Archive for the ‘Volunteering’ Category

This event was fabulous, with hundreds of volunteers doing important work to benefit all sorts of worthy local causes. Our project to assemble New Baby Welcome Baskets for Healthy Families Alexandria (HFA), a Giving Circle priority gift recipient, and the Alexandria Department of Health Field Nurses was a smashing success!  Check out the photos on our website.

Our goal was create 100 New Baby Welcome Baskets, yet we collected goods for and assembled 150! I am grateful to all of you for donating your time, talent, supplies, and cash to this project.  Healthy Families Alexandria and the Field Nurses are so pleased to have their very bare storerooms restocked…and at-risk new mothers who receive these valuable parcels will appreciate this thoughtful helping hand.

Again, thank you so very much for supporting new parents, HFA, the Field Nurses, the Giving Circle of Alexandria, and  me!

All the best,
Hallie Smith

P.S.
Spring cleaning?   Please keep in mind that Healthy Families Alexandria will happily accept your donations of new and used winter coats (adults and children 0-5 years),  clothing (maternity and children 0-5 years), towels and bedding (sheets, blankets, comforters and pillows), port-a-cribs and regular cribs and strollers at their office at 5249 Duke Street (just past the Beatley Library).

On November 18, 2009, Susan Kennedy, Lorelei Emma, and I presented our playgroup concept to the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s convention in Washington, D.C.

Attendees from all over the country learned about this unique parent facilitator playgroup model where parents are trained and paid a small stipend to lead weekly playgroups.  The key to the success of this model is, of course, finding great parent facilitators, but also having a staff person who oversees all the playgroups and can assist the parents in planning and providing necessary supplies.

The Giving Circle and the Alexandria Community Trust collaborate with The Center for Alexandria’s Children in providing the funds for the parent leaders and for the staff person who oversees the three playgroups currently offered through this collaboration.  This effort is possible only through the generous gifts of Giving Circle members.

Interested in volunteering or bringing your young children to the playgroups?  Please come to any of the following locations or contact Susan Kennedy at the Center for Alexandria’s Children.

Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Jefferson-Houston Elementary School
1501 Cameron Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Center for Alexandria’s Children
1900 N. Beauregard St 2nd floor
Alexandria, VA 22311

Friday at 10:00 a.m.  St. Rita’s Parish Church (conducted in Spanish)
Corner of Russell and Glebe Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22305

Join Giving Circle members in supporting Healthy Families Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department Field Nurses as part of the Burgundy Farm Country Day School’s Family Day of Service.

WHO: Giving Circle members and their families. Children of all ages welcome!

WHAT: Assemble New Baby Welcome Baskets for Healthy Families Alexandria (HFA), a Giving Circle priority gift recipient, and the Alexandria Department of Health Field Nurses.

WHEN: Monday, January 18, 10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. Lunch provided at noon!

WHERE: Burgundy Farm Country Day School, 3700 Burgundy Road, Alexandria, VA 22303

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• Donate cash – if you make a pledge, we’ll buy in bulk what’s needed.
• Shop for infant items yourself. Here’s a list of the most urgently needed items for the New Baby Welcome Baskets:
  -Pacifiers
  -Burping cloths
  -Diapers (sizes Newborn – 6 months)
  -Desitin/diaper cream
  -Nasal bulb syringe
  -Infant nail clippers

Many of our members and their children have been doing DIY community service for awhile now. If you are ready to try your hand at a DIY Community Service project, check out our ideas.  If you need further inspiration to take on your own DIY Community Service activity, read on:

Hannah’s Story

Hannah Maher-Miller decided to forego two days of beach vacation in June to organize a lemonade sale for the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.  She baked 160 sugar cookies and squeezed a lot of lemons to make delicious homemade lemonade.  She sold store-bought dog bones and set up water bowls for dogs out on a walk.  She gathered some toys and stuffed animals to sell as well.  She and her family sent out emails on the local listsers and to friends asking people stop by for a treat to support the AWLA.  Many generous customers insisted Hannah keep the change.  She raised $240 which she proudly delivered to the Animal Welfare League the following weekend.  Congratulations Hannah on a job well done!

Noemi and Joshua’s Story

Noemi and Joshua’s school was collecting money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and they wanted to do something besides just asking family and friends to donate money.  They made chocolate chip cookies from scratch and lemonade to sell outside the house for a couple of hours on a sunny day.  They netted $25 and felt proud of doing something good.  What a great way to meet people and let them know more about organizations that are important to you.  Way to go Noemi and Joshua!

Christine’s Story

Christine’s daughter wanted to take a collection for Community Lodgings as part of her birthday party.  Christine called Community Lodgings to clarify what items they needed and discovered there is a high need for toiletries, as people buy food before buying things like lotion or shampoo.  Her daughter’s friends brought their toiletries to the party and the girls packaged everything in gift bags for Community Lodgings.  One of the other girls decided she wanted to do a similar activity at her birthday party.  Doing good is contagious!

The discussion takes place over and over again, at school, at work, on the neighborhood listservs and at Giving Circle meetings….“What community service activities can I do with my family? How do I show my children serving others in our community is important to me?”

It can be hard to find events appropriate for family groups and young children.  Sometimes the events organized at school or in the community don’t fit into your schedule.  So how does one create a habit of helping in ourselves and in our families?

Giving Circle Families are finding a way — DIY community service. The concept:

• Don’t wait for a larger organization to plan something for you, do something fun on your own. This could be a lemonade or other fundraiser stand, a collection drive, or an activity like the Baskets for Books event the Giving Circle did last year.
• Incorporate your activity into something you are already doing, such as a birthday party, sports team party, book club meeting, etc.
• Procedures for DIY community service events live on a new page at the Giving Circle web site to make it easy. This page also includes organizations, needs and contact information so you can get started right away.  Look for it under the What You Can Do menu option.

I promise your children and your friends will have fun with this.  Last year, my daughter celebrated her birthday by asking her friends to bring toiletries to give to Community Lodgings and beautifully packaging these items at her birthday party.  Then one of her friends was inspired to do something similar for her birthday.  This summer, Hannah Maher-Miller gave up two days of a beach vacation to do a fundraiser for the Animal Welfare League and raise a lot of money!  There are a lot of happy stories already because people, children too, are willing to take some initiative to make a difference.

As with our financial gifts, together we do more. If each of us does a small bit for community service with our families a few times a year, it adds up to a lot of help for neighbors in need.  So don’t wait for a service activity to come along, make your own, you’ll be glad you did.

Any questions or ideas for other DIY activities?  Have you organized a community service event for your family or group of friends?  Email me, Christine Labrecque and tell me your story.

Our families have been hit especially hard in these tough economic times and would be grateful to receive donations of new or gently used goods.  Items in particular need now are new or gently used:

· winter coats (adults and children 0-5 years)
· clothing (maternity and children 0-5 years)
· towels and bedding (sheets, blankets, comforters and pillows)
· port-a-cribs and regular cribs
· strollers

Please keep us in mind throughout the year as donations are always needed and are welcome at any time.

In-Kind donation forms will be provided for you to complete after which we will send you an acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution.

Drop-off details:
Northern Virginia Family Service
Healthy Families Alexandria
5249 Duke Street, Suite 308
Alexandria, VA  22304

Open Monday – Friday from 9:00AM – 5:00PM.
For more information, contact Nanci Pedulla at 703-212-1702.

Thank you for your help and generosity!