I can't imagine not being able to read, to be transported through the power of words to another time, place, perspective, experience. To be able to help other people become confident in their ability to transform the characters on a page to images in their minds is the greatest privilege!

Right now, we need a lot more volunteers who are interested in literacy to join us at the Harris Campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. to experience this great privilege. A typical night finds the lab full of 10 to 15 students, eager for some personal attention and instruction. That same night finds the lab near-vacant of volunteers to help them. Sometimes, we have as few as three tutors; other times, we have seven or eight. Either way, tutors have to juggle at least two and sometimes three or four students, and no one gets a quality experience in this situation.

I think volunteers shy away from tutoring older students and adults out of fear. Perhaps they don't realize that most of our students range from reading at the third-grade level to finishing their GED and are afraid they won't know or remember what to teach or how to help them. (Here are a couple of hints: the textbooks used in both the literacy and GED programs are super-easy to understand and it's OK to send a student to the restroom for five minutes while you brush up on your long division skills!)


Perhaps they're nervous about the kinds of students they'll encounter. I've met the most amazing folks: a woman in her mid-50s who came "to school" after the women in her church laughed at her when they realized she couldn't read; some of the Lost Boys who braved the killing fields of Rwanda to come to the U.S.; a sharecropper's son from South Carolina in his late 70s who came to the lab faithfully every day after work and spent three-and-a-half hours learning the alphabet.


And (here's where that platypus comes in) sisters from Somalia who worked as hotel maids by day and studied English by night. It's hard enough to explain a platypus to someone whose native tongue is English; try explaining it to someone who's just learning our language! But I promise you, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do as a tutor!


If you can describe a platypus, tell a noun from a verb and/or add a (short!) column of numbers, please consider trying one of the adult tutoring projects! I can't speak for the others, but on Thursday nights at the Harris Campus, we've got a dedicated corps of regular tutors who welcome you to join us! More importantly, we've got an enthusiastic corps of regular students who will be more grateful for your presence and brains than I can express to you on this blog.


Tutoring is not just about volunteers teaching the students; there's plenty of learning happening both ways. But you'll have to come find that out on your own. See you Thursday!


Sara Collins is the co-leader at the CPCC GED tutoring program.

Update from the retreat

Bryan, Janelle, Marcel, Sarah, Shari and I are deep into our AmeriCorps member conference. We also appear to be deep into the Georgian woods. The first day was fun. Exhausting, but fun. It was filled with team-building fun, motivational chats and a bonfire with Michelle Nunn, the CEO of Hands On Charlotte's parent, the Points of Light Institute. For all the cheesy and awkward moments, it was a good day. There are some pretty exceptional people here, and it's always good to learn from exceptional people.

It's always fun to spend time with other AmeriCorps members from sites around the country. There are members here from New York, Chicago, San Fransisco, Seattle and Miami, among other places. Rest assured, the Charlotte cohort is representing our city well.

Details will follow next week, but I wanted to drop a line and say hello. Hopefully everything is going well back in Charlotte!

Friday Roundup 11.5.10: The Pre-Wilderness Retreat Edition

Happy Friday, everyone! This week zoomed by – perhaps because all the Hands On Charlotte AmeriCorps members are heading to Atlanta this weekend for a conference. As you may know, Hands On Charlotte employs seven AmeriCorps members – A.M., Bryan, Janelle, Marcel, Sarah, Shari and yours truly. As part of our development, we attend conferences and trainings throughout the year. Next week’s conference is at what appears to be a wilderness retreat outside Atlanta. I will Tweet and blog to keep you updated. Wish me luck.


In other news…not many people have updated their demographic information, and so not many people are eligible to win one of three US Airways gift cards worth $250 each. If you want to enter the drawing, all you have to do is update your demographic information on our Web site by November 10. That is next Wednesday. As I blogged yesterday, right now, your chances of winning are pretty good.


While I’ll be in Georgia by Sunday, there are plenty of fun volunteer opportunities for you here in the Queen City. Here are a few of your options:

• Saturday – Spruce up Hospitality House: Hospitality House offers a place for people to stay while their loved ones are receiving medical care in Charlotte. They need your help cleaning on Saturday morning.
• Saturday – Assistance League Thrift Store: This is one of my favorite projects. Come help sort donations at the AL Thrift Store. Proceeds go to help low-income communities in Charlotte.
• Saturday – The Amazing Race: Volunteers will try to follow clues and to solve problems in a race around Uptown. Total walking is about 4 miles.
  
  

I hope you have a great weekend! Check back next week for blogs and Tweets from the Georgian wilderness. And don’t forget to enter the US Airways drawing!




Tanner

Right now, your chances would be pretty good

We are giving away three US Airways gift cards worth $250 each. To be eligible for the drawing, all you have to do is update your volunteer demographic information on our Web site by November 10.

Now, here's the thing: If the drawing were today, your chances of winning would be really, really....REALLY....good. I don't want to tip my hat as to just how good, but I'm willing to bet there are very few better chances to win $250.

Do you want to enter the drawing? All you have to do is log on to our Web site, then update your demographic information. If you have any problems, email Tanner Kroeger.

One US Airways gift card gone, three remain

Congrats to Ben Miliam, who won the $1,000 US Airways gift card from Hands On Charlotte Day. He stopped by today to pick up his winnings. Above is a picture of Ben and Lisa Quisenberry, our executive director.

So how would you like a gift card to US Airways worth $250? Well, we are giving away three of them in 10 days. Everyone who updates his or her demographic and contact information on our Web site by November 10 will be eligible. If you have questions email Tanner Kroeger.

Friday Roundup: the Halloween Edition

It’s the Friday before Halloween weekend. Fall finally feels like it’s creeping in, and to me, that is wonderful. Hands On Charlotte Day was a great success, and now we are focusing on all the other projects that sustain us throughout the year.


Rob and I put out our first partner newsletter this week. Are you a local non-profit organization interested in learning what Hands On Charlotte can do for you? Let us know and we’ll set up a meeting! Of course, for everyone else, Bob sends out a bi-monthly newsletter, which will catch you up on the ins-and-outs of Hands On Charlotte.


A few weeks ago, I mentioned Kerry McCray, a super-volunteer who leads our Panthers Recycling Program. Well, guess whom the county featured this week on its Web site? Thank you to Kerry and all our volunteers who help with this fantastic program! Do you want to help out with this project or something similar this weekend? Here are just a few of your options:

• Saturday – New Green Acres Project: Come work on the farm! Shining Hopes Farms provides therapeutic services to individuals with disabilities. They need volunteers to do general farm labor, which, if you haven’t had the opportunity, is a lot of fun. Just wear some older clothes! Children ages 10+ may attend if accompanied by an adult.
• Saturday – Animal Care and Control: Come play with the animals, clean their living spaces! Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
• Sunday – Bingo at White Oak Manor: Sunday night bingo with senior citizens! Some residents need assistance hearing and placing the pieces on the board and some residents are looking for more competition! It’s easy and fun for volunteers and residents! Children ages 6+ may attend if accompanied by an adult.
  

Well, by the time I next post, it will be November 2010. Time is flying! I hope you have a great weekend and a very spooky (and safe) Halloween.




Tanner

A thank you from Lisa Quisenberry

Dear friends of Hands On Charlotte,


Hands On Charlotte Day is now behind us, and I want to send a very big thank you to everyone who participated and donated. With your help, we had an incredibly successful event. From everyone at Hands On Charlotte, thank you for joining us on this year's Hands On Charlotte Day.


We want to share with you some of the results. We sent teams to 19 sites - 10 of which were public schools. At this year's Hands On Charlotte Day, our volunteers:

• donated 1,540 hours of their time,
• cleared 30,315 square feet of land,
• spread 8,580 pounds of mulch,
• spread 6,766 pounds of topsoil,
• planted 369 flowers,
• collected 137 bags of trash,
• spread 117 bales of pine straw, and
• sorted 61 pallets of donations.

Come visit us on Facebook, where you can check out all the pictures from our projects!


The winner of the $1,000 gift card from US Airways is Ben Milam. Ben volunteered with a team from Manheim at Walter G. Byers Elementary School. Don't forget you can still win US Airways gift cards worth $250 each if you update your volunteer information on our Web site by November 10.


We also want to thank the sponsors who supported Hands On Charlotte Day. Charlotte Business Journal was the event's primary sponsor. We are also grateful for the support of The Home Depot, Newell Rubbermaid, UNC Charlotte and Elevation Church, as well as Anne L. Bradley (CPA, PA), Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting, Kola Construction and Rorick Construction.


We'll be sure to keep you updated, but in the meantime, let us know what's new with you! If you have ideas for service projects, we're always looking for ways to grow. You can keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter, but never hesitate to send me an email directly.


Again, thank you to everyone who supported Hands On Charlotte Day. If you weren't able to participate, but wanted to make a charitable donation, just visit our donation page. Until we reconnect, I hope you have an amazing holiday season.




Together in service,


Lisa Quisenberry
Co-founder and executive director
Hands On Charlotte

A New Journey for a New Beginning

As a 22-year-old recent graduate living 16 hours from my family in Vermont, I have found myself experiencing what some call a “post-college life crisis.” Immediately following graduation in May I gave into the dreaded nine hour-per-day desk job, and found myself completely unhappy. The fact that I moved to South Charlotte, a half an hour away from my university friends did not help. I decided to quit my job and search for a job and other things that would make me truly happy. Being unemployed has given me a great amount of time to figure out what I can do to fulfill my emptiness and bring me back to life other than moving back to Vermont (aka the North Pole!) to be with my family.


I did a lot of thinking over my first week of unemployment. I decided working to better lives of children would make me happier, as I was blessed with a great childhood. I decided working with animals would bring me joy, as I am vegan and always looking for ways to get involved. Making new friends in Charlotte would make me feel more at home. Spending time with the elderly would open my eyes to new things. One day as I was lying in bed it clicked; if I can’t find a job quickly doing any of these things, I need to volunteer. I immediately posted a status on my Facebook page asking where people volunteered their time. One response was “Register with Hands on Charlotte!” With no idea of what this organization was, I decided to check it out. WOW! One place I can go to work with kids, animals, the elderly, and meet new people. I was so excited that I actually got upset when the e-mail stated it could take up to 10 days to get my background check cleared. I wanted to start that afternoon!


I am glad to say it only took one day for my account to become active. I am so excited to start volunteering and giving back to Charlotte. I am hoping it broadens my circle of friends, and brings me a sense of fulfillment that I have been missing. I am starting with attending Game Night at the Laurels Tuesday evening. Going into this alone is a little nerve racking for me, because I am not one to go anywhere or try anything by myself. I am however, one to always try new things whether it is sky diving, bungee jumping, traveling to Australia for five months, or stepping out of my comfort zone and volunteering with people I’ve never met. I am confident that the HOC organization as well as everyone involved will be very welcoming and helpful. I am so excited to start this journey and can’t wait for the changes it will bring to my life!




Kailee Mahoney is a guest contributor to the Hands On Charlotte Blog.

Green thumbs at Shamrock Gardens Elementary School

Is it out of the question for me to enroll back in elementary school? I caught a crazy case of envy after visiting and viewing the grounds at Shamrock Gardens Elementary School. The Garden Project for Hands on Charlotte Day was a huge success. About 50 volunteers including parents, students, and other community members all chipped in to help keep the gardens on the right track. Shamrock Gardens is literally surrounded by organic gardens, which means no pesticides! There’s a wheat bed to make bread, compost pile, butterfly garden, and even a resident opossum that the volunteers had to be sure to not disturb.


Thanks to the volunteers, the students at the elementary school will now be able to watch an apple tree grow that was planted using the school’s own compost. Weeds were pulled, a whole bed of overgrown sunflowers were attended to, and the schools own collected rain water was used to water the beds. The volunteer project was certainly a group effort considering the number of gardens at the school. This was no small feat. Most everyone was still hard at work well after the project’s official time was over. One of the volunteers even brought some cookies for all of her fellow helpers. I had to try one and they were amazing. This group did a fantastic job and the students at Shamrock Gardens will be able to continue developing their green thumbs.


Katie Sherman is a guest contributor to the Hands On Charlotte Blog.

Schools: Look good, feel good

Hands on Charlotte Day was a huge day for our community and its schools! I saw firsthand how everyone from big corporate executives to elementary school students can collectively show the importance of the look of our schools by volunteering to help clean them up. It was mainly the latter group that surprised me the most though. Here were these cute, little, elementary school kids showing their love for their Briarwood Elementary School with each bag of weeds collected, handful of mulch spread, and tree branch pruned. Who knows if it was by prodding from their parents to get these kids out there or not, but these 15 children sure were throwing themselves into these tasks.

Admittedly, I don’t know if I would’ve been so “gung ho” sweeping my elementary school’s sidewalk at that age. I could easily imagine myself whining about missing my Saturday morning cartoons and my Fruit Loops. Maybe I’m admitting my childhood selfishness, but I couldn’t help but feel pride for these parents and their children doing such an admirable job on a beautiful Saturday morning. The students understood the thought that if they see nice and pretty surroundings every morning walking into school, then that’ll give them an extra positive boost to feel good about their schoolwork. It also gives them a sense of ownership. I hope that this one Saturday morning planted the seed for a lifetime of volunteering from these children.




Katie Sherman is a guest contributor to the Hands On Charlotte Blog.

Reflecting on HOC Day - Tanner

We’re all starting to regroup after “Hands On Charlotte Day,” and I thought I’d share my experiences from the event with our blog readers. I had a great HOC Day, visiting three impressive sites: the McGill Rose Garden, the Assistance League Thrift Shop and the Charlotte Nature Museum. Here’s a rundown of what I found at each:

• McGill Rose Garden: Located a block north of 277 on N. Davidson Street, this garden was a beautiful surprise. Twenty-two Hands On Charlotte volunteers joined project leader Angie Simpson in trimming rose bushes and clearing brush. Jim from Clark Nexsen was out sporting his N.C. State sweatshirt, and Kerry McCray, who leads our Panthers Recycling Program, was laughing and making everyone feel great. I’m excited to go back to the garden just to…yep…smell the roses.
  
  
• The Assistance League Thrift Shop: This project and organization really blew me away. The first thing you should know: the Assistance League Thrift Shop in Charlotte (AL Charlotte) employs one full-time person. The rest of the operation relies on volunteers, many of which donate 40 hours per week. When you consider the quality of work they do, that’s really astounding. Last year, AL Charlotte distributed 433,000 snacks, clothed 1,640 children and awarded $19,000 in college scholarships. On top of that, AL Charlotte assisted 393 youth offenders in finding volunteer hours, helping those young people get back on track. If you want to get involved, Amy Cratsley, Hands On Charlotte’s project leader at this site, will help you get started.
  
  
• The Charlotte Nature Museum: It’s easy to miss the Charlotte Nature Museum, located in the heart of a neighborhood on the edge of Freedom Park. But once you find it, the Nature Museum promises acres of trails and small gardens. Hands On Charlotte volunteers, led by Cathy Durbin, cleared brush, planted gardens and set gravel on paths. As Stephen Collie, a Hands On Charlotte volunteer, said, “This is a great project if you like to be outside. I like doing yard work, so it’s a great way to volunteer.”

I wish I had more time to spend at each site. I had to leave before I could have all my questions answered. But that’s part of the fun of volunteering. It offers new experiences. Even though “Hands On Charlotte Day” is over, we still have plenty of opportunities for you to volunteer. Visit the calendar and browse our upcoming events.

Tanner

It's Hands On Charlotte Day....Eve!

“Hands On Charlotte Day” has a very special meaning for me. It’s where I met my now husband in 1994. It took us another year to start dating, but that’s another story.

“Hands On Charlotte Day,” in addition to being a setting for romance, is just a great day. It’s exciting to be part of a legion of volunteers working simultaneously to improve our community. The synergy of this day is unlike any other. From the border of South Carolina to Huntersville and in between, volunteers will be sorting, landscaping, painting, building and recycling. The power of citizen involvement will be in full force.

In years past, volunteers have convened before or after their projects for a celebration event. With the fiscal challenges Hands On Charlotte - just like most nonprofits - is facing, we decided to forgo the party this year and concentrate on the volunteering. All the funds raised are going to support the projects and our year round volunteer efforts.

But fear not, you will still be able to celebrate. We are going to blanket the social media landscape and create a virtual celebration. In real time, you can follow the progress on Twitter, Facebook and our blog. Both during “Hands On Charlotte Day” projects and after, you can follow the progress, see pictures, thank our sponsors and find out how much work was completed. So when you get home after volunteering, pop open a beverage of your choice, grab a snack and your computer and celebrate with us!

Any time you Tweet or post on Facebook, attach the hashtag #handsoncharlotteday . Then we’ll all be able to chat and congratulate each other on work well done. Tell us what you accomplished and who you met. Tell us where you volunteered and what sponsors were at your event.

Speaking of sponsors, we could not do this without them. Charlotte Business Journal is our Presenting Sponsor this year. We are so proud of our partnership with the city’s premier business publication. They appreciate and help HOC promote good business also means doing good in the community. The Home Depot and Newell Rubbermaid are two companies that live that ethic and we are thrilled to have them as Transformational Sponsors as well as our good friends at Elevation Church and UNC Charlotte. We thank all our sponsors, the teams and individual donors for making this day happen. But most of all, thanks to those of you who will be out volunteering on Saturday!


Together in service,

Lisa Quisenberry
Co-founder and executive director
Hands On Charlotte

One last project, one last push

To our supporters,


We are counting down the hours until "Hands On Charlotte Day." Thank you to everyone who has signed up and donated to this year's event. There are only about 24 hours left to sign up. How about we tackle one last project? Here's the story:

We need you at Shamrock Elementary School this Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. Shamrock is a low-resource, high-poverty school, where almost 90 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch.

Shamrock approached us early in the planning of "Hands On Charlotte Day" and asked us to help plant a garden. We were thrilled at the challenge. The school wants the garden - which you will fill with all sorts of edible goodies - specifically to teach students about healthy living, nutrition and agriculture.

Will you help us fill the 21 remaining spots on this project? If you can't come out Saturday, then we hope you will consider making a small charitable donation. "Hands On Charlotte Day" is our primary annual fundraiser, and we depend on it to sustain our programming. Thank you for your support.


Together in service,

Rob Hammock
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Hands On Charlotte

Why I Volunteer: Shari Lerline Williams

What is a volunteer? What does volunteering mean to you? To me, volunteering means sharing, painting, playing sports, laughing, building, hugging, mentoring, gardening and caring. I know, it sounds mushy, sentimental and certainly cliché, but it’s true. When you give up your personally time, and donate it to someone who needs you, how can you not feel accomplished? Since I started at Hands On Charlotte, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer through various efforts. Beatification projects, cleaning, tutoring, and the list goes on. At times, the challenge can be daunting, but if you let go of your inhibitions I guarantee you will love it! Volunteering always provides those special situations when you surprise yourself, and learn something new. Over the years I’ve picked up a multitude of tricks, skills and tools through volunteering. This Saturday at Hands On Charlotte Day, I will learn how to build benches! Whoever thought I was equipped for such a project?!

The best feature volunteering has to offer is that there’s something for everyone! Personally, I love to mentor and tutor. One of my favorite projects is Homework Hounds. Every Tuesday I get to help Matthew, who is in kindergarten. It’s my favorite part of the day. First we complete his homework, and then we read a book together and laugh and giggle all the way to the end. Although I’m helping my mentee, he is helping me as well. He is helping me not to take my life so serious!

I challenge everyone who is reading this to take an hour out of your week or month and do something fun and rewarding… Volunteer! I promise you will thank yourself!

Want to write a "Why I Volunteer" post for our blog? Email Tanner at tanner@handsoncharlotte.org for more information.

The impact of volunteering in Charlotte

After telling a friend about Hands On Charlotte Day recently, I was intrigued with one of first questions. “So what is the impact of a day like that,” he asked. What is the impact of cleaning up school grounds, building a new set of benches or helping to organize donations? What are my three hours worth?

Oh, how I wish there were a simple, two-sentence answer. I wish there were a matrix I could show him: one hour equals 7.32 people served; two hours equals 16.14 clients served; three hours… If only the non-profit world had such answers. If only we had such great matrices. Alas, we do not.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have answers to these questions. In fact, we do have answers. For example:

• School grounds can impact academic performance. Zach Miners, in a recent article for District Administration, outlined the substantial effects that school gardens and clean school grounds can have student performance. These spaces can become outdoor classrooms, perfect for science lessons and inquiry-based learning. “Every kid dives right in,” the article quoted Sandra Antalis, an elementary curriculum manager in Houston. “When you’re outside in one of these areas, it’s hard not to start investigating.” At Hands On Charlotte Day, we will be planting school gardens and cleaning up school grounds. Want to give a kid a place to learn about science? Join us for Hands On Charlotte Day.


• Volunteering can have direct and substantial impact on the volunteer’s self-worth and self-confidence. We all hear that volunteering makes people feel good. But over the last few years, psychologists and researchers have shown this to be true in very concrete terms. For example, a recent study in the journal Social Behaviour charted the ways that volunteering increases notions of self-worth and confidence in people. The more people volunteer, the better they feel about themselves and the more they decide to engage their communities in other ways. Have you thought about volunteering but haven’t ever had the opportunity? Hands On Charlotte Day is a perfect way to get started! Come join us this Saturday.

My friend’s question is a good one. Why should he volunteer? While we can point to studies about the impact of volunteering, the best answers, I think, come from our own personal stories. Over the next week, we are going to put a few of our own personal stories about volunteering, and what it has meant to us. If you’re looking to start gaining these experiences for yourselves, please join us for Hands On Charlotte Day.

Hands On Charlotte Day is this Saturday. Sign up goes through Friday, October 15. Please visit the Web site for more details.

George Bernard Shaw loved volunteering

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can." - George Bernard Shaw


Like so many other people in Charlotte these days, I am not a native. I am one more Midwesterner who has made his way south and learned of the loveliness of the weather and the beauty of the area. No, the weather’s not always perfect, but I’ll gladly take it over the brutal winters I grew up with along Lake Michigan in Chicago. What I do miss is the sense of community and connection thrust upon me by living in such a dense, urban setting. The connections were not always positive, and not everyone in the community got along, but there was no denying the interweaving way in which neighbors, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, places of worship, and nonprofits worked together – or didn’t.


The point is not proximity, nor an apology for the urban life. It’s about seeing the way we are connected with others. It’s about seeing when this works well and when it doesn’t. In an internet-dominated age, it is harder to notice and easier to ignore the personal and physical relationships around us. We are not islands to ourselves, but part of a greater whole, whether we acknowledge it or not. Volunteering is one way we begin to see the connections and can take action. Volunteering is the acknowledgment that I am part of a bigger picture. The health of Charlotte depends upon our seeing this picture, acknowledging the connections, and figuring out how we can each strengthen them.


So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to see the connections and be a part of a bigger picture, come join us at Hands On Charlotte Day on October 16. Come explore the connections and see where you fit. It is not about just one day; it is about a new vision. Maybe Hands On Charlotte Day is your eye opener.

-Rob Hammock

A note from Lisa Quisenberry

Dear friends of Hands On Charlotte,


I want to thank you personally for everything you've done in support of Hands On Charlotte this year. Without committed people like you, we simply wouldn't be able to serve Charlotte's most vulnerable communities and populations. We know that in these challenging economic times, it's difficult to find time for other people. Thank you for finding that time, and thank you for your support of Hands On Charlotte.


I'm writing to invite you to participate in this year's Hands On Charlotte Day, which is Saturday, October 16. In its 18th year, Hands On Charlotte Day is taking aim at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and local non-profit organizations. We have beautification and construction projects planned at public schools, parks, museums and community centers. We hope you will join us in supporting our community on this inspirational and meaningful day. Please sign up on the HOC web site.


Although you will be serving the community on Hands On Charlotte Day, this event is also a fundraiser for us. Your individual or family contribution supports the year-round work of of HOC, giving people like you--people searching for convenient and effective volunteer opportunities--the chance to take advantage of hundreds of projects each month. So if you cannot make it to Hands On Charlotte Day, but you would like to make a donation to Hands On Charlotte, please visit our donation page.


If you've already signed up, thank you! Volunteering is often even more enjoyable with friends. Perhaps you could mobilize your inner circle and start a volunteer team?


The communities we serve depend on people like you. Hands On Charlotte Day depends on people like you. Please join us October 16 from 9 a.m. until noon for Hands On Charlotte Day.




Together in service,


Lisa Quisenberry
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Hands On Charlotte

Volunteers across Charlotte prepare for day of service

With only 12 days left until “Hands On Charlotte Day,” volunteers across the city are signing up to serve local schools and non-profit organizations on October 16. Approximately 1,000 Charlotteans will come out for Hands On Charlotte’s 18th-annual day of service.


Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are set to be among the day’s top beneficiaries. Hands On Charlotte has organized 10 beautification projects at public schools around city. In addition, volunteer teams will serve area non-profits at a number of other sites. The Charlotte Nature Museum, for example, will host volunteers to work on trails and gardens. Like many other HOC Day projects, the Charlotte Nature Museum is a family-friendly event, welcoming families with children over the age of 6.


“Our volunteers are essential to the success of ‘Hands On Charlotte Day,’” said Bob Young, Hands On Charlotte’s associate director. “We really can’t thank them enough for their efforts. Anyone who wants to support ‘Hands On Charlotte Day’ should visit our Web site.”


A number of Charlotte-area organizations have answered the call to help make “Hands On Charlotte Day” a success. Charlotte Business Journal is the day’s primary sponsor. Elevation Church, The Home Depot Foundation, Newell Rubbermaid and UNC Charlotte, as well as Anne L. Bradley (CPA, PA), Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting, Kola Construction and Rorick Construction have all signed on to support “Hands On Charlotte Day.”


“Without our corporate partners, Hands On Charlotte would not be able to organize this event,” Young said. “These organizations’ involvement in ‘Hands On Charlotte Day’ demonstrates their collective commitment to building and maintaining Charlotte’s reputation as one the nation’s top places to live.”


Hands On Charlotte is still looking for individual volunteers, volunteer teams and partners to help with this year’s Hands On Charlotte Day. To register, please visit our Web site for details.

Friday Roundup 10.1.10

I sense this week was the (relative) calm before the storm. We’ve all spent the week trying to steady our ongoing projects before turning to “Hands On Charlotte Day,” which, if you haven’t heard, is October 16. Have you signed up yet?


In the media, the Charlotte Business Journal mentioned one of our super-volunteers last Friday. Mary Forgach serves as our liaison with Transamerica Reinsurance and with the Forgach family. Over the years, Transamerica Reinsurance has volunteered with Hands On Charlotte at W.G. Byers Elementary School. Mary has routinely served as team captain. In addition, she has organized family teams for other projects, volunteering last at our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event this year at the Tyvola Senior Center. We wouldn’t be able to operate without volunteers like Mary, who mobilize not only themselves, but also their co-workers, family and friends. Thank you to Mary and everyone else who have helped Charlotte’s non-profit community through Hands On Charlotte.


With that said, here are opportunities this weekend to volunteer in Charlotte!

• Saturday & Sunday – U.S. Kayak Polo Nationals: Volunteer outside on a beautiful day by timing and recording trials at McDowell Park. Drinks provided to volunteers. You don’t need to have gone through orientation to volunteer at this project. Sign up on the Web site. Click for Saturday. Click for Sunday.


• Saturday – Challenger Football: Play therapeutic football with young people with special needs. Sign up on the Web site.


• Saturday – Special Rollers: Come out to this widely popular event and bowl with adults and teens with developmental disabilities. There are only a small number of spots available. Sign up on the Web site.

Back to “Hands On Charlotte Day” on October 16. If you haven’t signed up yet, but you’re planning to do so, why wait? Maybe you’re thinking of putting a team together? Well, send out that email to your friends and family this weekend! Let us know if you have any questions or if you’re having trouble convincing your neighbor to join us on October 16. We’re here to help however we can!

Believe it, Mrs. Math: I'm a math tutor now

The words every volunteer tutor loathes to hear from a high school student: “I need some help with math.”


The response I’ve always wanted to give: “Hey, me too, kid. Where do we get in line?”


Alas, today I was the math tutor. For one hour, it was my responsibility to help a ninth grader at Midwood High School understand the concepts of integers and basic algebra. And to what I imagine would be the utter disbelief of Mrs. Barritt, Mrs. Pilo, Mrs. Zack and every other math teacher I’ve ever had, I didn’t cause this student to regress in her understanding of mathematics, time or space. In fact, the session was a great success.


I don’t know if there’s a more rewarding volunteer experience for me than to tutor students. The objective and success are clearly defined. That’s easy. But more importantly, tutoring provides an opportunity to have a real impact on a young person’s personal and professional life. Success in school snowballs into positive self-confidence, and confidence, I’ve learned, begets success in so many of life’s challenges. Help a kid earn an A on a math test after he earned a D on a previous attempt. Then watch how his outlook about school and life changes.


My co-worker Shari and I are planning to go back to Midwood High School every Wednesday from here on out. Sign up to join us on the Web site. And I assure you: no matter how bizarre it might seem to your former teachers, you can handle the academic rigors of being a high school tutor.




-Tanner



PS! - Hey, we're really serious about getting this blog up and running again. If you made it all the way to the "PS!" of this post, do you mind following our blog, ReTweeting, hitting the "Like" button or just calling a friend to tell them about us! Hands On Charlotte is hitting the blogosphere!

Friday Roundup 9.24.10

This was a great week! We had all hands on deck preparing for this year’s “Hands On Charlotte Day,” which will be on October 16. We’re still looking for individual and team volunteers, so let us know if you’re interested!

In the media, Patricia Smith Michaels called Hands On Charlotte “one of the top five environment-related volunteer opportunities in Charlotte.” And the Observer’s David Perimutt recommended us as place to come if you want to start volunteering in Charlotte.

Looking for an opportunity to volunteer in Charlotte this weekend?

• Saturday - BIG Project at Collinswood Language Academy: Spruce up the grounds and help paint a new soccer field. You don’t have to go through orientation to attend this project. Sign up on the Web site.
• Saturday – Challenger Football: Play therapeutic football with young people with special needs. Sign up on the Web site.
• Sunday – Recycling Program during Panthers Home Games: Hand out Bojangles’ recycling bags to fans around Bank of America Stadium. You must be at least 18 years old. You don’t have to go through orientation. Sign up on the Web site.
• Visit our calendar for many more Charlotte volunteer opportunities this weekend!
  

Next week on the blog: Meet the AmeriCorps! Hands On Charlotte relies heavily on AmeriCorps volunteers who each commit a year of service. Check back next week, and we’ll tell you all about the program and introduce you to A.M., Bryan, Janelle, Shari and Tanner!

18th-Annual “Hands On Charlotte Day” rapidly approaching

On October 16, approximately 1,000 Charlotteans will participate in service projects throughout the city – all part of Hands On Charlotte’s 18th-annual “Hands On Charlotte Day.” The event will focus on projects that support Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

“This year’s ‘Hands On Charlotte Day’ is going to be an exceptional experience for our volunteers, the city’s public schools and our partnering organizations” said Lisa Quisenberry, executive director of Hands On Charlotte. “It’s a special opportunity for people in Charlotte to spend a morning reinvesting in their community.”

At the participating public schools, efforts will include garden and beautification projects and classroom renovations. In addition to projects at schools, volunteers can serve organizations such as the Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte Nature Museum, Habitat ReStore, Men’s Shelter of Charlotte and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, among others.

Individual and team opportunities to volunteer are still available. To register, please visit our Web site for details.

Volunteering and September 11th

When the humidity recedes and the sky turns bright blue, the memories start to return. It was a beautiful morning here in Charlotte. I was excited to take my almost two-year-old son to his first real day of pre-school. As I drove to drop him off, I heard on the radio that a small plane had flown into the World Trade Center. When I got back home, I turned on the television and learned it was so much worse.

We all have a story like that. It is not hard to remember the anguish, the fear and the slow realization that our country would never be the same. But remembering doesn’t seem like enough… at least to me and to many others.

That’s why September 11 has been named a National Day of Service and Remembrance. In Charlotte and around the country, more than 5 million citizens will give of themselves and serve as a living memorial to those lost. To find out more, please go to http://www.911dayofservice.org/ .

Need motivation to give your time? How about the memory of firefighters and police who ran towards the burning buildings to rescue people they did not know. And remember the passengers on Flight 93, who gave their lives to save others that they did not know. What will you do?

Will you collect food, school supplies, or clothing for people in need you will never meet? Will you give blood in memory of those who gave their lives? Will you clean a park so other people’s children have a safe place to play? Will you help set up a shelter for homeless women and children?

Hands On Charlotte has lots of volunteer projects to choose from on 9/11/10. You can find out more at our Web site. But I also encourage you to create your own personal ways of honoring the memory of this day, those who were lost and the heroes that emerged. Let’s make sure that 9/11 never becomes just another day.

-Lisa Quisenberry, Consulting Executive Director, Hands On Charlotte

Voluntarism & Values for the Next Generation

Last October I had one of the most satisfying volunteer experiences I could remember. The project wasn’t much different from other volunteer projects that have happened across Charlotte. It was landscape beautification around an elementary school. The school is a struggling CMS school that has over 95% of its students on free or reduced-lunch. So what made this event special?

The volunteers for this event ranged from 1^st to 6^th graders, plus their parents. I have participated in volunteer projects with youth before, but typically teenagers, and I hadn’t done so in a long while. We told the kids about the school and why we were helping before the event, and it translated to their effort. Sure, not all of them were 100% gung-ho, but the majority understood they had opportunities others didn’t have.

Whether pushing wheelbarrows or digging holes, there was little complaining, and they wanted the job done right. Maybe I’ve been volunteering for too long and become jaded, but when we debriefed with the kids afterwards, I had tears in my eyes. They wanted to help because they understood wanting others to have opportunities and success. Their energy had shone through.

I hope those trees and bushes brightened the lives of the kids at that school and demonstrated to them that they were cared for as part of a bigger community. I know my life was brightened and imbued with new hope as I watched those young volunteers hard at work.

-- Rob Hammock is Hands On Charlotte's Director of Strategic Partnerships

Laurel's Inspiration

When you think about volunteering what is it that you think of? Do you think of dirt and grime? Do you think of homeless shelters and food banks? Or hammers and nails? And, what is it that makes us choose to volunteer, because in all honesty none of the above sounds particularly exciting.

For me it’s the people. Having a classroom full of kindergarteners saying “thank you” is one of the greatest feelings on earth! Knowing that those hammer and nails will be used to shelter a family makes every sore muscle well worth it. Everyone volunteers for different reasons but as National Volunteer Week is upon us I hope that everyone will take the time to remember the basics of why they choose to give.

Sometimes we all need a reminder that what we do makes a difference. You may think “I mostly just help with park cleanups/trash pickups/animal shelters….” but that child who doesn’t have a yard but gets to play in the park appreciates it. And the family who adopts a loving pet from the shelter appreciates the time and energy you put into helping take care of that animal. The students who are proud of the school that they go to because of the beautification project you helped with, they will remember that. The seniors who you spend time visiting, you brighten their days. The tutoring you provide to a student studying for the GED, you are helping them to access a much better future.

There is a story about a little boy walking down a beach that is covered in starfish. As he is walking he picks up some of the starfish and gently throws them into the ocean. A man stops him and asks him what he is doing. The boy responds, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean, otherwise they will die on the beach.” The man says “But there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish, you can’t make a difference!” The boy responded by picking up another starfish and as he threw it back into the water, he said “I made a difference for that one.”

That story is one of the reasons I first got involved in volunteering and whenever if forget why I do what I do, I remember that story and I pick up that next starfish.

-- Laurel Fender is a member the the AmeriCorps program currently serving at Hands On Charlotte