Results tagged “volunteering”

Hey guys, have we mentioned it's Live Arts Festival/Philly Fringe time?

Mid-January means Martin Luther King Day, which means it’s time to live that dream of yours (or perhaps just a resolution) and volunteer in our fine city. The 13th Annual MLK National Day of Service will be celebrated this weekend around the region. The day grew out of national legislation aiming to create a day of citizen action in honor of Dr. King’s work. It’s still growing, as more and more folks decide to put their skills and energy to good use while honoring the legacy of one of the greatest civil rights activists.

Phillyist, like untold thousands in the Delaware Valley, resolved to be more active this year. If you’re one of those thousands and are looking for a place to start, consider combining it with that other favorite resolution, volunteering in the community. Back On My Feet running club lets you do just that: you’ll run in Center City with homeless men from local shelters. It may seem odd at first glance, but the non-profit is committed to promoting self-sufficiency by using running as a way to build confidence, strength, and self-esteem. The organization just started this past summer, and already has gotten attention and accolades aplenty. The idea started with founder Anne Mahlum, who would pass by a homeless shelter on her morning run, and slowly established a good rapport with the men who were outside. July 3rd marked the first outing of the Homeless Running Club, and now there are four teams that work with three area shelters. Each team runs at least three times a week, giving you plenty of opportunity to build relationships with your teammates and work up to that four-minute mile. BOMF is establishing connections with local businesses and job training centers, and one member recently accepted a job, the first concrete success story of the program. From the sounds of it, though, the story of every runner is a successful one, as the goals set within the program and the dedication of the staff inspire members to not only reap the health benefits, but to use the confidence gained in the program to effect positive change in their lives. The line that made Phillyist cry? “No one ever runs by themselves because life is a lot harder when you go through it alone.” Amen, sister.

It's that time of year folks, when we all lay down plans for the new year before promptly "forgetting" about them a month later. I'm hoping that making mine public will force me to stick to them... but check back with me in February.

If you have some free time this Sunday and just can't wait to hear more about Mayor-Elect Nutter's vision of "Philadelphia being the next great city," sign up as a volunteer for the The Great Expectations Citizens Convention. Volunteers are needed from 10:30AM-6PM to staff registration tables and act as guides to rooms between sessions. We're betting you'll be able to sneak a peak at some talks while you're at it too, including Michael...

Greater Philadelphia Cares has been working on a Free Store for Teachers, which will open soon. The store will stock supplies like papers and pens, books, and other materials that could assist in the classroom; as the name implies, teachers will be able to "shop" for these items at no charge. They just had a windfall courtesy of the Philadelphia Book Bank, which unfortunately is closing its doors. The donation they received comes in...

The Philadelphia Marathon is fast approaching (ha!), and those fleet-footed folks are looking for volunteers to help support the thousands of athletes who will converge upon the Art Museum on November 18. Tasks range from stuffing runner bags two weeks out to distributing blankets and Gatorade on race day. You can sign up for a specific job or offer your services as a general volunteer to be dispatched where you're needed most. You can also form a team and sign up together for one of the larger jobs. For more info, contact Terry at GP Cares (215-564-4544).

Discovery Channel is making an example out of us. Philadelphia has been chosen as the best location for a demonstration and documentary on "urban heat islands" as part of DC's new series of eco-programming, "10 Ways to Save the Planet." An urban heat island is a metro area where the temperatures are significantly higher than those of surrounding areas. We always felt baked onto the sidewalks in the summer, and there's a good reason for that: as greenery is replaced by buildings and asphalt, which absorb rather than reflect heat, up the mercury goes, sometimes by as much as 10 degrees.

We think this might qualify as some sort of meta-volunteer experience: Philly is hosting this year's National Conference on Volunteering and Service, and Greater Philadelphia Cares is looking for a few good volunteers to help everything move along smoothly. Volunteers will (fittingly) be involved in every aspect of the conference, which runs July 16-18 at the Convention Center. Best of all, this is one of those deals where you get concrete rewards on top of the do-good feeling: sign up for 1 three-hour shift, and you can attend the conference for just $150 (regular rates range from $325 to $770). Sign up for 3 three-hour shifts, and you get to go for free.

Girls Rock Philly, the organization, is gearing up for Girls Rock Philly, a week-long alternative music camp for girls aged 10-18. This is the first time Philadelphia will host such a camp (we're slightly behind Chicago, New York, Portland, and Murfreesboro, TN), and they need your help to make this debut really, well, rocking.

Phillyist has a problem with school, specifically that we can't stop going. We're fortunate in that regard, as our current gig allows for free college classes, which we take with impunity. But we also realize we were lucky to have the resources to obtain a decent education, and the related accoutrement, in the first place.

The time comes in every person's life to move out of the dorm room. This journey can be literal or metaphorical (believe us, Phillyist knows far too many folks who still act like adolescents, and are plenty old enough to know better). One major component of this transition: "What the hell do I put on the walls?" When the black light Jimi Hendrix poster starts to fade and the paper and ink representation of 50 sex positions starts to tear from being tacked to too many walls too many times, one starts to wonder if there isn't a little more to art - yea, to life.

Summer can be hard in the city, what with the smog and humidity and the cement oven beneath our feet. Phillyist plans to balance sticky subway air with some getting back to nature, and you can too. Greater Phildelphia Cares has a bunch of volunteer opportunities that will connect you with the soil. Which we hear is nice and cool once you dig down a few inches.

Film Festival mania is sweeping the city, not to mention our blog. In the excitement (bright lights, big stars, gory gangster films from Hong Kong, etc), it is easy to forget what it takes to put on an internationally recognized 12 days of movies. In addition to the few full-timers, the festival depends heavily on volunteers to keep everything running smoothly. Right now they're asking for some brave souls to work as ushers throughout.

So yeah, there's times when you want to volunteer and get involved with people in a community, work with them towards common goals, be important in the life of a child. That is noble and good. However, there are also times when you can't bear to spend time with others, be it because your family at home is crazy, or the people you work with are sucking the life out of you, or you just don't have the time to make such a big commitment. At those times, you might not want to be a Big Brother, build a house for a neighbor, or organize a community fair. Everyone has those times, and that's okay.

Kids are too often the victims of crime, and can be so in many ways. Too many children in Philadelphia, for instance, have a parent who is incarcerated. An organization addressing this group of kids, Mentoring Matters, pairs up kids with adult mentors for an hour a week at four locations in South Philly.

Where Phillyist works (probably like many of you, dear readers), computers are essential. When being online all day is part of your job it's easy to forget that many people do not have access to the Internet or the skills to use it, much less the hardware on which to browse it. The Non-Profit Technology Resources is addressing this, and you can help. The NTR provides low-income Philadelphia residents with recycled computers, providing hands-on training for individuals, and assisting community-based organizations to incorporate computers into their work.

Do you like to bake? Phillyist sure does. While we admit that we sometimes do the brownies out of a box, the cookies are always homemade. Alas, though we love the process of baking, and the way the apartment smells with chocolate chips melting in the oven, those pesky New Year’s resolutions about eating better keep us from firing up the KitchenAid mixer too often. What's a baker to do?