Shannon's Year of Service

Well, here it is. This will be my last blog as an AmeriCorps member at Community Connection/HandsOn Northeast Georgia!! During my time, I have made quite a few friends and have really learned about volunteering, various service agencies in Athens-Clarke/Oconee/Barrow Counties, and how these agencies work to service needy people in them. The people that work for all the agencies, I have worked with or come in contact with, are dedicated and work tirelessly to ensure that all their clients have the very best service possible and that their needs are met, to the best of each agencies ability!! Many of the agencies can't do the work of their agency without the help of volunteers. The volunteers I have had the pleasure to work with are also dedicated and feel (and truly are) making a huge difference in the community. There are still many opportunities to volunteer and make a difference! The HandsOn website contains volunteer opportunities across all of the "needs" areas. Those opportunities also occur at various times and days that will fit into any schedule. Additionally, there are volunteer opportunities for singles, families, and groups. It doesn't matter who you are, you can find an opportunity. It just a matter of deciding on which one is right for you!! So, take a few minutes and browse the website. I know you'll be glad you did!! I have enjoyed working at HandsOn Northeast Georgia and will continue to volunteer for various projects in the future. I hope to see you there!!

Is there a volunteer opportunity for me?

Earlier this year, President Obama challenged America to get out and volunteer. According to volunteeringinamerica.gov, in 2008, 26.4% of Americans actually spent time volunteering, a 0.2% increase from the previous year.

As more and more people begin to volunteer, more and more volunteer opportunities arise. Volunteer opportunities are not limited to building houses or sorting through food at food pantries (although these are wonderful opportunities to be involved with). Maybe your talent isn't with swinging a hammer or organizing boxes of cans. So, where can you get involved?

Opportunities to volunteer are as numerous as people's individual talents and skills. Good working with children? Try mentoring. Like being outside? Become a trail guide or volunteer with landscaping projects. Skilled with computers or other technology? Offer to do web design or help out with social media at an agency.

No matter what your skill set, there is always an opportunity to volunteer. What are some areas other areas to volunteer? What are some areas you would like to see more opportunities with?

Oconee Animal Shelter Gardening & Landscaping

Saturday the 18th of July was an excellent day for a project at the Oconee County Animal Shelter! The weather was fantastic! The temperature was in the 70's, at the start, and rose to the high 80's but with low humidity it was perfect for working outdoors. The work group consisted of ten young adults from the Mormon Church, Geri, the project Coordinator, and me. Geri and I arrived early and organized the equipment and sign-up table. The group arrived early and was ready to work, so Geri signed everyone in, gave a safety and work briefing, and showed the group the different places where they would be working. There were three areas to be weeded and mulch to put down in one of the areas. The group worked hard and even found some innovative ways to get the work done (picture)!! There was an amazing transformation from a group of weed infested areas to beautifully cleaned up areas awaiting future plantings (link to pictures). The next work day will be the 15th of August. Follow this link to the HandsOn Website to sign up for the next one!

SingleServe at the Morton Theater

SingleServe provides an opportunity for singles to connect while volunteering together in the Classic City.
Why get involved with SingleServe? Committee Chair Ashley Harp says:

"Two years ago, I found myself in a new, old city. The Athens area is where I grew up, but ten years of college, grad school, and life in another state had made a new city out of the Classic City. How to get involved, become more a part of the community and meet people like me - other singletons in their 20s and 30s - was a challenge.

"Enter SingleServe. It's a group of singles who volunteer about once a month on a project through Hands On Northeast Georgia. Hands On connects us to the organizations that have volunteer needs, and we supply the 'hands on' the ground to get things done.

"This year, SingleServe has cleaned up a playground, set up a major exhibit at the Classic Center and staffed AthFest. Later this month, we'll be at the Morton Theatre ushering for a performance of Bye, Bye Birdie. And more projects are under development now.

"SingleServe is a way to meet people, to make friends, and best of all, to give back to the community. If you're looking for a volunteer opportunity for parties of one, come join us!"

SingleServe's latest project is ushering for Bye, Bye Birdie, a production of Athens Creative Theatre, at the Morton Theatre July 23.
Enter to win a pair of free tickets to the event one of two ways:
1. Using Twitter: Beginning at 9 am July 17, tweet "@HandsOnNEGA is the best way to get involved in the Classic City http://bit.ly/wbz2E #followfriday".
2. Using Facebook: Become a fan of the HandsOnNEGA page, and like our status when it
says "SingleServe volunteering at the Morton Theatre."
The contest closes at 8 pm July 17. Winners will be announced shortly after closing.

For more information about SingleServe, Athens Creative Theatre or the Morton Theatre, please check out the following websites:
SingleServe
ACT
Morton Theatre

HandsOn With Dad turned out to be a great event. There were 40 volunteers from numerous families taking part to spend some time with their Dad's while cleaning up Sandy Creek Park. The temperature was hot, in the nineties, and very few clouds. It was going to be a day requiring sunshade, hats, and lots of water!! Three projects were created for this effort. One was a clean up of the lake area. The volunteers got in canoes and paddled around the lake, picking up trash found on the shoreline and in the water. Many bags of trash were collected, making the area much more pristine and clean. Another project was working on Swimming Deer Creek Trail. The volunteers were transported by pontoon boat to the midpoint of the trail and walked a mile and a half to the trail starting point. They picked up trash along the trail and cut branches and invasives from protruding into the trail. They also enjoyed the fact that it was a shaded area abd therefore much cooler than the other projects!! The last project was in one of the dog park areas. Volunteers cleared invasives and other overgrowth from along the fence line and away from a picnic area located inside this dog park. A great deal of this growth was cleared away, except for those areas that had poison ivy!!! Those areas were reported to the staff for later removal by them. Overall, a lot of work was accomplished during the project time. At the end of the work day, the volunteers assembled in the "air conditioned" visitor center for lunch. It consisted of an excellent array of four kinds of sandwiches, salad, feta cheese, pita chips, various kinds of crackers, and dip which were provided by Mama's Boy and Marti's At Midday. All the volunteers dug in to the lunch with gusto and shared stories about their day. Everyone present said they really enjoyed working at the park. It was a most delicious and cool end to a great day of service for Dads and their families at Sandy Creek Park!!

Action Inc.'s Senior Grocery Grocery Bag program's last distribution, April 22nd, was incredible! Volunteers from the Oconee County Resource Council (OARC), HandsOn Northeast Georgia AmeriCorps, and Action Inc. were on hand to offload food supplies, sort these supplies into the grocery bags, and distribute them to the 36 Seniors currently on the program's active list. All of the Seniors were appreciative and one even prepared sausage biscuits, ham, and fruit to the volunteers! It was a special time for all the volunteers to see how the Seniors reacted and showed their appreciation. There are still some Seniors on a waiting list and, with the help of the OARC, the program should be able to expand to help them too. Next month, a group of Boy Scouts are planning to 'fix-up' a storage room, at the distribution site, and build storage shelves for that room, enabling food and other donations to be stored there. This will help expand the program and may lead to further programs, within Oconee County, for Action Inc. and the OARC. This distribution takes place the third Wednesday of each month, at the Bishop Community Center, with the packaging work done the Tuesday afternoon before. Seniors wanting to be included must contact Action Inc. @ (706) 769-3981 or (706) 546-8293 Ext.#17. You can also check out their new and improved website www.actionincorporated.org for information. Volunteers, check out the HandsOn website for details. It's a great opportunity for you to join-in, help, and see first hand the results of being a volunteer!

My Global Youth Service Day experience was a memorable and exciting one. For my part in this service day I was the volunteer coordinator at Southeast Clarke Park along with the FRIENDS of Southeast Clarke Park. It’s a very beautiful and family friendly park. There were about six enthusiastic youth with me at this site. We helped pull weeds and spread mulch around the park area. Everyone had a great time mingling with each other and getting a great workout while working under the sun. At the end of our activity, each volunteer had an opportunity to state how they felt about the day’s activity. One senior student from Clarke Central High School stated that the students at the high school were not able to get many opportunities to do such activities. She believed that it would be a great idea to get more clubs and student organizations involved in the community, even if its just students taking pride in their schools through activities similar to the one in Southeast Clarke Park. So, look for a change in direction for Global Youth Service Day 2010. There may be more of an effort to get the schools and school district involved in student volunteerism!