Beyond Belief Network teams brave the cold with January volunteering

Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry By Elizabeth Dorssom

Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network is a network of secular humanist groups volunteering in their communities and raising money for FBB’s featured charities and programs. Any group with a public secular humanist or atheist identity is welcome to join, regardless of experience or group size. In January, BBN is observing National Mentoring Month and encouraging teams to forge mentoring relationships with young adults or other secular humanist groups.

Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry volunteered at the Lowcountry Food Bank, a clearinghouse for donated food items that serves 10 counties in coastal South Carolina. During the three hours they volunteered, team members unpacked seven pallets of mixed food donations and inspected for expiration dates and potential damage to food containers. They also sorted the food into new boxes by category, sealed the boxes, and loaded them onto pallets.

Secular Hub volunteers went door to door with Groundwork Denver on MLK day, changing porch light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. Volunteers also handed out coupons for free trees and free recycling services. Flagstaff FreethinkersThey also passed out educational materials about energy usage, making this an event that covered three categories: education, poverty, and the environment! Beyond Belief Network staff are currently exploring ways to expand this program to the rest of our teams.

Flagstaff Freethinkers also celebrated MLK day by putting together a community-wide day of service, which was covered on the FBB blog earlier this week.

Ethics in Action recently held a blood drive for the Red Cross. The Red Cross of America is always in need of blood donations, and 27 people were willing to give. Donors were invited to schedule a time when they could come in during this event, with information given about other ways to help if they were unable to donate at the time. All in all, there were 22 successful donations!

If you are a member of a secular humanist or atheist group and would like to participate in community service projects under the national umbrella of Foundation Beyond Belief, join Beyond Belief Network. We welcome all atheist groups interested in service, from groups with extensive volunteer experience to newly formed groups new to secular service. By aggregating our efforts, we show the world that all we really need is charity and goodness to make the world a better place.

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The Humanist Student Union from the University of North Georgia collected more than $200 to help Syrian refugees

Beyond Belief NetworkThe Humanist Student Union from the University of North Georgia invited Foundation Beyond Belief Executive Director Dale McGowan to speak on campus as a fundraiser for FBB Crisis Response Beneficiary International Rescue Committee. The event resulted in more than $500 going to Syrian Crisis Response, with $200 of that collected from attendees at their event. We have been extremely impressed with this new BBN team, who put together a Hug an Atheist fundraiser with 24 hours’ notice that made an incredible $300 in four hours! It’s the can-do spirit of club president Devidyal Givens that sets them apart.

Devidyal explains her philosophy of philanthropy:

The most common excuse I hear when I encourage others to host events is “it’s too hard.” Either the average person has a completely different opinion of what the word “hard” means or they really don’t understand how easy it can be to set up an event, especially on a college campus. Campus groups may not realize it, but they commonly have access to ballrooms and meeting rooms free of charge. Community-centered off-campus groups can co-sponsor events with their local student groups, too.

Here are my top five suggestions:

  1. Incorporate fundraising into your regular programming. Every event we host is a fundraiser for a cause. In this case, we wanted a lecture on Syria to benefit the refugees. We learn about interesting topics and raise money at the same time.
     
  2. Ask your contacts for help. I put out my feelers to everyone I know that might be able to help. In this case, I contacted Foundation Beyond Belief to ask if they had anyone that could talk on Syria. I was told Dale would love to do it. That was that. We had our speaker. It took a total of one email typed in about 5 minutes and sent out to about 15 people I thought might be able to help me. All I had to do is ask. Not only that, but Beyond Belief Network staff took the text I had to advertise the event and made me a flyer.
     
  3. Encourage, but don’t require, donations. I never charge money for admission to an event because I would never want to turn away a person due to lack of funds. Similarly, I never take money at the door because people that don’t have money may get that far then turn around and leave when they see money being collected. But, to remind people to bring cash, my fliers always read: “FREE ADMISSION but cash donations will be requested.” Sometimes I will put an actual amount that will be requested. I wait until they are in their seats, I have gotten their attention with some heart wrenching story and then “pass the hat.”
     
  4. If you want people to come, you need them to hear about it, and not just once. The rule of thumb to always remember is that for every 50 people you invite you can expect 3 to show up. Post flyers everywhere: local businesses, bulletin boards, nearby campuses, etc. Email professors, teachers, interest groups, etc. who might send people to you. For example, for the talk on Syrian refugees, I emailed every sociology, history, psychology, Middle East studies, and political science teacher at 10 colleges and universities within an hour’s drive. I also searched the database of each of the 10 colleges for any clubs on their campus that may be interested in the event and I emailed the club’s president. Make event pages on Meetup, Facebook, and any other social media available. Advertise in your local university paper or Coalition of Reason website. Don’t stop there; you’ll need to remind people a few times before the day of the event. Make sure you make it seem like more people are going than not and that people who don’t come are missing out.
     
  5. There are only so many hours in a day; you have to choose how to spend your time. I am a non-traditional student. I have 3 children and a husband at home, I work out at the gym every day, I take a full 18 credit hour course load and I have a 3.8 GPA. I am busier than almost everyone I know. The difference is what I choose to spend my time doing. Instead of hanging out with friends for a drink or watching a movie with my husband, I choose to spend my time getting people to come out to the events we host.

Putting your humanism to work takes a lot of time. It’s annoying at times and you’ll get frustrated but is it hard? Nope. It’s pretty darn easy. In the amount of time it’s taken me to type this blog post, I could have advertised enough to get 10 attendees for my next event. But it’s not difficult. It’s dedication. What are you dedicated to?

If you are dedicated to charitable service and philanthropy and would like to participate or plan events like Devidyal and the University of North Georgia Humanist Union, consider joining your local Beyond Belief Network team. If you’re already a member of a local humanist group, and would be interested in volunteering as a group, tell your group leaders about Beyond Belief Network. BBN teams can ask for FBB staff to speak at events, request our help promoting events and making flyers, and earn other perks.

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Humanists of Houston spread holiday cheer at the Houston Area Women’s Center

This is a guest post by Julie Ebersole of the Humanists of Houston and longtime volunteer with the Houston Area Women’s Center.

Humanists of Houston holiday store volunteeringThose of us who choose to celebrate any of the winter holidays know that it can take a lot of time, effort, and money. Now, imagine trying to put together a celebration while struggling to escape domestic violence, or recover from sexual assault, or fight your child’s abuser in court. The Houston Area Women’s Center Holiday Store gives families impacted by domestic and sexual violence the normality—and fun!—of shopping for presents in December. That’s why Humanists of Houston, a Volunteers Beyond Belief team, was proud to volunteer at the 2012 Holiday Store.

The Holiday Store is entirely stocked with donations. It’s physically created by taking over space in the main office building of the Houston Area Women’s Center, and it can involve more than a hundred volunteers. All told, 15 members of Humanists of Houston (HOH) volunteered for at least one three-hour shift (and usually more) over the course of this year’s store. During setup, extra-large gift items were inventoried by one conscientious HOH volunteer who worked an entire day to finish. HOH volunteers also took on the jobs of unloading carloads of donations, sorting donations into age-appropriate groups, breaking apart bulk-packaged items, and assembling small items into gift baskets. It was a treat to see people’s artistic flair emerge as they hand-tied every bow on those baskets.

Humanists of Houston holiday store volunteeringDuring store operation, most HOH volunteers assisted clients with shopping. Every client family was paired with one or two volunteers who guided them through the store and helped carry all of their selections. One of the thoughtful details of the store was the separation of parents/caregivers and children to do their shopping in different rooms. The adults shopped for their children, while children were able to pick out a gift for their caregiver and wrap it however they chose. Hence a few volunteers each shift had the happy task of keeping enthusiastic children supplied with paper, tape, ribbons, and bows. The Humanists of Houston had a great time contributing to a successful event, and our HOH shirts prompted several good outreach conversations when other volunteers and staff asked “What is a humanist, anyway?”

We hope everyone had as much fun making a difference while representing nonbelievers in December as we did!

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Spread the humanist holiday cheer

MI SSA Fall Chore DayBy Andrew Geary

The holiday season often provides many of us with the opportunity to look back at the year and reflect on our accomplishments, to relax and enjoy company of family and friends, and reconnect with our personal goals and plans for the new year. This is also a great time to give back and participate in service in your local community.

While it is easy to hear the ringing bells of the red kettle and call up the local food bank, many other volunteer opportunities are out there. Here is a brief list of holiday possibilities, many of which are open to the whole family!

  • Write for Rights: Amnesty International is asking you to send a letter, card, or Facebook message to those whose rights have been violated, from the imprisoned members of Pussy Riot to human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Watch the moving video, learn more, and sign up today!
  • Toys for Tots: Join the U.S. Marines in providing toys for families and children in need. Find drop-off sites in your state.
  • Oxfam: Bring together your family and friends and help families all over the world by restoring a preschool, providing an alpaca meadow, or giving a goat!
  • Contact your local United Way for ways to volunteer in your community based on your interests and preferences.
  • Perform local chores, yard work, shoveling snow, small house fix-ups, etc. The Secular Student Alliance–University of Michigan recently hosted a Fall Chore Day that was a great success.
  • Connect with your local Unitarian Universalists affiliated congregation for holiday festivities and volunteer opportunities.
  • See whether your city has a volunteer network, or check out Idealist for local opportunities
  • For Martin Luther King Day, get involved with an established local event or register your own event (such as hosting a Sunday Supper). Check out these two resources:

Harvard Humanists food-packing eventSpecifically for Volunteers Beyond Belief teams, FBB also offers funding opportunities to support your volunteering efforts. Recently, Harvard Humanists used a small grant to pack a record-breaking 40,000 meals for food-insecure children in Massachusetts. Read more about it here.

What holiday volunteering traditions do you have? Leave your ideas in the comments. Happy volunteering!

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Harvard Humanists to package 40,000 meals

Humanist Community at Harvard Values in ActionIn 2011, the Humanist Community at Harvard sponsored an interfaith meal-packing event to benefit food-insecure children in Quincy, Massachusetts. The volunteers also commemorated the tenth anniversary of September 11 by packing 9,110 meals while fostering dialogue and education among people of different religious backgrounds—particularly those that have been maligned by stereotyping in 9/11’s wake.

Having hosted another meal-packing event since then, HCH will be sponsoring their third meal-packing event this Sunday.

Just two years ago, food-insecure households in Massachusetts reached a peak rate (10.8% in all the Commonwealth) since 1995, according to the Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts. This Thanksgiving, while we give thanks to our communities and our friends and family for helping us feel secure in our access to food, we also ought to consider those who aren’t so lucky—and, with our values in mind, we ought to step in to help those in need.

On Sunday, November 18, at noon, the Harvard Humanists VBB team—as a part of their greater Values in Action initiative—will collaborate with religious and nonreligious organizations alike to package 40,000 meals for those with limited access to food in Massachusetts. But these meals must be purchased before they can be packaged and distributed—and they are still working to fundraise toward their goal.

Foundation Beyond Belief has supported the project through a Small Grant Award for Q4 2012. Further donations can be made directly to HCH through PayPal—please write “VIA event” in the special instructions box to earmark it for the project. For more information, visit the Harvard Humanist website, and if you’re planning to go, RSVP to the event on Facebook.

If you’re interested in being a volunteer leader, we need people to help load/unload the meal trucks on Monday, as well as to help facilitate the event throughout Sunday—contact Walker Bristol for more information about volunteering.

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The Humanists of Rhode Island Set the Pace by Building Houses and Cleaning Bridges

Humanists of Rhode IslandThe Humanists of Rhode Island have been setting the bar high for all future VBB teams.

Steve Ahlquist, founder and president, started the group in April 2011. “Seven people met at a Panera Bread to hear my plan for an active, socially engaged secular humanism. From there the group took off in many directions.”

Volunteering always stood as the group’s focal point. From the beginning, Steve wanted to center the group around a regularly scheduled volunteer event. Habitat for Humanity fit the bill perfectly and currently plays an integral role in the group’s activities.

In addition to its monthly service with Habitat, the group participates in blood drives, park clean-ups, and holiday gift-wrapping to raise money for local nonprofits. The group has even adopted a highway, one that passes right through the heart of Cranston, Rhode Island, a town recently brought into the spotlight when high school student Jessica Ahlquist fought to have a Christian prayer removed from her school’s auditorium. Through this difficult time, the group responded the best way it knew–by adopting a highway and giving back to the community. Now there stands a sign proudly proclaiming: “Highway Maintained by the Humanists of Rhode Island.”

Through their volunteer efforts, community outreach, and desire to put a positive face on humanism, the community has rallied to their cause. When a controversial cross in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, became subject of a legal challenge, the group did not take a public position. When Steve took part in a local radio program, the interview became contentious as he fielded a line of questioning that had him defending his group, atheism, and humanism in general.

While at the Habitat build a few days later, the site manager said that he had heard Steve on the radio. Hesitant and cautious, Steve simply smiled and waited. The site manager later went on to say that his girlfriend had made some critical comments about Steve and the group, but the site manager sought to support them. His firsthand experience with the group building houses each month made it clear to him that this group is made up of good people who simply desired to foster positive contributions for the community.

These are the stories that the teams of VBB live each time they serve in their local community. “Not only do we help people, which is a humanist value and a social good, but we also accumulate moral capital, which grants us a certain gravitas when we speak out.” To learn more about the Humanists of Rhode Island, visit their website.

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Volunteer spotlight: Julia McCain, Humanist Community of Central Ohio

HCCOJulia McCain from Humanist Community of Central Ohio answered some questions to help you get to know their team and what they’re up to.

How did your group get started? What motivated you to organize and maintain a secular humanist group? 
Our group was started in the mid-1970s as a campus group at the Ohio State University. The founding members wanted to continue their involvement in a secular humanist organization after graduation, so they established HCCO. The group incorporated in 1979. Our stated mission is to provide a local community for humanists and other nontheists, while promoting ethical and reasonable worldviews through education, community service, outreach, activism, and social events.

Were there any particular challenges you had to overcome to form the group or keep it together?
In recent years, our membership has really diversified. We have more parents and people of varying ages. We’ve tried to provide a wide range of activities and incorporate multiple communication styles for our events.

How or why did your group choose to be involved with volunteering?
Community service, in our view, is part of being an effective Humanist. It’s deliberately included in our mission statement to reflect our ideals and how we put those into action. Additionally, we enjoy volunteering, and it brings additional diversity to our membership.

HCCOWhat sort of volunteer events does your group participate in?
For as long as we have been active, we’ve taken donations for the Clintonville Community Resources Center, a local food pantry. In recent years, we’ve donated blood as an organization to the American Red Cross at a regular event called “Bleed and Feed.” We volunteer to serve lunch every fifth Wednesday at St. John’s Evangelical Protestant Church Soup Kitchen. Additionally, we collect winter clothing for the Open Shelter from November to mid-March. We participate in other one-time activities as they arise.

How do you deal with the additional organizational challenges posed by a volunteer event? 
Most responsibilities are delegated to ease the strain of event coordination. Each event has a “host.” If that host has an issue, they’re encouraged to contact our part-time coordinator or work with others volunteering at the event to solve the related issue.

What is your favorite event so far? 
I really enjoyed our Bleed and Feed Event. In the last two years, we’ve donated over 80 units of blood as an organization. We’ve attracted a lot of new members through our participation with the American Red Cross. It’s been a great opportunity to meet new people and serve the community.

What kind of impact does your group have in the local community? Do you feel supported by others in the community?
We contribute to the local community by providing a safe haven for those not involved in a religious fellowship. We raise awareness of secular humanism, creating a more open environment for people questioning or living without supernatural beliefs. We provide a sense of community and acceptance for people who say they feel isolated without a group like ours. We work with secular and religious groups to organize service activities, co-host events, and look for new opportunities to improve the humanist community in central Ohio. Our diversifying membership and many collaborative efforts demonstrate community support for HCCO.

What would you like to tell other secular humanists who are interested in volunteering? 
As secular humanists, volunteering is an excellent means of improving the material world and showing concern for others. Volunteers support valuable programs that improve our community. Being involved in volunteer work is rewarding and gives you a sense of fulfillment and pride in yourself and your community. It is also a great way to meet other secular humanists. It’s important for each person to work to build the kind of connected, thriving community they want to live in.

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Good (Without God): Service is a Humanist Priority

This post is part of our Humanist Perspectives series. In this series, we invite guest contributors to explore active humanism and what it means to be a thoughtful, engaged member of society. This article by James Croft originally appeared on his blog, Temple of the Future. You can read more by James at HarvardHumanist.org.

In England, it’s reasonable to assume someone is an atheist until proven otherwise. The influence of religion on public life is minimal, even given our established church. So when I came to America I was excited to join the local atheist and skeptical groups–I wanted to join in the fight against religious privilege and promote secular values in this very religious country.

Everything was going well, with a steady stream of meet-ups, discussions, debates, and debunking sessions. Then, something terrible happened.

A menorah appeared on Cambridge Common.

Suddenly, the email lists were aflame with denunciations of this outrageous infringement of the separation between church and state. Excited missives shot back and forth, and a campaign of letter writing mounted to eradicate this stain on secular America.

In the midst of the firestorm, I began to wonder about our priorities as a movement. It struck me that each and every day I walked past Cambridge Common on the way to class. And each time I walked through the Common, I passed a number of people who live there.

Not once had any of these atheist groups expressed an iota of concern for these people–these human beings–who sleep on park benches and carry their belongings in plastic bags.

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Now accepting applications for Volunteers “expansion teams”

vbbbadgeVolunteers Beyond Belief is now accepting local group applications to join our nationwide network of over 1500 humanist volunteers.

The Volunteers Beyond Belief program leverages the existing efforts of nontheist groups to build a supportive framework for humanist volunteering. Since we nontheists believe there is no supernatural power to take care of us, we’re a natural fit for compassionate volunteering.

When organizations in the nontheist community work together, we can achieve our shared goals more efficiently. The VBB program is dedicated to assisting local groups in their volunteering efforts and promotes cooperation between groups, allowing the compassion and generosity of nontheists to be more organized and effective.

As we develop the VBB program, we hope to encourage cooperation and sharing of ideas between Teams with various levels of experience. We also plan to encourage healthy competition between the Teams by holding contests and awarding prizes.

Benefits provided by VBB include:

  • Assistance finding local volunteer opportunities
  • Help maintaining a regular volunteering schedule
  • Volunteers Beyond Belief logowear with option to add group logo
  • Access to useful tools including a database of volunteering ideas/resources
  • Access to VBB blog and Twitter account to communicate Team activities
  • National exposure for local efforts
  • Additional benefits as the VBB program continues to develop and expand!

Applicants must:

  • Be established groups with a humanist or related identity
  • Commit to a regular volunteering schedule (at least once every six weeks)
  • Commit to a full year in the program
  • Provide VBB with event statistics such as # volunteers, # hours, etc.
  • Submit a minimum of one blog entry per event for posting on the Volunteers Beyond Belief blog

 

Click here to fill out the application form by Sunday, September 18. New Teams will be notified by October 1st.  Please e-mail Amanda with any questions! 

 

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Secular is insufficient – How HA: Ghana differs from the Peace Corps

Recently, Hemant Mehta interviewed me about the Humanist Action: Ghana for his Friendly Atheist blog. Check out the piece if you haven’t already – it provides a good overview of the purpose of HA: Ghana, what we’ve accomplished to date, and what we hope to achieve in 2016. Generally, the interview was well-received. However, there was one…

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