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.

Our members are amazing! We've recently surpassed 1,000 members, and our ability to make a difference is always increasing thanks to you! What's that you say? You want to do more?!? Well! It just so happens that I've prepared a list for you. There are so many ways that you can work with Foundation Beyond Belief to help make the world a more compassionate place!

Looking for that elusive "perfect gift" for the compassionate humanist in your life? FBB offers one-year gift memberships!

Our Year-End Fund Drive is a major source of donations, and it is going on right now! Spread the word on your blogs, Facebooks, and Twitters, or give a little extra if you can!

You can also support Foundation Beyond Belief while going about your holiday shopping! If you use the FBB Amazon portal, it wont cost you a thing, but Foundation Beyond Belief will get a small commission!

But it takes more than money to run Foundation Beyond Belief! If you are interested in donating your time as well, we are currently looking for new interns for spring. The FBB internship program is a unique opportunity that is carried out via telecommuting, so anyone anywhere can participate!

Do you feel inspired by all of this humanist compassion? Well, you should! It's inspiring! And if you want to channel that inspiration into making a difference in your local community, you should check out Volunteers Beyond Belief! By the way, VBB is currently accepting applications for new teams! So spread the word and get your local humanist group motivated, and see if VBB can't help you make your community a better place!