Deadline for 2013 Beyond Belief Network perks fast approaching

If you’re a member of one of more than 90 Beyond Belief Network teams, remind your leaders to send us reports detailing all of the service projects you did in 2013. Better yet, volunteer to be your team’s official BBN liaison and submit the reports yourself! Even though it’s January, it’s not too late to “level up” and qualify for T-shirts, grants for service projects, and the 2nd annual Heart of Humanism Awards, which will be presented at Foundation Beyond Belief’s first ever conference, this July in Chicago. The deadline for submitting 2013 events is January 15, 2014, so act fast! In addition, any report for a 2013 event received by January 15, 2014, will also earn your team an entry in a drawing to win a signed copy of a book written by Dale McGowan or Chris Stedman.

Helping needy humanists in times of crisis: Humanist Crisis Responders and Helping Hands
Beyond Belief Network has big plans for growth in 2014, including the launch of a volunteer crisis response program, Humanist Crisis Responders. You can register as a Crisis Responder now and get updates and the opportunity to be deployed in the event of a domestic crisis. Using the same form, you can also indicate your ability and interest to help out needy humanists in your own community.

If you know of a needy humanist (or are one yourself), please nominate them for Helping Hands. While Foundation Beyond Belief will not provide Helping Hands nominees with direct monetary aid, we do provide them with lists of resources in their area (e.g., social services, support groups, community programs), put them in touch with a local BBN team (or contact humanist groups on their behalf if there is no BBN team), and assist any individuals or groups who would like to raise funds or hold a supply drive for them.

To ensure the success of our Helping Hands and Humanist Crisis Responders, we need to increase the number of BBN teams we have across the US. We are counting on our local teams to keep us informed of any natural disasters and secular humanists who need help. We are also planning on the local teams to assist us with the coordination of on-the-ground responses to crises. If you are a member of a local team who’d be willing to help in a crisis, please join Beyond Belief Network today.