Monthly Archives: January 2010

01.18.10
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MLK Day Virtual Town Hall

All day today the Hands On Network is organizing town halls in major cities around the country, and you can connect online, upload photos of your service project today, chat with leaders who are participating, and share your story.

Tomorrow I hope to post a podcast show from this past Friday where I interviewed Points of Light Institute CEO Michelle Nunn (co-founder of the Hands On Network, now part of POL). But for now, here is Michelle Nunn’s announcement about today’s Virtual Town Hall:

On Monday, Jan. 18, Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network will bring the nation together in service, dialogue and reflection during a MLK Day Virtual Town Hall as we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Congressman John Lewis has eloquently captured the meaning of our goal – bringing families and communities together with one vision in mind: “actualizing King’s dream of a beloved community, a nation and a world at peace with itself.”

Join us on Jan. 18 in a MLK Day Virtual Town Hall – an online, interactive dialogue that bridges social, economic and cultural diversity by exploring innovative ideas for how service and dialogue can bring us closer to Dr. King’s dream. During the town hall, citizens from across the nation will be able to have live chats, post pictures and videos and share their experiences about how the volunteer movement has impacted them and their communities.

The call, “A Day On, Not A Day Off. Remember. Celebrate. Act.” will be simulcast from seven major markets across the U.S. (Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York, Phoenix, Sacramento and St. Louis).  An exciting announcement – to be disclosed Monday – will be revealed during our Chicago simulcast.

Key leaders participating in the MLK Day Virtual Town Hall and service projects and dialogues across the country include MLK Jr. Day of Service Ambassador and Rep. John Lewis, Congresswoman Doris Matsui from California, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Birmingham acting Mayor Roderick Royal, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service Nicola Goren, York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, D.C. Councilmember Muriel Bowser and many more.

Many of the hundreds of thousands of people who will volunteer on Monday will add to their engagement by making contributions to the relief efforts in Haiti. Derreck Kayongo, Senior Field Coordinator for the CARE Action Network will join our Town Hall on Monday to talk about what we can do as a nation to help Haitians rebuild and recover.

The MLK Day Virtual Town Hall will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m. EST and will feature HandsOn Network Action Centers and nonprofit organizations’ service events and dialogues nationwide. Tune in all day for exciting highlights and to join the dialogues.  All times are eastern standard.
  • 8:00 a.m. Welcome Remarks by Congressman John Lewis and Michelle Nunn
  • 8:30 a.m. Hands On Atlanta, Annual King Summit Freedom Rally
  • 10:00 a.m. Greater DC Cares, Powell Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
  • 11:00 a.m. Youth HandsOn Network, PS 57 James W. Johnson School in Harlem
  • 12:00 p.m. Hands On Sacramento at Quinn Cottages
  • 1:00 p.m.  HandsOn Greater Phoenix at South Mountain Park
  • 2:00 p.m.  Special Live Announcement
  • 3:00 p.m. United Way of Greater St. Louis at St. John United Church
  • 4:00 p.m. Closing and Call to Service in 2010
There are multiple ways people can serve, celebrate and engage in the various projects across the U.S. To find out more information and how you can volunteer, please visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @HandsOnNetwork.

Join the dialogue on Monday at www.handsonnetwork.org to partner with us as we advance Dr. King’s dream of a beloved community in a new and innovative way!

01.18.10
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My MLK Service Project: Disaster Preparedness on my Street

I really wanted to do something for MLK Day that ties to the earthquake in Haiti — it’s just where my heart is right now.

So my family and I have decided to share disaster and earthquake preparedness information with our neighbors here in Portland, Oregon (an earthquake-vulnerable region), as our service project for today. I thought I’d also share the information with you and with my social network.

If you like this idea, I highly encourage you to download the documents linked below and consider sharing them with your family and friends, sharing this blog post on your Facebook profile and other social networks, and spreading the word about disaster preparation.

Howdy Neighbors, and Happy MLK Day 2010!

This past week my family and I have been gripped by the news coming out of Haiti.

In addition to finding ways to help out in the aftermath of that disaster, we’re taking time this weekend to pull out our own disaster supplies kit and update anything in it that needs refreshing (bottled water, packaged food, batteries), and make sure the kit’s complete.

In honor of today’s national day of service, we wanted to pass along the checklists enclosed [and linked below] from the American Red Cross so your family can refer to them easily to update, or put together, your own kits.

Also you can learn more at www.redcross.org and at www.cruzrojaamericana.org.

Sincerely,

Amy and family

01.16.10
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Can AmeriCorps Members Raise Funds for Haiti?

AmeriCorps State and National members are typically limited in the amount of fund raising they are allowed to do during hours they count towards their 1700 hours.(AmeriCorps VISTA members are not restricted and often hold grant writing and other development positions.)

Today, Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, issued a statement indicating that national service members may be permitted to take part in fundraising for the Haiti earthquake relief effort “within certain limits” and “as supplemental to the core program activity:”

We have been asked whether it is permissible for national service programs to participate in fundraising and other community outreach efforts in support of Haiti earthquake relief.  Within certain limits to be discussed with Corporation program officers, it is generally permissible for national service participants to support this activity as supplemental to the core program activity.  We are putting together more detailed answers to frequently-asked questions for programs considering ways to contribute to the relief effort, to be posted and updated as needed.  Please forward any questions you have to your program officer so that we can provide specific guidance.

I’ll update this post when more details are available.

01.15.10
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Are you a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Hoping to Help Out in Haiti?

UPDATE 1/19/10: Peace Corps Response needs Returned Peace Corps Volunteers [only] who are Kreyol speakers to leave for Haiti within 24-48 hours. Contact pcresponse [at] peacecorps.gov.

Peace Corps has created a questionnaire (not an application) to gauge the current level of interest among Returned Peace Corps Volunteers [only] to assist Haiti via Peace Corps Response (formerly Crisis Corps).

If you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer willing and able to volunteer in Haiti, please copy and paste these questions, and fill out your responses, in an email to: pcresponse [at] peacecorps.gov.

Peace Corps Response is the agency’s program that mobilizes former Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in short-term, high-impact volunteer roles. Follow more news about Peace Corps and the Haiti Earthquake on Peace Corps Polyglot, the blog of the National Peace Corps Association, and on the Haiti Disaster Response discussion group for RPCVs.

Peace Corps Response — Haiti Response Questionnaire

Thank you for your interest in assisting Haiti during this time of emergency. To help us gauge the current level of interest among former Peace Corps Volunteers, please fill out this questionnaire. This is NOT an application. Please keep your answers brief (no more than 3 sentences). Please email your completed questionnaire to pcresponse@peacecorps.gov. [NOTE: please only use this form if you are a former Peace Corps Volunteer.]

Name: ______________________________

Country of Service (when you were a Peace Corps Volunteer): ________________________

Telephone: ____________________ Email Address: _______________

1. How soon would you be available to depart on a response assignment?

2. How long would you be able to serve?

3. What languages do you speak and with what proficiency?

4. What technical skills do you possess that would be beneficial in a disaster situation?

5. What prior experience have you had with disaster relief or emergency situations?

6. Peace Corps Response will most likely be sending Volunteers in the next month or so. Given this, are you open to being referred to another government agency or nongovernmental organization for an immediate assignment in Haiti?

01.15.10
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Helping Haiti: Things to Consider – Donations and Volunteering

Flag image via Victor Chapa on Flickr

This post has three sections: Donations; Volunteering Locally to Support Efforts in Haiti; and Volunteering in Haiti. Idealist staff Jeremy MacKechnie, Amy Potthast, Erin Barnhart, Eric Fichtl, Scott Stadum, and Julia Smith contributed. Originally posted on Idealist.org.

The outpouring of support for the victims of Tuesday’s natural disaster in Haiti has been overwhelming. As we look for ways to help, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Donations

From news reports and our organizational contacts, it seems the logistics of sending aid and support to Haiti is compromised by electrical outages, gas shortages, and destroyed roads. Most organizations have sent small teams of staff and are assessing needs on-the-ground at this point. Supplies that have made it to the ports and airport are having a hard time getting in to affected areas due to the impassability of roads.

As our Director of Volunteer Initiatives, Erin Barnhart, wrote on YP Nation yesterday: While many are willing and able to volunteer today—ready to hop on a plane to Port-au-Prince and lend a hand however they are needed—the reality is there may not yet be appropriate ways for most people to pitch in, especially in the days immediately following a disaster of this magnitude.

Thus, the fastest and most efficient way to assist disaster victims at this time is to donate money to a reputable charity that is responding to the disaster. Many charities like the Red Cross/Red Crescent, Mercy Corps, and Oxfam specialize in providing relief in acute disaster areas, yet they face significant financial barriers to getting their staff, equipment, and supplies to the affected regions. Other organizations like Partners in Health, UNICEF, and the Grameen Foundation have a long history in Haiti and are positioned to make a huge impact in the aftermath of this week’s disaster. Find other organizations supporting Haiti relief efforts on CNN.com or at Network for Good. On a White House call today, participants were encouraged to donate to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

Your donation, no matter how small, helps put experienced disaster responders on the ground, and gives them the tools they need to help victims recover. Be sure that you are taking precautions to donate to a reputable organization. You may want to review this article on internet scams that have arisen surrounding the tragedy in Haiti.

Note that organizations are asking for financial donations—not supplies—because they prefer to purchase exactly what they need from secure supply chains, using delivery means that can ensure the safety of the shipment. Where possible, purchasing materials available locally is also a boon to the local economy in the wake of a natural disaster. Read more about why cash donations are preferred.

Some organizations have organized text messaging donation drives: you can text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross; text “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele; or text “HAITI” to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee. Organizations should send you a text to confirm that you want to donate, and if you accept, the amount will appear on your next cell phone bill – which you can use as your receipt for tax purposes. These have been very popular and successful; however, it is worth considering that the money may take up to 90 days to reach the people and efforts on the ground, as there are processed through the cell phone company and possibly other parties. Read more here.

ReCellular is accepting old cell phone donations to send to emergency response teams in Haiti.

Volunteering Locally to Support Efforts in Haiti

If you are not in a financial position to donate, you can still help the relief effort in a variety of ways, often right in your own community. Most organizations don’t want to receive supplies such as clothing, but you can post a donation banner for an organization you support on your blog or website, volunteer at the local office of a charity that has sent staff to the affected area, or organize initiatives in your community that raise awareness about, and funding for, the relief effort.

Such efforts shouldn’t be downplayed: raising money, spreading awareness, or lobbying community leaders to support the relief effort can all generate tangible results for disaster victims. Check out our section on DIY volunteering for tips on how to create your own volunteer project, or visit Idealist in NYC for a list of drives and events being organized in New York City.

Also check out Britt Bravo’s post on five ways to volunteer for Haiti from within the States.

Volunteering in Haiti

If you are mainly interested in volunteering on the ground in Haiti right now: