New Year's Resolution

The new year is just around the corner, and for many people it's time for resolutions. While you're busy vowing to exercise more and eat less, you should also consider pledging a donation to HandsOn and help us Give Help to the Athens/Oconee community!

How much does a donation help? A simple $5 a month helps recruit 50 new volunteers. $10 can help fund a project for 20 volunteers. $25 provides tools for 50 volunteers. $40 helps fund a day of service project for 100 volunteers.

Not able to afford any monetary donations? Consider donating a day a month to a volunteer project. HandsOn initiatives SingleServe and FamilyServe provide opportunities for regular service projects. Also be sure to regularly check out our calendar for even more opportunites!
Please let us know about your New Year's Resolutions by leaving us a comment!

Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.

To celebrate the New Year, Disney and HandsOn are partnering to give volunteers one day free admission to any themepark at Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland. Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, go to www.disneyparks.com to search for participating opportunities.  Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. program was developed to help gain more volunteers by celebrating good deeds with a trip to Disney. Tickets through the program are limited, so the earlier you volunteer the better your chances to win a ticket. Children over the age of 6 are also welcome to participate. Make your volunteer project a family affair and win the whole family a day at Disney! For more information on the program, visit http://www.handsonnetwork.org/disney.

Help feed the hungry

Christmas is a time filled with parties and food (or if you're like the Grinch, feasts). Still, many people will be unable to participate in these activities because they are homeless or financially strapped this holiday season. There are many volunteer opportunities to help donate either food or time to help feed some hungry people.
Here's a list of agencies looking for volunteers:
-The Red Cross needs volunteers to help sort and stuff disaster relief kits (Dec. 15, Dec. 16)
-The Salvation Army is looking for volunteer bell ringers to help raise funds for the homeless
-Pour, Inc. needs volunteers to help with its 1st Annual Food Pantry (Dec. 16)
-A Bigger Vision of Athens is looking for volunteers to prepare and serve meals at the winter shelter (weeks of Christmas and New Years)
-Athens Urban Ministries will provide a Christmas Eve meal, call (706) 353-6647 (Dec. 24)
-Action, Inc. will provide food assistence for those in need, Monday-Friday (call (706) 549-9827)

Agencies collecting donations:
-Peace Place, Inc. (canned food)
-Alps Road Elementary (through Dec. 14)
-Athens Area Emergency Food Bank
-Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

Other food-related volunteer opportunities:
- Natural Resources needs people to be servers, photographers and organize crafts at its Breakfast with Santa (Dec. 19)


For more about these and other volunteer opportunities check out the calendar at http://www.handsonnortheastgeorgia.org/ or this week's Blueprint in the Athens Banner-Herald http://onlineathens.com/stories/120709/blu_532783358.shtml.

Are you ready for a challenge?

HandsOn is kicking off its annual campaign fund with a challenge. If 10 new donors donate at least $10 by Dec. 10, our program director Art will match it with $100 donation!

In 2009, HandsOn helped provide over 8500 hours of volunteer service, including the largest MLK Day of Service. HandsOn used volunteer donations build a volunteer center that has helped serve the needs for over 80 community agencies.

How much does a donation help? $5 a month helps recruit 50 new volunteers. $10 helps fund a project for 20 volunteers. $25 provides enough tools for 50 volunteers. $40 helps fund a day of service project for 100 volunteers.

To make a donation, please use the following links:
Make a donation through Paypal
Make a donation through Causes

Please help us GIVE HELP to the Athens/Oconee community!

Give a toy to a child this holiday season

As the holiday season approaches, holiday wish lists begin appearing on refrigerators. Yet, many parents will be unable to provide toys for their children this holiday season. Want to be a Santa to many deserving kids? Here's a list of organizations collecting toys this holiday season:
-Barrow County Holiday Connection.
-Peace Place Inc. (stocking stuffers)
-Alps Road Elementary (through Dec. 14)
-Be a Santa to a Senior Program. Drop stations at Home Instead, Athens Community Council on Aging, Hodgson's Pharmacy, Walmart (Oconee) and Georgia Square Mall.
-Bigger Vision of Athens (stocking stuffers). Drop station at 415 N. Lumpkin St.
-BikeAthens (bicycles). Drop station at Bike Athens Bike Recycling Shop in the Chase Street Warehouses on Tracy Street.
-Sparrow's Nest Mission Church
-Elbert County Head Start (through Dec. 17)
-Jackson County Family Connection. Drop station at Jackson Creative, 106 Industrial Parkway in Commerce.

Want to help with the distribution of toys? Here are agencies looking for help:
-BikeAthens is looking for people to help refurbish bicycles that will be distributed to various children's agencies and schools. No mechanical experience necessary! (Dec. 2, Dec. 6-7, Dec. 9, Dec. 13)
-Sparrow's Nest needs help distributing toys to homeless families. (Dec. 3-5)
-Jackson County Holiday Store invites volunteers to come help set up and distribute toys to families. (Dec. 8-10)
-Athens Council on Aging is looking for gift wrappers to help wrap gifts for seniors. (Dec. 10)
-Barrow County Holiday Store is looking for volunteers to assist families shopping for toys. (Dec. 15-17)
-The Salvation Army wants volunteers to help distribute toys and food to families at their toy distribution. (Dec. 17)



For more about these and other volunteer opportunities check out the calendar at http://www.handsonnortheastgeorgia.org/ or this week's Blueprint in the Athens Banner-Herald http://onlineathens.com/stories/113009/liv_530254416.shtml.

Sweaters for Seniors

This is a warm initiative that the Athens Community Council on Aging is working on and we wanted to share it with you:


"Sweaters For Seniors” Makes New Friends In Athens
September 21st, 2009

Last Friday, the “S4S” team had the chance to meet with Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA). The meeting, which came about through the magic of social media, was to discuss our newly formed partnership with them in our “sweaters” project.

It was through a friend of S4S’s Linkedin account, (Joan Curtis) that Michelle Brinson, Program Director, Senior Community Employment Service Program found us. She took the proverbial ”ball” of yarn and ran with it. And next thing you know, Sweaters For Seniors, up until now an Atlanta/Gwinnett program, will be benefitting seniors in Athens, too.

While we spent a few hours in Athens on Friday having lunch with Michelle, meeting with ACCA directors and touring their senior center and day care facility housed in an historic railroad depot–it’s impossible to fully comprehend all that ACCA is doing for seniors in Athens. Although, feel free to check out their website. I also hear they have an amazing newsletter!

With that said, today I simply want to acknowledge the committed individuals we met who make up a comprehensive team dedicated to the well being of seniors in Athens. They are:
Eve R. Anthony, Co-Deputy Executive Director; Sarah McKinney, Program Director, Home Delivered Meals; Paige Tidwell, Program Director, Kinship/Project Healthy Grandparents; and last but not least, Michelle Brinson, Program Director, Senior Community Employment Service Program

Keep up the tremendous work, ladies. And we look forward to working with you on “Sweaters For Seniors.”

iParticipate week

As you sit down to enjoy your favorite television show tonight, you may notice something a little different in the plot: volunteering. This week over 90 shows on all major networks will feature volunteering, as part of a week-long initiative called iParticipate week. iParticipate was started by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to using the influence and power of the entertainment industry to positively impact the community. iParticipate week is the first multi-network, week-long television event in history. The goal of iParticipate is to celebrate volunteering in local communities while also inspiring people to get out and actively volunteer in the community. Here is a complete listing of television shows promoting iParticipate:
ABC

America's Funniest Home Videos
Brothers and Sisters
Castle
Cougar Town
Dancing With the Stars
Desperate Housewives
Eastwick
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Grey's Anatomy
Hank
Modern Family
Private Practice
Scrubs
The Forgotten
Ugly Betty
All My Children
General Hospital
One Life to Live
The View
Jimmy Kimmel Live!

NBC

30 Rock
Access Hollywood
Community
Heroes
Parks and Recreation
The Biggest Loser
The Jay Leno Show
The Office
Today


CBS

Accidentally on Purpose
Cold Case
Criminal Minds
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Gary Unmarried
Ghost Whisperer
How I Met Your Mother
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Numb3rs
Rules of Engagement
The Big Bang Theory
The Mentalist
Two and a Half Men
Late Show With David Letterman



FOX

America’s Most Wanted
Bones
Brothers
COPS
Lie to Me
Major League Baseball
So You Think You Can Dance?
’Til Death
The Wanda Sykes Show (Future segment)


The CW

I Pledge


Nickelodeon

TeenNick HALO Awards


WeTV

The Locator
My Fair Wedding


Lifetime

Army Wives (Future story line)
Project Runway
Rita Rocks
Sherri


BET

The Mo’Nique Show


Disney Channel

Wizards of Waverly Place
Sonny With a Chance
Hannah Montana
The Suite Life on Deck


CNN

American Morning
Showbiz Tonight: HLN


Syndicated shows

The Dr. Oz Show
Dr. Phil
Entertainment Tonight / The Insider
Extra: The Entertainment Magazine
Jerry Springer
Judge Jeanine Pirro
Judge Mathis
Maury

Source: Entertainment Industry Foundation

Be sure to tune in this week!
For more information about iParticipate, please visit the website: http://www.iparticipate.org/.

For volunteer opportunities in the Athens area, be sure to check out HandsOn's calendar: http://www.handsonnortheastgeorgia.org/.