Speed Street promises fun for community, volunteers

The 17th-annual SPEED Street has begun! If you haven’t been to Speed Street in Charlotte then you need to walk away from your computer and head downtown immediately. The event kicks off at noon each day and will make for an amazing Friday and Saturday in Uptown. There are tons of booths set up to give away all sorts of cool free merch! There is food and drinks galore and music in every direction you walk. The event stretches down Tryon and Martin Luther King, with festivities lasting until 11:00pm each night. There will be guest appearances from some of the drivers, lots of NASCAR fun for serious fans and great performers are hitting the stage including headliners Clay Walker, Josh Turner and Everclear.

I had the opportunity to work with the Green Team through Hands On Charlotte on yesterday’s opening day. The Green Team meets for a quick run-down of the day’s events and to pick up their sweet t-shirts, which allowed us to be walking reminders to everyone in Uptown that they should recycle! Last year the Green Team played a huge part in keeping OVER 7.5 TONS of recyclable material out of the waste bins. Our job was to walk around Speed Street making sure garbage was put in trash bins and recyclables were put in designated containers. We had brand new garbage pickers to use, so no problem keeping clean. It was amazing how many people expressed their appreciation as we walked up and down the streets. Best part of volunteering was getting to enjoy Speed Street while we helped out!

To get involved with the Green Team, you can check the Hands On Charlotte website to sign up for one of the three shifts of the day. There are open shifts to volunteer today and tomorrow. If you are planning on spending the day enjoying the festivities, feel free to sign up for more than one shift! There’s always more to recycle!

Kira Hale is a Hands On Charlotte volunteer.

Game night a fun night at Regency

All five Hands On Charlotte volunteers sat around tables accompanying residents of the Regency Retirement Village. We took the stacks of Bingo cards and selected the two we were going to play with for the night. In the middle of the tables were cups filled with white chips to cover the numbers called out, but those were for guests as the residents all had chips of their own liking. The woman beside me had gold chips and the woman across had red ones, etc.

“B7”…..”O65”…”N24”…were called by the Hands On Charlotte project leader as the residents intently looked for the numbers being called. This went on for a few minutes until “BINGO!” the woman beside me called out. She was then given her quarter for the win of that game. All cards were cleared and the new game began.

I found that I had chosen to sit at the lucky table for the evening, as many of the wins went to the residents at my table. Small talk in between games went on about the cards and the wins from weeks past, but as soon as the calling began all eyes were locked on the cards in front of them. “Last Game” the project leader called out and I couldn’t believe the night was almost over. I was having such a fun time playing Bingo with the residents. After the game was over, I thanked the residents for letting me play and they stated to me that I had not won that evening. I smiled and said “Yes, but I will hopefully have better card selections next time.”

I walked out of the room with them and made my way to the lobby with the other Hands On Charlotte volunteers. I am looking forward to the next BINGO night at the Regency Retirement Village tonight.

Ryan Kamp is a Hands On Charlotte volunteer.

Friday Roundup: AmeriCorps Week edition

AmeriCorps Week is coming to an end here at Hands On Charlotte. Janelle, Marcel, Sarah, Shari and I have bounced around town, chatting with people about AmeriCorps.

Here are the main points: AmeriCorps provides opportunities for people of all backgrounds to roll up their sleeves for one year to work in the trenches on some of our country’s most dire environmental, economic, educational and social issues. No matter what issue area you care about, there is likely an AmeriCorps assignment somewhere in the country to foster your interests and skills. AmeriCorps is urban, and it’s rural. Members are on the east coast, the west coast and everywhere between. To learn more, visit AmeriCorps website.

While not everyone has an entire year to commit to public service, almost everyone can spare a few hours on a Saturday once a month. This weekend, we have 14 projects that still need volunteers. Here are some highlights:

• Saturday – Mountain Bike Riding with Kids – Join Trips for Kids on a short bike ride with teenagers. We can even supply you with a bike!
• Saturday – Adaptive Baseball – Come out and play baseball with kids and teens with disabilities. Adaptive Baseball is part of the Therapeutic Recreation Division of Mecklenburg County Parks and Rec.
• Saturday – Animal Care & Control – Love animals? Come help the staff at Animal Care & Control play with and take care of some cats and dogs.
• Sunday – Pet Therapy at Summit Place – Bring your dog or cat to Summit Place and spend an hour visiting with residents at this retirement community.

Everyone’s availabilities and desires to serve are different, but everyone can serve to some degree. Hands On Charlotte and AmeriCorps help you find opportunities that meet your interests. We hope to see you at projects soon!

Going Green at Cook’s Community Garden

On Tuesday I volunteered with Cook’s Community Garden. The Garden serves as a co-op for members of the community wanting to start their own gardens but who might not have the space at their own homes. In addition, the Garden also sets aside a third of an acre designated for growing organic produce to help those in need. All produce grown in this plot is free of cost. Currently, the produce is being used in conjunction with a program called ‘Friendship Trays’ which delivers home-cooked meals to members of the community who are unable to cook or leave the house.

During my time with the Garden, I was able to help build garden beds for the designated third of an acre that is set aside for free community produce. We tilled, dug foot paths, composted and laid down straw in preparation for the planting to come. The work was hard, but in the best way possible. So often, you may leave a volunteer project feeling like you could have done more, or worked a little harder. Not the case with Cook’s. I left feeling like I had left it all out there in the garden. I relearned the meaning of the term ‘sweat equity.’

There were about 8 volunteers there total. There was a nice mix of people who attended, some with lots of knowledge and experience in gardening and others, like myself, with none. It was also neat to see a mother and son there together. It is great to see first-hand all of the positive effects of volunteering such as strengthening of family dynamics. Everyone worked together. There was no one standing around with nothing to do. Everyone had a place and served a very distinct purpose in working towards a common goal.

Cook’s is currently in need of other volunteers to help, especially during this busy planting season, in order to produce a sufficient crop. The project meets every Tuesday evening from 5-7pm. I was a little hesitant at first to volunteer because I know little to nothing about gardening. My thumb is definitely not green. However, the folks at Cook’s are great and walk you through every step. For more information on the garden you can visit their website. To volunteer for the project, please visit Hands On Charlotte's website.

Kristen Okamoto is a Hands On Charlotte volunteer.

Friday Roundup (Returns!): Get connected and have a happy Mother’s Day!

A fun article popped up on our Twitter feed this morning. Ranking the “Top 100 Socially Networked Cities in the U.S.,” we found our fair city sitting pretty at #21. If you haven’t figured it out, we LOVE social media at Hands On Charlotte. Whether through a blog post, a Tweet, a Facebook comment or a LinkedIn discussion, one of our goals is always to get volunteers to visit us (and each other) online.

But let’s be clear: all this social media hoopla is a means to an end. We want you to get connected online so that you can get connected in real life. For all the work we put in Tweeting and Facebooking, we spend 10-times as much energy providing you with opportunities to serve your community.

Looking for something to do to celebrate the Mother’s Day weekend? Here are a few options:

• Saturday – Special Olympics, Young Athletes Field Day: Assist kids with various basic sports and skill situations.
• Saturday – Trips for Kids: Just show up and ride bikes with kids while teaching them about bike safety! Bikes provided!
• Saturday – Assistance League Thrift Store: Sort clothes and other items as they head toward the showroom floor.
• Sunday – Pet Therapy at Mecklenburg Health Care Center: Bring Mom, Fluffy and/or Spot to visit with residents of this senior home. It only lasts an hour and is one of our most rewarding projects –ESPECIALLY on Mother’s Day.

Speaking of which, Hands On Charlotte wants to wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. Thanks for everything you do all year long!

Network connecting volunteers, resources to tornado-stricken areas

The HandsOn Network, of which Hands On Charlotte is a chartering member, is connecting volunteers and resources to communities impacted by last week’s devastating tornadoes. Hands On Charlotte volunteers who want to volunteer or donate to this cause should visit: Hands On Birmingham or The Volunteer Center of Morgan County, Alabama.

One of the many benefits of being a part of a national network of volunteers is that in moments like this, Hands On Charlotte volunteers are already connected to communities all around the world. To learn more about the HandsOn Network, please visit its website.

As spring blossoms, kids celebrate the season at Reedy Creek Park

Despite poor weather, a recent Easter egg hunt and celebration at Reedy Creek Park were a great success for area foster children. Kids participated in several arts and crafts projects with foster parents and HOC volunteers. The activities included decorating Easter eggs, creating a necklace, playing “Bunny” bingo, and “Pin the Tail on the Bunny” to name a few.

It was a joy to see how the children helped each other decorate as well as proudly display their creations. Culminating the event was the infamous hunt. While the children participated in the indoor activities, volunteers hid over 430 candy-filled Easter eggs throughout the playground. I don’t know how but the kids were able to find every single egg it seems like in less than 10 minutes.

The best part of volunteering with this event was the kid’s enthusiasm and smiles. They were truly excited and happy to participate in this event. Each proclaimed that they were going to get “the most” eggs which was a quick reminder of my own childhood. I truly enjoyed working with this project because this was my first dealing with children….I think I am finding my niche project


--Leticia Foster is a Hands On Charlotte volunteer.