September Team of the Month: Humanist Community of Central Ohio

Congratulations to Beyond Belief Network’s September Team of the Month: Humanist Community of Central Ohio! Humanist Community of Central Ohio currently stands at Level Two. This team was chosen for this honor because of the variety of their service events and their dedication towards educating their local community about a variety of issues.

Humanist Community of Central Ohio has participated in a number of advocacy-related service events. In July, they invited Leo Igwe to give his talk on “Boko Haram & The Rise of Islamic Extremism.” HCCO advertised his discussion to the larger community. Listen to an edited version of his talk here. In June, HCCO tabled for three days at the annual Community Festival. They have tabled there every year for the last thirty years to help raise awareness about humanism. They added an additional seventy-two people to their email list and talked about opportunities available to secular individuals in Columbus, OH. HCCO even marched in the Columbus Pride Parade to show support for GLBT community and members.

Humanist Community of Central Ohio also works well with other volunteer groups. They hosted their summer blood drive in conjunction with the Secular Student Alliance East conference on the campus of Ohio State University. They had twenty-three units donated. HCCO also sent thirty-six mini-deodorants and seventy two nail clippers (a value of $56.51) to Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless for their 50 state challenge from their charity giving budget. HCCO also worked with BREAD, an interfaith coalition of over 50 congregations from across Columbus, Ohio, to fight for systemic change in areas including mental health care, education, and immigration.

This team is also interested in conservation. For the past several years, they have set aside a portion of their budget to "adopt" a bonobo at the Columbus Zoo in HCCO's name. It is a small way in which they can encourage the preservation of endangered species for future generations.

Beyond Belief Network is proud of Humanist Community of Central Ohio’s efforts and wish them continued success.

Team of the Month recognition is a benefit provided by Foundation Beyond Belief to our Beyond Belief Network teams. In order to be considered, your group must be a Level One Beyond Belief Network team and you must submit at least one event report during the month. Team of the Month selection is based on the number, length, variety, and documentation (e.g., submitted pictures, blog posts, videos, etc.) of events.

Teams can only be Team of the Month once per calendar year. If your local group does great service work, but isn’t a member of BBN, you can join anytime! In addition to recognition, your team can qualify for free t-shirts and grants. If your local humanist group doesn’t volunteer, but you’d like to start, we’d love to help! For teams new to secular service, we offer tons of ideas, event guides, and advice.