The Benefits of Volunteering

June 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
NORFOLK (Feb. 19, 2009) Sailors sort through f... 

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Most people know that volunteering benefits the community. But community service is also a great way to help yourself. There is a wide range of organizations to fit every need, interest, and time commitment. Get started volunteering today to give yourself the many benefits that these activities create.

Develop Your Hobbies
Volunteering provides a break from everyday activities at work and home that consume our lives. It can give you a chance to get involved with activities you’ve always found fun. You may even discover a hobby you weren’t ever aware you had!

A New Experience
Community service gives you the chance to experience your community, hands on. You can work in developing countries or in your own backyard. Either way, you’ll see the concrete impact of your work.

Meet New People
You’ll encounter a diverse set of people when you volunteer, from the people with whom you work through any of the organizations you choose to the people who benefit from your volunteering. It will also give you the opportunity to network and could potentially advance your career.

Benefit Your Career
Employers value candidates who have had volunteer experience. They know that volunteering can improve and add to your skill set. Volunteering is also the perfect way to gain experience in a new field if you’re thinking about making a career change.

Sense of Self
You’re making the choice to volunteer, so your actions will truly bring you fulfillment. You’ll feel a sense of achievement for volunteering that you may not get from completing the work you’re obligated to do.

 

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Starting a Local Soup Kitchen

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Volunteer washing dishes after lunch at Our Fa...

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Soup kitchen and community meals they were very common during the depression. This is because many people could not afford to buy food for their family. While soup kitchens were still in existence after the depression they became increasingly popular with the recent downfall of the economy. If you are thinking of starting a soup kitchen in your local community here’s how you get started.

The first step to getting started as a soup kitchen is to register as a nonprofit organization. This can be done by contacting this state charity registration office. This will allow you to collect donations and raise money without having to pay federal taxes. There will also be an IRS form that must be filled out.

The second step to getting started as a soup kitchen is to fill out a grant proposal. Grant proposals are a great way to receive state, federal, and organizational funding for your soup kitchen. The grant proposal must include your mission statement, an explanation of your soup kitchen in stating the problem and how your soup kitchen will. This will allow the government offices to determine if a soup kitchen should be funded.

Your next step will be to find the location of where you want the soup kitchen. Soup kitchens are usually located in areas where there is low income or a lot of homeless people. However, soup kitchens are you coming increasingly popular in all types of areas. Soup kitchens can usually be found in churches, community and civic centers. Although you can also start soup kitchen anywhere that is willing to have one.

After you have found the location for your soup kitchen and received all the necessary resources to start the soup kitchen you will want to contact the local media and community service organizations. These organizations and media outlets will help you get the word out there about your soup kitchen and raise public awareness so that those in need will be able to find a soup kitchen and those that are able to will give you donations.

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The Benefits of a Halfway House

January 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many people don’t understand the benefits of a halfway house. This facility is an important piece of an addict’s recovery. Instead of finishing rehab and immediately re-entering society, a halfway house allows him or her to slowly ease back into the real world of everyday pressures and temptations. Let’s take a closer look at halfway houses:

The Benefits of a Halfway House

Depending on your level of addiction, it may have been a long time since you functioned like most people. You may have lived on the streets without a job for years or you may have used your drug of choice to cope with your problems. In a rehab center, your world is very controlled and safe. Without this safety net, many addicts relapse. A halfway house provides counseling and support to help you find a job, deal with your family, or just a sympathetic ear to listen on a rough day. Just a kind word anda littlesupport from someone who knows how you feel can mean the difference between a lasting recovery and a quick relapse.

How You Can Help

Although halfway houses employ trained counselors, this doesn’t mean you can’t help! If you really want to help recovering drug abusers stay clean and sober, call a local halfway house and ask about volunteer opportunities. As long as you have a compassionate attitude, there will definitely be a position for you. If you’re hesitating because you’re a recovering addict, don’t let that stop you from calling. Many of the best counselors used to be addicts themselves. Sometimes, the best help comes from someone who’s been there! If you’re looking for a rehab center or a halfway house in your area, visit TheCyn.com to find one.

If you’re considering rehab, don’t skip this very necessary part of your recovery. Without an extensive support network afterwards, the pressures and temptations of the day-to-day world often prove to be too much.

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Disability Rights

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Millions of people worldwide have some kind of disability. These can range from physical disabilities like hearing or vision impairment, cerebral palsy, heart and respiratory disorders, and epilepsy, to mental or learning disabilities like dyslexia, autism, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The disabled often feel ostracized, often enduring negative comments and even bullying. If someone you love is disabled or you simply have a desire to want to help spread disability rights awareness, embrace the cause.

The best thing you can ever do for a person with a disability is to speak up when you witness bullying. Children are often cruel in school, especially during the middle and high school years, and school can become a disheartening place for the bullied. As a parent, talk to your kids about standing up against bullies and, if you’re a student yourself, talk about it among your friends. Allowing a bully to prey on the disabled only reinforces a negative stereotype and empowers the bully. Others witnessing you taking a stand are also likely to follow your lead.

Organize a function to celebrate disabilities and the uniqueness of every individual. You can do this by organizing a wheelchair-only sports event or fashion show. Volunteer for the Special Olympics or spend an hour or two in an elementary school special education classroom. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities in group homes where most of the disabled are adults. You may volunteer to drive their van on a special outing or offer to organize a game night. Be creative.

Remember to never make assumptions about a person’s disability and always be sensitive. Most people with a disability do not mind and even prefer to talk about it, so don’t think you need to ignore it completely. Politely ask about it and listen, but be mindful if the person steers away from the topic. They may not feel comfortable discussing it.

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Strategies for Growing Non-Profit Organizations

January 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Just like for-profit businesses and companies, non-profit organizations must receive more than they give. However, unlike for-profit organizations, non-profits usually have limited funds that can be allocated to operating costs, advertising and other means of putting themselves out there. Rather, everything they do must be done with the intention of increasing revenue, thus allowing them to provide more of the benefits for which the organization is responsible.

Even for non-profit organizations, however, some paid employees are necessary for the day-to-day functions. There has to be enough people to maintain an efficient organization, and these people must be able to do what is necessary to do their jobs — bringing about increases in revenue, membership, contributions and other areas. Making sure this can happen may mean cutting back in some places.

Just like for-profit businesses, however, non-profits can find ways to decrease costs. These can include taking advantage of unpaid interns, volunteer workers, high schoolers needing community service hours, and even family members and relatives. Other ways can include performing as many tasks as possible in-house.

Still another way of increasing revenue and lowering costs is by the use of online printing services. These may be printing companies that operate strictly online or may also have “brick-and-mortar” locations but also offer online printing services. There are many advantages to using online printing services, including faster and more effective communication between your organization and the printing company. Instead of trying to handle business over the phone, giving sizes, dimensions, wording, and other information orally, a few e-mails or even instant messages between your organization and the printing company will get the job done more quickly.

Further, there is no “down time” while changes and edits are being made and processed. The online printing service can take the order, make the initial draft, and send it for approval. Once it is approved, the final draft can then be sent, and the entire order filled.

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Community Gardening: History and Current Trends

December 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Community gardens have grown in popularity over the last decade, as people have become more aware of the value of eating organic local food. Furthermore, fruit and vegetables have grown more expensive due to global warming and other climate changes. Community gardens generally provide fresh produce as well as flowers, and they are a lovely sight in a an urban neighborhood.

Community gardens were popular during both World Wars, as they provided food that didn’t require transportation. The Victory Gardens Program was set up during World War II, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared that fresh vegetable lead to person well-being and overall health. During that time, the Victory Gardens Program, with about 20 million gardens, provided almost half of the vegetables consumed in the United States. During the Great Depression, approximately 5,000 gardens were set up in New York to support poor and unemployed persons.

Today, community gardens are often owned by non-profit organizations or town or city governments. Unlike communal gardens or parks, they are not always open to the public. Community gardens have different membership models, which vary from plot to plot. Generally, the members care for the garden, either by tending their own personal plot or working with others in a communal way. New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States all use the term “community garden,” whereas in Europe they are called “allotment gardens.”

In North America, a non-profit foundation called American Community Gardening Association focuses on increasing the number of gardens in the United States and Canada. The organization believes that community gardens benefit neighborhoods by encouraging community interaction, providing healthy produce, saving families money, providing opportunities for exercise, and therapeutic time spent in greenery. Also, the ACGA declares that community gardens provide the opportunity to educate people about gardening techniques and nutrition.

The USDA claims that approximately 15% of food today is grown in urban areas, in backyards, on apartment balconies and in community gardens. Community gardens can improve nutrition for a neighborhood, particularly for low-income persons.

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