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.