Search results for: baseball

By Elizabeth Dorssom

Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network is a network of secular humanist groups interested in volunteering in their communities (Volunteers Beyond Belief) and raising money for FBB and its beneficiaries (FBB Partners Program). September has arrived, so it’s time to take a look back at the amazing service projects our BBN teams carried out during August.

The St. Louis-based group Ethics in Action repacked and sorted food at the St. Louis Food Bank (pictured below). Over the three hours they spent volunteering, Ethics in Action was able to pack 816 boxes, 26,928 pounds of food, and provide 21,982 meals for St. Louis residents. Children of Ethics in Action members were also able to be involved in this event by collapsing used cardboard materials.

Pennsylvania Nonbelievers spent their summer staffing the snack bar at York Revolution Minor League home baseball games. Instead of accepting payment for their work, the Pennsylvania Nonbelievers decided to instead donate the proceeds to the Margaret Moul Home for cerebral palsy patients. Along with other volunteers, they donated more than $3,000. Next Friday, they’ll finish up the season with their eighth home game.

Flagstaff Freethinkers participated in the American Cancer Society’s Climb to Conquer Cancer. Seventeen freethinkers hiked through beautiful mountain scenery, and their hike ended in a festival to celebrate cancer survivors. The Flagstaff Freethinkers team raised $2,200.

The Humanist Community of Ventura County was extremely busy this summer. They cleaned up a classroom for Nature and Nurture, a secular preschool program (pictured below). After two hours, the windows were cleaned, spiders evicted, main door fixed, books organized, and furniture cleaned. In early August, The Humanist Community of Ventura also hosted their fifth blood drive to fill the inventory of their local blood bank, United Blood Services. They also picked up litter and cleared trails near the Ventura River. The Ventura Hillside Conservancy recently purchased the land, and HCVC is assisting the Conservancy to create trails and a wildlife restoration project.

North Florida Atheists (pictured below) sorted and folded clothes for Dignity U Wear. Dignity U Wear distributes dignity in the form of brand-new clothing. In order to maximize impact, the clothing is given in preparation for important events such as the first day of school or a job interview.

Humanists of Houston packed a total of 455 boxes for the Houston Food Bank. Despite working in a room with only partial air conditioning, the Humanists of Houston were able to provide 11, 375 meals as a result of this volunteer opportunity.

Are you a member of a secular humanist group and want to help your community, raise awareness of nonbelievers doing good deeds, and connect with other service-oriented groups? Ask your team to join Beyond Belief Network! BBN staff can help you achieve your service goals and, as you submit event reports, your team will qualify for free t-shirts and the opportunity to apply for grants.

The crack of a baseball bat, the shuffling of notes at a podium, and the thud of canned yams into a cardboard box—it’s been a busy month for Minnesota Atheists, one of our Volunteers Beyond Belief teams.

First, the godless givers showed up to the Emergency Foodshelf Network, and in a two-hour shift, packed 4,387 pounds of food and 66 bags of rice—enough for 556 people. Since then, the boxes have been distributed to various food banks in the area. EFN is a secular nonprofit that relies heavily on partnerships and volunteers to operate, and in this case, move more than two tons of food. “It was hard work,” commented one volunteer from MN Atheists, “but worth it.”

Ten days later, the group had a weekend to remember—starting with a quintessentially American ball game. This particular ball game was especially close to the American tradition because it was secular—the St. Paul Saints, a minor-league baseball team, temporarily renamed themselves the Mr. Paul “Aints” for a benefit game. Aints jerseys were available for pre-order, and those worn by the players were auctioned off, in part to benefit Volunteers Beyond Belief.

American Atheists president Dave Silverman (who also threw out the first pitch) described the entire event as surreal, and complimented the sense of humor on the part of the team, who wore different jerseys and covered every S in the Saints signage.

The following day, American Atheists held their regional conference, featuring speakers such as PZ Myers, Ayanna Watson, and Teresa MacBain. The conference was open to anyone in the area and included opportunities to eat and go for drinks with other attendees.

Upcoming events from this VBB team include a family-oriented Freethought Picnic, regular book club meetings, and board game nights. How does your group stay active and promote community?

This is a guest post by Kaleena Menke. Kaleena is a student in mechanical engineering at UC Denver. She blogs at Own the Day and tweets at @kaleenamenke. Kaleena asks that you please donate to Foundation Beyond Belief’s Humanist Crisis Response to support firefighters battling the Colorado wildfires.

I was still in Ohio finishing up my week volunteering as a camp counselor for Camp Quest when the Waldo Canyon Fire started near my childhood home in Colorado Springs on Saturday, June 23. By the time I flew home, the fire was already national news. As I walked through the Denver airport I was frustrated by everyone just going about their business WHILE MY STATE IS BURNING DOWN! I suppose each person has their own problems to think about but I wanted everyone to be as concerned as I am. (Massive East Coast storms and power outages anyone? I know that was going on, but it was barely a blip on my radar. And that’s just the United States!) When the fire started, my niece was visiting with my parents on her summer vacation. She helped my parents pack up in preparation for the evacuation with an occasional, “Grandma, do you think Kaleena will want this?” She could clearly see the fires, especially at night, and wrote this poem about the experience on the second day of the fire:

When the canyon fire struck / In their homes all were stuck / Little children scared and weeping / And in town ashes sweeping / So when they saw the flames, blood red / They soon were very filled with dread / I sat thinking at the table / Wondering if we were able / To bare that fire away ~ Emily, age 9

Tuesday was the nightmare day. The fire more than doubled in size and forced thousands more people to be evacuated, including my parents. I was once again stunned by my apathetic neighbors in Denver, only 60 miles away, going about their business as usual while the fire consumed my thoughts and my time for the better part of a week. I attempted to escape from the non-stop news coverage by first taking a long nap and then later watching a baseball game at a nearby bar but each time I checked back in with the real world the fire had grown significantly. I continually reminded myself and high school friends affected by the fire that “My family is safe. Your family is safe. Only things are in danger of being burned.” 

Burning houses in Colorado Springs on Tuesday (Helen H. Richardson – The Denver Post) 

Emily only had one day left in Colorado, and after she lived through the evacuation, I offered to have her stay with me to avoid the horror of watching houses burn and the poor air quality. On Wednesday, I had a full apartment when my friend’s parents took me up on my offer to stay when they were evacuated. I wasn’t expecting their arrival to overlap with my niece’s stay but opening my home was the least I could do. I had an overly full house for several nights.

Evacuation of northwestern Colorado Springs on Tuesday (Rick Wilking – Reuters) 

This particular wildfire is nearly contained, but not before 346 families living on the edge of Colorado Springs lost their homes and two people lost their lives. Life has slowly returned to normal for me, but a new normal in which some of my favorite hiking trails will be blackened with fire scarring. You know that feeling of helplessness you have when there’s not a darn thing you can do? Sometimes that’s true, but not this time. While my parents’ house is undamaged, there are currently still nine wildfires actively burning in Colorado, and we haven’t even hit the hottest months of the year yet. The Humanist Crisis Response through Foundation Beyond Belief is taking donations to support several local firefighter departments as the Colorado wildfire season continues, and I hope you consider supporting their valiant efforts.