Get to know John Lawther, an active volunteer and member of the Fayette Freethought Society. John participates in quarterly Adopt-a-Highway cleanup days in Peachtree City, Georgia, with the Fayette Freethought Society. But John goes above and beyond with his efforts, volunteering with numerous other causes in his community, on his own, that are very important to him.

What organizations do you volunteer with?
I volunteer with the American Red Cross as a blood donor, the Fayette County (GA) Animal Shelter as a dog walker, the Fayette County (GA) Board of Education as a science fair judge, and the Atlanta Trek (PTC) bicycle store as a ride leader during their annual breast cancer charity event.

How did you get started volunteering with these organizations?
I started being a regular blood donor while in graduate school and continued afterward. As I realized how relatively few people donate at all, and how very few donate regularly, I gradually increased my donations until now I have given six times a year for the last six years.

I have "rescue" dogs of my own and answered an article in the paper describing the need for walkers. I responded to a request for science fair judges sent by my alumni association last year and repeated this year. I have friends involved in the breast cancer fund-raiser and volunteered when they asked me if I could, and repeated this year.

Why do you like volunteering?
I would truly regret having to miss any of these activities; they are all worthy and rewarding. I think my favorite is dog walking, and I volunteer several hours each week. The dogs are truly appreciative and are full of the joy of the moment regardless of their circumstances. It's more physical work than the other activities, but immensely rewarding.

What would you say to others who want to volunteer, but don't know how to get started?
There are so many services available that have a need for volunteers. First, I would look for something on the local level, something easy to get to. Try to find someone else who already does it. A "mentor" is very useful, and almost anybody who is a volunteer will gladly help get you going. Try to pick something to which you can make a regular, scheduled commitment. It's too easy in today's hectic world to put off volunteer work until you just quit going if you don't have a time reserved in which it takes priority.

Get to know Cal Poly Alliance of Happy Atheists (AHA), one of our newest Volunteers Beyond Belief teams.

How did your group get started? What motivated you to organize and maintain your group? The Cal Poly Alliance of Happy Atheists was originally started under the name “Cal Poly Brights” around 2006. A small number of secular students banded together to create a group for nonreligious students (or those friendly to the nonreligious) to meet up, socialize, have open discussions, and be themselves. Over the next couple of years, the club grew from half a dozen students to about 200 members on the mailing list and around 50 active members and has kept those numbers fairly consistent. This year we did change our name as part of affirmation of some unwritten goals the club has had which are now incorporated into our mission statement.

Were there any particular challenges you had to overcome to form or to keep the group together? We cannot attest to the difficulties founding, as none of the founding members are at Cal Poly now, but in the 2010-2011 school year, every one of the founding members had graduated, leaving the club disorganized and very unstable. There was much difficulty getting momentum up again, and we’re still working on building a stronger foundation, but the club’s members are very interested in seeing the club continue. Students from freshmen to seniors are participating in organizing more events and keeping the momentum of the club strong.

Minnesota Atheists is one of our newest Volunteers Beyond Belief teams. Eric Jayne answered a few questions to introduce us to this active group.

Minnesota Atheists was established in 1991, as a continuation of the Twin Cities Chapter of American Atheists, which was founded in 1984. We are the state's oldest, largest, and most active atheist organization, and we’re very welcoming with a diverse membership that shares a common bond under our shared atheist identity.

We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit, educational organization that seeks to promote the positive contributions of atheism to society and to maintain separation of state and church. We are an affiliate of the Atheist Alliance International, Council for Secular Humanism, and American Atheists, which holds annual national conventions, including the Reason Rally on March 24, 2012, in Washington, D.C.