Ending Homelessness

Every night in the United States nearly 750,000 men, women, and children have no safe place to sleep. Shelters are full to overflowing and agencies are running out of the money that they need to help families who are struggling.

This isn't a "big" city issue, its an "every" city issue and it doesn't seem to be getting any better, especially here in Michigan where the economy is having a tough time recovering. It is important that as a community that we not only understand the reasons that people are homeless but that we also take small steps to reach out and help those who have found themselves in a shelter or on the streets, and also reach out to those who may be on the verge of losing their home. The National Alliance to End Homlessness has a fantastaic website with interactive data tools and Fact Sheets and activities for students from Kindergarten through High School. Take a minute and check out their website. For more local information on homelessness you should visit the Goodwill website. If you are interested in volunteering at a shelter or a food bank visit 1800Volunteer.org, there are many opportunities right here in Northern Michigan for you to give a bit of your time. If you would like to help financially you can visit Unitedwaynwmi.org and fill out our secure online pledge form. You may think that your one hour or one dollar won't make a difference, but to someone who has nothing, it makes a big difference. Happy Holidays!

December Volunteer Opportunities

Holiday Bottle Drive
Yep, those bottles are a pain. They are messy, they take up room, and they are no fun to return. Let’s put a spin on this messy situation. Each year we are bombarded with ways to donate during the holiday season—Coat drives, mitten drives, Toys for Tots -the list keeps on going. How about we pool all of our returnable items, have the kids help us return them, and then buy items to donate? We can let the kids make the decisions on where to donate and even how we donate the proceeds. Contact me if you would like to get together and do this. I think it could be a fun, low key way to let our kids be the decision makers, and provide them with the knowledge of just what is needed in our community.

Calling all Cookie Makers
‘Tis the season of cookie baking! Why not make a couple extra dozen while you are at it? The TART trails like to provide cookies to the VASA users during the winter season and most of the treats are supplied by volunteers like you! If you have a dozen or two to spare, please contact Pam Darling at the TART office. Their phone number is 231-941-4300.

Community Meals
Would you be interested in helping deliver a Christmas day meal to an elderly person or shut in? The community Meals Program has delivered over 6,000 meals to our community members since 2000. Meal delivery will begin at 11:15am on Christmas day, and will be distributed throughout the Grand Traverse region. Take the kids out with you. It will be a great experience for them. This one fills up fast so call Sandra now at 263-7130.

Salvation Army Bell Ringers
We see them every year—those dedicated people ringing bells all over our
community. The Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign kicks off November 20th at various locations throughout our community. The shifts are only two hours long, and the kids are more than welcome to come out and give you a hand. You can view all of the shifts and sign up on the Salvation Army’s website.

Maple Syrup Lovers Unite!
Are you interested in earning delicious, locally-made maple syrup for yourself, your family, or your friends? Then please consider volunteering with the Friends of the Wagbo Sugar Bush! Volunteers are need to help with firewood processing, line reparation, and sugar shack organization. The tentative schedule for workdays is Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at the Wagbo Farm, but call ahead at
231-536-0333 to make sure someone will be there. Sounds awfully yummy!

Jingle Bell Run
Families are needed to help with this years Jingle Bell Run. This event is a fun, non-timed event that everyone can enjoy! Assistance is needed with registration, clean-up and much more. The run will be held on Sunday, December 20th starting at 5:30 at the Park Place Dome. Please let me know if you are
interested in helping—and if you want to participate in the run please click here!

Contact me to take advantage of any of these volunteer opportunities. You can reach me at:
amanda@unitedwaynwmi.org or 231-947-3200 x 206

Go To Disney!!

Hopefully many of you have heard about the Give a Day Get a Disney Day program by now. If you haven’t, please let me give you a brief explanation. Disney is working with the HandsOn Network to connect volunteers with the needs of our community. In an effort to inspire volunteerism Disney is thanking those who volunteer by giving them a free ticket good for one day to a Disney World or Disney Land theme park. It’s pretty amazing, but there are some simple stipulations.

The first thing we all need to do is register with the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program. You can use the following link to do so - http://www.handsonnetwork.org/disney/faq#faqsix. Registration is very simple and will take you just a couple minutes. Please register your organization now – you can only do so through the end of the month! You have to be registered in order for your volunteers to receive the free day at Disney!
The above link has all of the information you will need regarding the program – who is eligible, frequently asked questions, and much more. Please let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to help.

Amanda Hilt
Volunteer Center Coordinator, United Way of Northwest Michigan
amanda@unitedwaynwmi.org
231-947-3200 x 206

All In The Family

What a week – phew! This is the time of year where my days seem to get busier and busier; there are holidays to plan for, parties to attend and decorations to hang. I challenged myself earlier this year to engage my family in volunteer activities at least once a month. At first I thought it would be difficult to get three children pumped up and out of the house to do something that didn’t involve a new toy or candy, but it wasn’t. They have learned to love volunteering and we have had some awesome experiences. I find that we are volunteering as a family almost every weekend.

There are plenty of family friendly volunteer activities – you just have to know where to look for them. Earlier in the summer I created a family volunteering group called Doing Good Together – Families Making a Difference. I send out a monthly newsletter highlighting several family friendly volunteer activities that you can be involved in. If you would like to me to add you to the list please let me know. We also have a Facebook group that you are welcome to join. Updates during the month are posted on Facebook along with pictures, fun facts and much more.

Tomorrow is National Family Volunteering Day. We will be celebrating our community and our families by stuffing toiletry bags for Safe Harbor. Safe Harbor is a program supported by local churches to provide overnight shelter to homeless members of our community during the winter months. There will also be a holiday craft table for the younger members of our families to create cards for the participants of Safe Harbor. Please come and join us at The Presbyterian Church from 10am until 12pm for fellowship and a rewarding volunteer opportunity.

Have a great weekend – and please remember to check your 1800volunteer account for new volunteer opportunities!

Amanda Hilt
Volunteer Center Coordinator, United Way of Northwest Michigan
amanda@unitedwaynwmi.org
231-947-3200 x 206

Give While You Shop

Please make every gift count this holiday season. More than 1,300 top stores including Amazon, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Apple, Gap and more will donate a percentage of virtually every sale to the United Way of Northwest Michigan. Just go to GoodShop.com, designate us as the cause you support and then click over to your favorite store. You pay nothing extra - and you can even save money as GoodShop lists thousands of money-saving coupons and free shipping offers. Or, add our toolbar to your browser at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar - and your purchases will count even if you forget to go to GoodShop first! There's no easier way to support us this holiday season! Please spread the word.

Family Volunteer Opportunity

Join me in celebrating Family Volunteering Day on Saturday, November 21st. We will be celebrating our community and our families by stuffing toiletry bags for Safe Harbor. Safe Harbor is a program supported by local churches to provide overnight shelter to homeless members of our community during the winter months. There will also be a holiday craft table for the younger members of our families to create cards for the participants of Safe Harbor. Please come and join us at The Presbyterian Church from 10am until 12pm for fellowship and a rewarding volunteer opportunity.

Contact Amanda to learn more about how your family can earn a free day at Disney World by volunteering in your community! amanda@unitedwaynwmi.org 947-3200 x 206

November Volunteer Opportunities

Family Volunteer Day is Saturday November 21st!



Baskets of Bounty
Thanksgiving is a time of year for families to sit together and discuss the things that they are grateful for while enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It is perhaps the most opportune time for parents to talk to children about what they are thankful for and the importance of giving. There are many families who will not have the opportunity to celebrate this holiday, as they might like to, and some live in our own town. Your family can make a difference by assembling a holiday basket for them to enjoy. Many local agencies are distributing baskets to area families. If your family would like to put together a basket please contact me for a list of local agencies that could use your help. You could even put together a basket with your neighbor, relatives or church group.

Candy Overload?
Does your Halloween candy go uneaten? Do you end up eating it instead of the kids (I do)? How about making some cute treat bags filled with your excess
Halloween candy and delivering them to local homeless shelters, nursing homes or food pantries. Everyone loves a special treat and this would be a great way to talk about giving—and prevent cavities. Your dentist will be proud!

Community Meals
Would you be interested in helping deliver a Thanksgiving day meal to an elderly person or shut in? The community Meals Program has delivered over 6,000 meals to our community members since 2000. Meal delivery will begin at 11:15am on Thanksgiving day and will be distributed throughout the Grand Traverse region. Take the kids out with you, it will be a great experience for them.

Salvation Army Bell Ringers
We see them every year—those dedicated people ringing bells all over our
community. The Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign kicks off November 20th at various locations throughout our community. The shifts are only two hours long and the kids are more than welcome to come out and give you a hand. You can view all of the shifts and sign up on the Salvation Army’s website.

The Turkey Trot
Would your family be interested in helping with the fun and always awesome
Turkey Trot? Volunteers are needed on November 25th and 26th for various duties such as preparing goody bags, assisting at the post-race food table, helping at a water station or cleaning up after the race. There are many ways to be involved, and this is a great excuse to spend part of the day outside.

Contact Amanda Hilt to take advantage of any of these volunteer opportunities. You can reach her at: amanda@unitedwaynwmi.org or 231-947-3200 x 206

Please remember that these opportunities are available for families with children of all ages.