What did you do Saturday?

I had the great fortune to participate in the Shining Hope Farms' Green Acre Project. This was my second time at this particular Hands On Charlotte event, and I had an even better time. Shining Hope Farms is non-profit organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding, family and caregiver support, and social and recreational activities for children and adults, some of which have disabilities.

Peter Samaroo, the project leader, was great. Part of our “work” was to help clear one of the riding trails from small trees in the way. In the interest of the children’s safety, we decided that additional dead or fallen trees posed a threat to the trail and must be taken down immediately. In addition, I helped out with some of the usual necessities, like raking up the “gumballs” dropped from the Sugar Gum trees. These can bruise the hooves of the horses. The other volunteers helped with spreading some grass seed, covering the seed with hay, combating fire ants, and, of course, playing with the horses.

We all had a really nice Saturday morning helping a great cause. I hope to visit the Shining Hope Farm soon, see the kids having a great time, and see my hard work pay off. While some people were still recovering from Friday night or sitting around with nothing to do, Kira, Sean, Peter, Luke, Chris, Natalie, and I got to go outside, get some sun, get some exercise, and help a great cause continue their excellent work in the community. I look forward to seeing the same faces (with some new) out there next time.

Check out more photos from the event on our Facebook page.


Josh Sauer is a volunteer for Hands On Charlotte.

Major makeover in store for our website

After a year of planning, training and designing, Hands On Charlotte is outright excited to announce that our website is getting a major overhaul. The scheduled launch date is April 7. With new search options, cleaner navigation, user profiles, user-to-user communication and more social media integration, our new website is going to improve your experience as a volunteer in important ways.


In the transition to the new website, there are a couple important things you should know:

• The current website will shut down April 4. That means all the regular communication you get via our website will not exist. Stay updated on our Facebook page and on our Twitter feed.
  
  
• Existing users will receive an email containing a temporary password when the new site is activated. You will need that password to log in initially. We will give you more details about this via email in the coming weeks.

We can't wait to share the new website with you, and we are confident the transition will be seamless. Tonight from 6 to 7 p.m. on Twitter and Facebook, we will answer your questions, share screenshots and chat about the redesigned website. Send us your Tweets with the hashtag #handsonclt and follow us @HandsOnCLT.

Help Hands On Charlotte Save Service

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 1, a budget resolution that completely eliminates funding for the programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service, including AmeriCorps and the Volunteer Generation Fund. The bill will now be considered by the Senate.

If passed, this cut would immediately eliminate Hands On Charlotte's AmeriCorps and VISTA positions, cutting our staff by MORE than half and deeply affecting our ability to mobilize 15,000 volunteers to support more than 150 organizations and schools on the front lines of improving the lives of Charlotteans.

In 2010, Hands On Charlotte increased our projects by 62%, total volunteer hours by 42% and volunteer slots filled by 57%. Much of this growth is directly related to the work of our AmeriCorps/VISTA team. They have developed projects that tutor children, renovate schools, clean streams and parks, and help struggling families feed, clothe and house their children. In exchange for their valuable work, AmeriCorps members receive a very small living stipend and an education award to pay for college loans.

Hundreds of other organizations utilize AmeriCorps members, including Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs and Teach for America. The elimination of AmeriCorps will severely impact our country's ability to serve our own citizens in need! Presidents of both parties have supported AmeriCorps as a model of public/private partnerships. AmeriCorps leverages private funds to match the federal funds at a tune of almost $800 million per year.

Hands On Charlotte and the HandsOn Network are part of a group of service organizations called Save Service, who's informative web site provides suggestions on how you -- and anyone who cares about the work of HOC -- can help.

Thank you for letting your Senator know that you support volunteerism and the vital work of AmeriCorps members. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and our Twitter page for updates, and spread the word about this issue through your email and social media networks.

Project gives kids chance to earn bikes

When the thermometer outside hits 65 degrees, I take my bike off the rack and pump up the tires. On a sunny day, nothing is better than a bike ride around the neighborhood or to the park. I’m 26 years old now, but I’ve felt this way since I captained that first tricycle.

Thanks to Santa and my family, I always had a bike growing up. Unfortunately, not everyone who wants a bike has one as a kid. But that’s what makes one of our projects this week special.

On Tuesday, volunteers from Goodrich’s Environmental, Health and Safety Department purchased and assembled 10 new mountain bikes. Through Trips For Kids Charlotte, kids in at-risk neighborhoods will have the opportunity to earn a free bike in exchange for completing lessons in bike mechanics and safety.

From that first tricycle to the hybrid hanging on my wall, bikes have always fed a sense of freedom and independence in me. Thank you to Goodrich and Trips For Kids Charlotte for giving some kids the chance to earn that feeling.

Protests in Egypt spark push toward community service

Despite the uncertainty of Egypt’s current situation, Egyptians are claiming and investing in their country and community through service. Take a look at this video from The Daily News – Egypt.

While some of us are still grappling to understand the forces behind the Egyptian protests, there is a lesson in this clip about empowerment. Hands On Charlotte offers service opportunities in Charlotte similar to what you saw in the video. We offer Charlotte volunteers the opportunity to shape and to invest in their community. We hope to see you at a project soon.