THE CITIZEN BLOG
THE CITIZEN BLOG
Hot Projects: Week of July 8
Check out this week’s Hot Projects that include awesome volunteer opportunities with C3 Ministries, The Beltline, Blue Heron Nature Preserve and more!
Atlanta Beltline Westside 5K/8K
Saturday, July 13, 2019 From 6:00 AM - 9:30 AM (West End)
Now in its 9th year, the 2019 Atlanta BeltLine Run.Walk.Go! Race Series is the ideal way to explore different trail segments while enjoying some fresh air and exercise. Volunteers are needed to help with set up, encourage runners, staff water stations, and assist with break down. This year’s Westside 5k/8k/13k starts and ends at the Lee + White Development and makes extensive use of the Westside Trail. Hundreds of participants — from avid runners to families with pets and strollers — will travel through the historic neighborhoods of West End and Westview, with 8k participants continuing on the trail to Washington Park and back.
C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution
Thursday July 11, 2019 From 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Marietta)
The missions at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independence and ultimately able to return to serve others. Serving over 250 families every Thursday and over 471,508 pounds of food this year, they are greatly impacting our communities and with your help, they can continue to be more successful in making an impact in our community. Volunteers will have fun by re-stocking food shelves, loading boxing with food items and assisting in expediting boxes to attendees vehicles.
Wetlands Restoration at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve
Saturday, July 13, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Buckhead)
Come out to the Blue Heron Nature Preserve to help with wetland habitat restoration by removing invasive plants. This work is crucial as it helps establish a biodiverse native habitat that can support many different species of animals and insects. This is part of a larger wetlands restoration project where we will be hosting monthly volunteer work days. Please come prepared to get wet and muddy, and please bring a reusable water bottle. A water cooler, snacks, gloves, and tools will all be provided.
Mt. Zion Community Garden Big Dig
Thursday, July 25, 2019 From 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Jonesboro)
Out Teach equips teachers with the power of experiential learning outdoors to unlock student performance. Out Teach in partnership with Kaiser Permanente has committed to erecting a school-based community garden on both school sites and provide three years of professional training/technical assistance and related resources for classroom teachers of Mt. Zion elementary and primary school. Volunteer tasks include spreading mulch, painting tables and weeding. Court ordered volunteers are permitted to serve.
Volunteer Wednesday: Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill
Wednesday, July 17, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Lakewood)
The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill team is a member of the AgLanta Grows-A-Lot program. This site will become Atlanta's first Community Urban Food Forest, as well as a new model for a City of Atlanta park. The food forest will produce a wide variety of fresh, flavorful, and healthy nuts, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms, which will become available for public consumption. Located in an area identified as a food desert, the site was a working farm as recently as 2000. Volunteers will help with building the soil, weeding, planting, watering, harvesting and site beautification projects. Tools will be provided
Hot Projects: Week of July 1
Check out this week’s Hot Projects that include awesome volunteer opportunities with AIDS Atlanta, Out Teach, Books for Africa, and more!
Mt. Zion Community Garden Big Dig
Thursday, July 25, 2019 From 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Jonesboro)
Out Teach equips teachers with the power of experiential learning outdoors to unlock student performance. Out Teach in partnership with Kaiser Permanente has committed to erecting a school-based community garden on both school sites and provide three years of professional training/technical assistance and related resources for classroom teachers of Mt. Zion elementary and primary school. Volunteer tasks include spreading mulch, painting tables and weeding. Court ordered volunteers are permitted to serve.
Books for Africa
Friday, July 5, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (NW Atlanta)
Most African children who attend school have never owned a book of their own. For many children in Africa, the gift of books truly is a gift of hope. Since 1998, Books for Africa has sent over 20 million books to the children of Africa. They rely on volunteers like you to sort and pack the books for shipments. No heavy lifting is involved, and this is a fun and satisfying volunteer experience.
Phone Banking
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 From 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Ansley Park
Phone Banking for AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run. We meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5-8PM. Making calls to our past participants to register for this year’s event (Not cold-calling). These calls are very important to our event. Our participants are expecting these calls leading up to the day of event on September 29th. 2019. AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run is the largest AIDS-related fundraising event in the Southeastern United States. They continue to raise much needed funds for AIDS Service Organizations throughout the metro-Atlanta area.
Patchwork City Farm Volunteer Sundays!
Sunday, July 7, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Oakland City)
Patchwork City Farms (PCF) is a 1.2 acre independently-owned urban farm located in Atlanta. Its original inception began in the Historic West End neighborhood of Atlanta and has now moved to its permanent location of Oakland City. PCF continues to be at the leading edge of Farm to Table, Slow Food, and Sustainable Agricultural movements to name a few. Volunteers will help with building the soil, weeding, planting, watering, harvesting and site beautification projects.
Thrift Store Associate
Saturday, July 6, 2019 From 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Morrow)
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia operates 12 Thrift Stores throughout the state. Each store offers a wide variety of merchandise including clothing, accessories, furniture, and home goods. The revenue generated from the Thrift Stores stays in the local community and goes directly to the programs and services that help families and individuals in need. The thrift store associate assists in the retail operation of the thrift store. Volunteers will create merchandise displays that attract customers and entice them to purchase items from the store. Volunteers will be friendly and helpful, as well as have the ability to multi-task and work independently or as part of a team.
Hot Projects: Week of June 24
Check out this week’s Hot Projects that include awesome volunteer opportunities with Truly Living Well, The Wylde Center, Feeding and Helping Georgians and more!
Community Food Distribution
Thursday, June 27, 2019 From 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (SW Atlanta)
Come Volunteer with Feeding & Helping Georgians!!! FHG will be feeding over 800 individuals/families every week throughout the year in our community. They welcome rock stars of all ages (children 8 and under are welcome with direct supervision); organizations and corporate sponsors. FHG offers a daily family outreach ministry. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday they distribute food/wellness items to roughly 250 families daily! This opportunity is for onsite distribution only. All volunteers will remain onsite and assist FHG staff as they serve the community at large. FHG is located in the Ben Hill shopping plaza directly behind the Valero gas station.
AXYS 2019 Family Conference at Emory University
Saturday, June 29, 2019 From 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM (Emory University)
The Associate for X and Y Chromosome Variations (AXYS) is dedicated to addressing the needs of those affected by one of more extra X and/or Y chromosomes. They are focused on sharing knowledge, offering support and initiating action to help improve lives of individuals and families. The 2019 AXYS Family Conference furthers their mission by bringing nearly 300 attendees and presenters from the X and Y variation community. Volunteer tasks will include: assist with staff registration tables, hand out folders and t-shirts, direct attendees to rooms for sessions and help speakers set up and tidy-up room at the end of the session.
Grace Community Food Pantry
Tuesday, July 2, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM (NW Atlanta)
Grace Community Food Pantry’s mission is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in the Atlanta area. Pantry volunteers will aid in sorting food items and stocking the shelves of the Food Pantry. Volunteers will organize and unpack the food items that have been delivered, ensure freshness, and monitor quality before supplying the appropriate shelves with designated items. Volunteers will also break down boxes and take cardboard to the recycling bin/trash. In order to handle and stock food in the Food Pantry program, you must be at least 16 years old to volunteer without a chaperone.
Hawk Hollow Weekday Volunteering
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 From 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (Decatur)
The Wylde Center's mission is to cultivate vibrant greenspaces and inspire communities of environmental stewards. The Wylde Center actively engages youth, families, and individuals in their environment, health, and community through organized programs, classes, and events that develop creative skills in sustainable urban living, organic gardening, health and nutrition. Hawk Hollow, A native plant restoration site offers many unique opportunities for digging in the dirt. They do everything from mulching to planting to weeding. Because gardening is so seasonally dependent, it is hard to predict exactly what tasks will be done each work day, but we can promise you some hard work and getting dirty!
Beautification of the Farm @ Truly Living Well East Point
Friday, June 28 2019 From 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (East Point)
TLW, a 501(c)3 based in Atlanta, works to engage the community in developing local food systems through education and food production. In addition, TLW demonstrates urban agriculture as a sustainable and economic solution for helping people to eat and live better. It is their mission to grow better communities by connecting people with the land through education, training, and demonstration of economic success in natural urban agriculture. They’ve spent five years creating rich soil used at both farm sites and for sale to community gardeners. Volunteer tasks will include clearing all weeds, creating rock borders, applying fresh coats of paint on herb benches, and adding mulch to defined areas.
Hot Projects: Week of June 17
Check out this week’s Hot Projects that include awesome volunteer opportunities with Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Piedmont Park and more!
Wetlands Restoration at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve
Saturday, June 22, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Buckhead)
Come out to the Blue Heron Nature Preserve to help with wetland habitat restoration by removing invasive plants. This work is crucial as it helps establish a biodiverse native habitat that can support many different species of animals and insects. This is part of a larger wetlands restoration project where monthly volunteer work days will be hosted to complete this work in partnership with Hands On Atlanta. This work day is brought to you by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant.
Making a Masterpiece for InCommunity
Monday, June 24, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Union City)
At InCommunity they partner to enrich and sustain the lives of individuals who have developmental disabilities, their families, and their communities. This volunteer opportunity helps the InCommunity Organization carry out its mission by bringing awareness within the community of the mentally disabled and bringing a sense of normalcy for our individuals that are treated differently. Volunteers will assist in cleaning floors, stairs, kitchen tables and dressers, organizing pantries and painting the walls within the house a designated color.
Green Team- Pitch in for Piedmont Park!
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Piedmont Park)
Branch out and head outside to have some fun while making a dramatic difference in Piedmont Park! Green Team volunteers sustain and transform Piedmont Park by working together to make the park a more beautiful place. All projects take place outdoors and are based on the current needs of the park. Projects include; pruning, weeding, mulching, collecting trash, rooting out invasive species, etc.
Summer Service! Community Program Materials Prep Event
Thursday, June 20, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Mableton)
The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta have 500 bags that need to be sorted and filled to aid girls and parents in understanding Girl Scouts. This project is impactful because it helps girls in their Outreach program, who may not based on their life or community setting, be able to access Girl Scouts. This event is inside and there is free parking onsite!
Volunteer Chase Driver
Saturday, June 22, 2019 From 6:00 PM - 11:30 PM (Various)
As a chase driver, you will play a key role in providing lifesaving SafeRide Service. Volunteer chase drivers help to prevent 1000’s of preventable DUI arrests, 100’s of accidents and injuries, and just maybe save someone’s life. When you come in, you will be partnered with a professional driver and you will shuttle that driver around for the night. You will be assigned to an area like Buckhead, Sandy Springs or Roswell. When a request for SafeRide service is made, your partner will direct you where to go. Once you get there, your partner SafeRide driver will get into the other person's car with them, drive them home, while you follow behind as the chase car. When completed you will go to the next one or back to your assigned area.
Hands On Atlanta Awarded $500,000 Grant from The Marcus Foundation
Hands On Atlanta has received a 3-year, $500,000 grant from The Marcus Foundation to engage the next generation of Atlanta changemakers.
The grant will help Hands On Atlanta deliver several volunteer focused initiatives, with a goal to make serving Atlanta more accessible than ever. Currently only 24% of Atlantans volunteer, placing the city 36th among the 50 largest metropolitan areas. With this grant, Hands On Atlanta will expand digital and virtual volunteer offerings, as well as “pop-up” service projects in high-traffic areas, like the Atlanta Beltline.
“The issues facing our community continue to change, and the ways Atlantans can solve these challenges continues to evolve. Our volunteers want to use all their skills to do something good. It’s our responsibility to provide these opportunities and meet Atlantans where they are. The opportunity The Marcus Foundation has given us is an incredible lift for metro Atlanta as a whole,” said Jay Cranman, Hands On Atlanta President and CEO.
The Marcus Foundation has been a long-time supporter of Hands On Atlanta and other organizations that seek to improve the greater Atlanta community.
“On the 30th anniversary of our organization, we are grateful for the support and leadership from Bernie Marcus, who has been with us since the beginning. Being awarded this grant will significantly impact our ability to tackle Atlanta’s most pressing needs, while positioning us to lead Atlanta in becoming one of our country’s most civically engaged cities,” added Cranman.
Hot Projects: Week of June 10
Check out this week’s Hot Projects that include awesome volunteer opportunities with Trees Atlanta, Open Hand, Grant Park Conservancy and more!
Beautification of the Farm @ Truly Living Well East Point
Tuesday, June 18, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (East Point)
TLW, a 501(c)3 based in Atlanta, works to engage the community in developing local food systems through education and food production. In addition, TLW demonstrates urban agriculture as a sustainable and economic solution for helping people to eat and live better. It is their mission to grow better communities by connecting people with the land through education, training, and demonstration of economic success in natural urban agriculture. Volunteer tasks will include clearing all weeds and overgrown debris with rakes, creating rock borders with rocks provided on site, applying fresh paint on herb benches and clearing out tall planters at mailbox entrance.
Morning Project- Project Grant
Saturday, June 22, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Grant Park)
Project GRANT (Greenspace Restoration and Neighborhood Teamwork) convened monthly in the park for morning (9am-12pm) and afternoon (1pm-4pm) work sessions. Both sessions will tackle labor-intensive projects throughout the park including invasive plant removal, tree canopy care, trash pick-up and more. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for one of both sessions and these work days are great for small groups or those in need of community service hours.
Open Hand Meal Delivery
Saturday, June 15, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Various Locations)
Open Hand helps homebound seniors and others suffering from disability or chronic disease by providing Comprehensive Nutrition Care™(CNC), a combination of nutritious, home-delivered meals, and nutrition education. Open Hand prepares, packages, and delivers 5,000 nutritionally-appropriate meals a day, six days a week with the support of volunteers. Volunteer drivers are a critical part of the service Open Hand provides to the community, since a majority of the organization’s clients are homebound. In fact, a volunteer driver is quite often the only person a client may see on any given day. Volunteers will pick-up meals, deliver meals to clients using their own vehicles and gas, and return the delivery list and delivery bags back to the Open Hand site.
Trees Atlanta Forest Restoration Invasive Plant Removal
Saturday, June 15, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (East Point)
Trees Atlanta is a nationally recognized non-profit citizens’ group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating. The vast majority of Trees Atlanta’s work is accomplished with the help of volunteers including all the trees we plant and much of our invasive plant removal! Volunteers will be removing woody invasive plants form the Connally Nature Park in East Point.
Girls Inc. Summer University- Wellness Program Helper
Monday, June 17, 2019 From 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM (Marietta)
Girls Inc. Summer University serves girls between the ages of 5 - 18 for six weeks in the summer. Each morning the girls will have wellness hours, where they will feature self-care practices such as meditation, yoga, healthy nutrition, etc. During this time, volunteers will greet girls upon arrival, socialize with them and help supervise and interact with girls during free time. Volunteers will also assist staff members in implementing programming, making sure girls understand the instructions and are staying on task, assisting them with the activity or helping the staff member with supplies etc.
Points of Light and The Starbucks Foundation Expand Innovative Service Model in 20 Cities Across the United States
Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, and The Starbucks Foundation announce the expansion of The Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows Program, an innovative service model inspired by national service.
Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, and The Starbucks Foundation announce the expansion of The Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows Program, an innovative service model inspired by national service.
Following a successful six-month pilot last year, the full-scale program will expand to 7 new markets, reaching 20 cities and engaging 100 Starbucks partners (employees). The program is designed to provide needed day-to-day support to local nonprofit organizations while providing an opportunity for Starbucks partners to pursue their personal passion to get involved in their communities.
“The Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows program is a promising model that provides companies with a new way to think about the role they can play in promoting and enabling service opportunities,” says Natalye Paquin, president and CEO of Points of Light. “We believe that by partnering together, the Service Fellows will significantly enhance the capacity of nonprofit organizations to effectively leverage human capital to meet their missions. We are excited to see this program grow and look forward to supporting fellows as they unlock their own potential to create meaningful change through service.”
Points of Light received a $3.5 million grant from The Starbucks Foundation to expand the infrastructure and impact of The Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows program by 2020, which includes direct support of Points of Light’s commitment to strengthen the capacity of the nonprofit sector through resources, programs and partnerships.
The Starbucks Foundation will fund support for local nonprofits affiliated with the Points of Light Global Network. As part of this service model, Points of Light will match the 100 fellows with their local network member. During their service term, the fellows will work part-time for Points of Light, expanding the capacity of the local nonprofit and their community partners to meet their missions, while continuing to work part-time at Starbucks. This experience plays an important role in exposing the Fellows to future civic and community engagement opportunities, while expanding their professional skills and experiences.
“Each Starbucks store is part of a community, and we’re committed to strengthening the neighborhoods we serve,” says Virginia Tenpenny, executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “We believe service goes hand in hand with our mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. This program is an evolution of Starbucks long-standing commitment to serving our communities, year-round.”
Following an application process that kicked off this week, the first group of 50 Starbucks partners across 20 cities will be selected as Service Fellows, to begin in September with sector education and organizational onboarding, and their service terms will run from October 2019 through March 2020. The second group of Service Fellows will serve April through October 2020.
Members of the Points of Light Global Network that will host Service Fellows are: Hands On Atlanta, HandsOn Bay Area, HandsOn Birmingham, Boston Cares, HandsOn Broward, Chicago Cares, VolunteerNow, Spark the Change Colorado, Volunteer Fairfax, Volunteer Houston, HandsOn Miami, Hands On Nashville, New York Cares, HandsOn New Orleans, United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey, HandsOn Twin Cities, HandsOn Greater Phoenix, HandsOn San Diego, Seattle Works, United Way of King County, and United Way of Greater St. Louis, as well as Points of Light headquarters in Atlanta.
To learn more about the impact of The Starbucks Foundation Service Fellows program, visit the Points of Light blog or Starbucks Stories for impact stories.
About Points of Light
Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities across 37 countries and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 20 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.
About The Starbucks Foundation
Established in 1997, The Starbucks Foundation strengthens communities around the world by advancing opportunities for youth, veterans, refugees and coffee, tea and cocoa farmers and their families, supporting communities affected by disaster, and promoting civic engagement. The Starbucks Foundation is a U.S. 501 (c)(3) charitable organization under U.S. law, and receives funding primarily from Starbucks Corporation and private donations. Learn more at https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/starbucks-foundation.
Hot Projects: Week of June 3
Check out this week’s Hot Projects that include awesome volunteer opportunities with West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Open Hand, AXYS Conference and more!
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance 2nd Service Saturdays
Saturday, June 8, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (SW Atlanta)
This program facilitated by the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and made possible by a grant from USDA Forest Service for our Atlanta Children’s Forest Network, provides the opportunity for youth 10 years and older to participate in meaningful activities encouraging conservation, stewardship and experiential learning on the second Saturday of every month (excluding January and July). Tasks: Trail building and maintenance, Invasive Plant Eradication, Habitat Restoration and other activities needed to manage the facility and grounds of this unique urban resource!
C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution
Thursday, June 13, 2019 From 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM (Marietta)
C3 Ministries’ missiong is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independant and ultimately able to return to serve others. C3 has served over 250 families every Thursday and with over 471,508 pounds of food this year. Give back to your community while having fun and meeting new friends, while re-stocking food shelves, loading boxes with food items and assisting in carrying boxes to attendees vehicles.
Open Hand Meal Delivery
Saturday, June 15, 2019 From 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Various Locations)
Open Hand helps homebound seniors and others suffering from disability or chronic disease by providing Comprehensive Nutrition Care™(CNC), a combination of nutritious, home-delivered meals, and nutrition education. Open Hand prepares, packages, and delivers 5,000 nutritionally-appropriate meals a day, six days a week with the support of volunteers. Volunteer drivers are a critical part of the service Open Hand provides to the community, since a majority of the organization’s clients are homebound. In fact, a volunteer driver is quite often the only person a client may see on any given day. Volunteers will pick-up meals, deliver meals to clients using their own vehicles and gas, and return the delivery list and delivery bags back to the Open Hand site.
Pajama Program Volunteers for Hotlanta Marathon
Sunday, June 9, 2019 From 6:30 AM - 9:30 AM (Atlanta- Old Fourth Ward)
At Pajama Program, they promote a comforting bedtime routine for children affected by instability to help them thrive. At the Atlanta Reading Center, their programming focuses on shared reading between a child and an adult volunteer. Volunteers needed to distribute water to runners! Fun opportunity to beat the heat with an early start and then you have the rest of the day free!
AXYS 2019 Family Conference at Emory University
Various Shifts daily Thursday June 27 through Sunday June 30 (Emory University)
The Association for X and Y Chromosome Variations (AXYS) is dedicated to addressing the needs of those affected by one or more extra X and/or Y chromosomes. AXYS focuses on sharing knowledge, offering support and initiating action to help improve lives of individuals and families. Learn more at genetic.org. The 2019 AXYS Family Conference furthers our mission by bringing together nearly 300 attendees and presenters from the X and Y variation community. Volunteers will help by prepping conference materials, staffing the registration table, directing attendees and more.