Give & Get Open Forum

“Life’s most urgent question is:

what are you doing for others?”

Martin Luther King, Jr

This Monday marks the 15th Annual King Day of Service; a day in which citizens are challenged to transform Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community service that helps solve social problems. By participating in service projects that empower individuals or strengthen communities, people will work together towards a common goal of doing good,  which not only serves others, but helps to exemplify the values that Dr. King preached: we are all equal, and we can all work together to make things right for ourselves.

So this Monday, get out there and serve! Here are some organizations who are doing something extra on King Day-and some links to help you get involved:

-New York City Coalition Against Hunger will sponsor their Seventh Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Anti-Hunger “Serve-a-Thon” event which is a three-day event featuring volunteer events at New York City’s food pantries and soup kitchens. If you miss out this weekend, check out their Hunger Maps, where you can search and find food pantries and soup kitchens in your area to volunteer at year round!

- The Met Council needs volunteers to help build a greenhouse for one of their low-income senior residences. You’ll be asked to help build shelves, plant flowers and vegetables. Find contact information (and more opportunities) on the NYC Service Website.

- Children for Children, a NY organization founded by parents to foster community involvement and social responsibility in young people, is hosting two free events for kids and teens this Monday in Manhattan. Take your kids to Martin Luther King Jr. High School or PS 57  to participate in a day of service and activities from 10m-2pm. To learn more about attending the Eighth Annual Grow Involved, contact Abby Huber at 212.850.4170 or by email at abby@childrenforchildren.org; for more details click here.

-Head to the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan on the 18th. You can help JCC staff and local residents make welcome kits for hospitalized kids, prepare meals for the homeless, and participate in other community service activities in and around the building. To register, you can contact Judy Gross at 646.505.4450. 

-iMentor : Become a mentor! There are kids and teens in this city who don’t have proper role models to guide them through school and show them that someone cares. With iMentor,  an NYC-focused online mentoring program, you can correspond weekly by email with your mentee and meet them in-person at events throughout the year. (January is National Mentoring Month!)

I may be missing some things, but Time Out New York is here to fill in my blanks! Check out their weekend recap for what you can do this Monday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Volunteer your time, donate blood, or simply attend an event where you can learn about a great man and the legacy he left behind.

Other interesting reads about the day:

Trinity Conference Center

USA Today

MLK Day of Service website

January is National Mentoring Month, a time to recognize those who give generously of themselves by mentoring young Americans, and a time to focus the nation’s attention towards the cause in the hopes of gaining new mentors for our nation’s children in need. This month was officially proclaimed so by President Barack Obama earlier this week, as seen here on the White House website. Mentoring a child not only enriches their life, but your own as well. Regardless of whether you coach, teach, or just spend time hanging out, you’re exemplifying (hopefully) how to be a responsible adult and become a role model for kids who may not have an adult in their life to look up to.

On the Serve.gov website, they state that “Together, the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR, and the Corporation for National and Community Service are working to focus national attention on the need for mentors. If we – individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits – can work together to increase the number of mentors, we assure brighter futures for our young people.”

If you need convincing on how impactful mentoring a child can be, take a look at some of the tributes written on the Harvard Mentoring Project website. The sixth annual ‘Thank Your Mentor Day’ is January 22nd, but the tributes have already begun pouring in from around the country from former and current mentees, young and old, expressing their gratitude.

In order to help you get started mentoring a child, I’ve listed some resources below that should help those in New York trying to find the right opportunity:

The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island (Hauppauge) – (631) 761-7800

The Mentoring Partnership of New York (New York) – (212) 953-0945

iMentor (NYC-focused online mentoring with weekly email correspondence and in-person meetings and events throughout the school year)

Administration for Children’s Services (NYC Gov. Site; includes links to Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mentoring USA, MPNY)

In2Books (online mentoring program that involves reading and discussion)

You should know that most mentoring programs require a background check and training, and then you will be paired with an appropriate mentee that perhaps shares some of the same interests as you. It is also a big commitment to make, as you are promising your time to child; don’t make the decision hastily or if you’re unsure of how much time you’ll be able to give on a regular basis. If you’re unsure of how you’ll be a one-on-one situation with a child, it may be a good idea to attend one of the many projects New York Cares offers that involve spending time reading with children or teaching them computer skills. It’s a great way to get your feet wet and see if this is something you really want to do. The online mentoring programs are a great alternative to the traditional programs (such as Big Brothers Big Sisters) for busy professionals, as they tend to involve significantly less time committal and little to no travel.

If you are an organization that has mentoring opportunities available, please email me or comment below to list them on this site!

lkj

I recently came across a really cool digital calendar, brought to you by Peter Buffett, that I wanted to share. Throughout the month of December leading up to Christmas Day, you can go to the website and open a virtual door to reveal one way to give back to your community or contribute to global programs. Since it’s already December 11th, feel free to go back in time to December 1st and start the month a’new, to see past tips from Buffett on how to give back this holiday season. Past days have already included links to organizations like Operation Santa Claus, Women for Women International, and Feeding America.

In addition to holiday giving tips, you can also listen and download music from Peter Buffett’s new CD “Star of Wonder”, a collection of Christmas classics. You can also hear excerpts from his upcoming book Life Is What You Make It, due out in April 2010 (which I really like the cover art for).

Peter Buffett, an American musician, composer, and producer, is the second son of investor Warren Buffett. His music is largely affected by his extensive involvement in social action and philanthropy, both here in America and abroad. In 2008, Buffett teamed up with Grammy-nominated and international recording artist Akon to launch the website IsThereSomethingICanDo.com, which is dedicated to educating the public about the realities of human trafficking, using social networking to create social action.

A recent article published by the New York Post, No Room To Serve, sites the difficulties that some people are having trying to volunteer in NYC. It’s unfortunate, but many volunteers are being turned away from organizations, placed on volunteer waiting lists, and in some cases, going through interview processes and paperwork similar to paid job applications. There are a few obvious reasons for the increase in volunteerism: a hurting economy that’s making people more aware that there are people in need, the unemployed who now have the time to volunteer, and Obama’s Call to Action earlier this year.

Those interviewed in the article, one who is on a waiting list at an Upper East Side shelter and another who couldn’t sign in to projects on the New York Cares website before they all filled up, felt rejected. Which is understandable, since all they want to do is donate their time. However, many places just don’t have the funding or enough staff available to make additional volunteer spots available. It’s not personal, however disappointing it may be.

The article does offer some help, acknowledging that “Despite the fact that candidates are duking it out for volunteer spots these days, experts stress opportunities are available — you just have to look in the right places. Animal- and education-related causes tend to be the most popular, [Greg Bagley, executive director of New York Cares] says, but there is always a need for volunteers to help others with job-interview skills and résumé preparation.”

There are many places that may not be as well known as the more popular organizations -New York Cares or the ASPCA, for example- that still need volunteers. Using websites like NYC Service, Idealist, or Volunteer March, people looking for opportunities may be able to find a place to volunteer. You can also do some good ol’ fashioned legwork yourself and try contacting some of the agencies listed on the website I Can Volunteer.

If you are an organization in NYC with volunteer opportunities currently available, please post them below or email me at info@giveandgetnyc.com

As part of the first ever “NYC Bloggers Do the Holidays,” Give & Get will be your ultimate guide to volunteering in NYC during the holiday season. At the end of this post you’ll find a list of 12 other dedicated New York blogs participating. Read them all, and you’ll have all your bases covered when it comes to this holiday season in NYC…

If you’re looking to give back to NYC this holiday season, you’ve come to the right place. From volunteering your time to donating presents, I’ve got you covered. There are endless opportunities available in this city, and this guide should provide a way to get you started…

For Santa’s…

• An easy way to give back during the holiday season is, well, to give. Today (December 1st) starts Operation Santa in NYC, which is a program run by the US Postal Service. Each year, thousands of needy children write letters to Santa, asking for things that their families cannot afford to buy them, from video games and toys to warm clothing and diapers for their siblings. Operation Santa allows people to answer these children’s letters and send them the gifts that they would have otherwise gone without. You can head to the James A. Farley Building on 8th Avenue to pick up a letter between now and Christmas Eve.
  
• New York Cares runs a ‘Winter Wishes‘ program, which is similar to Operation Santa, but they also allow team giving which enables you and your coworkers or friends to fulfill a TON of wishes (individuals can take up to 20 letters, teams can take a lot more). They screen over 32,000 letters from children, teens, and families living in New York City.
  

There are also many places in the city that have holiday parties and drives, where you can donate gifts and celebrate at the same time! Here are just a few:

• Toy Drive at the Village Pourhouse : On December 8th, head to the Village Pourhouse with a new toy to donate and you’ll receive a drink on the house! You can get details and RSVP with OneBrick, who is hosting the event.
  
• UJA Federation of NY has some great opportunities listed for holiday giving, including a Holiday Gift Bag Delivery on December 16th at the JASA center (Jewish Association for Services for the Aged) in Chelsea. They need volunteers to organize drives for supplies to put inside the gift bags (in advance), and you can help deliver the gifts to homebound seniors that night. On December 20th, you can help throw a Chanukah party at Selfhelp (organization for Holocaust Survivors) in Pelham Parkway, Bronx. Go to the UJA website for all the details and contact info: Go to site>>
• Inner-City Scholarship Fund is having a Christmas Party on December 12th, thrown by their junior committee for the kids in grades 1-3. There will be ornament decorating, card-making stations and other activities for kids to participate in. Volunteers who wish to sign up should email ICSFJC@gmail.com with “Christmas Party” in the subject line, and you’ll receive more details as the event approaches.

For Santa’s Little Helpers…

The holiday season is a great time to introduce your kids to the world of volunteering. At a time when they are being showered with gifts and love, it’s nice to take some time to explain that not all children are able to enjoy the holidays. Some activities you can do with your little ones that don’t take a lot of time, can go a long way in showing them that they can help other people have a better  holiday:

• Your children can spend some time making ‘Happy Holidays’ cards, that you can drop off at a local senior center or organization that visits homebound seniors, hospitals, or other places where people may be lonely and need some cheering up. It’s a fun, inexpensive project you can do together.
• When you go shopping for gifts, allow your child to pick out one gift to give to someone else. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it will make them feel good knowing that another kid will get the awesome gift they picked out (see above for places to donate toys..)
• Check out Mommy Poppins post “Holiday Charity and Volunteering with Kids in NYC” for more kid-friendly ideas.
  

For Rudolph’s…

Rudolph helped lead Santa’s sleigh through the night, and you can lead your own volunteer project just like him. Organizing a drive to collect goods is a great way to give back without having to spend money. Always remember to call ahead to any place you intend to donate to make sure they can take your collection!

• Hold a food drive in your office, apartment building, or local community center (for do’s and don’ts of collection, see my previous post about coat drives). You can use the NYC Coalition Against Hunger website to locate a food pantry or soup kitchen by zip code. (this is also a great resource for finding volunteer opportunities nearby).
• Start a coat drive; it’s easy and helps clear space in your closet-a win-win I think. You can donate to a local church or synagogue, shelters, Goodwill or Salvation Army store, OR, you can get in on New York Cares Annual Coat Drive action by hosting a drive yourself and then delivering your coats to their Manhattan warehouse. New York Cares will provide you with flyers and posters for your drive, or if you choose to donate elsewhere, you can download flyers here from me.
  
• Brooklyn Based had a great post about giving back in Brooklyn, from volunteering time to donating goods. Check out the “Causes We Can Believe In” post.
  

For Elves…

One of the best ways to give back is to give your time to someone else. A few hours volunteering costs nothing but time, and it means a lot to the people you’re giving it to. I’ve mentioned a few places already that have special holiday volunteer events, but there are endless opportunities in NYC to give back all year round. Here are just a few organizations that make it really easy to find a project. Feel free to look at some of my previous posts to read about specific projects I’ve done.

• New York Cares is the most well-known volunteer organization in NYC, and for good reason. According to their website, more than 48,000 people volunteer year after year, giving their time to over 400,000 disadvantaged New Yorkers. After a short orientation, you can choose from hundreds of projects to participate in. Go to their website for more information. At the very least, New York Cares website can be used to give you an idea of what is available.
• Street Project has a limited group of opportunities, making it less overwhelming if you have a hard time deciding what type of activity you want to do, and besides setting up your account, there isn’t much you have to do before signing up for your first project.
• NYC Service allows you to search for different activities by borough, area of interest, and level of priority; there are a lot of opportunities for people with special skills such as accountants, artists, grant writers, etc.
• One Brick has various “commitment-free volunteering” opportunities listed by day, and most projects occur after regular work hours, enabling busy professionals to volunteer during the week or on weekends.

Just Give…

Got stuff to get rid of? If its in good condition, you can probably donate it; from cell phones to bed linens to pet supplies. Here are some links to help find a place to donate near you:

• Ann Sullivan-Go Green! lists places by item, and it’s a huge list. Always call ahead..
• NYC Stuff Exchange website is NYC.gov’s gift to donating. You can search by zip code, borough, or vendor.
  

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, but my job gets pretty busy during the holidays so I’ve been short on time. Anywho, onto my post..

How to Have a Successful Winter Coat Drive

A great way to volunteer your time during the winter is to organize a coat drive. I had one last year and it was very successful: I was able to donate over 60 coats to Homes for the Homeless, an organization that assists homeless families in NYC. Through the process, I learned some do’s and don’ts for hosting a coat drive…

Before you start collecting, you may need to get permission from your landlord, boss, or whoever else may be in charge of the space where you intend to put a coat drive box. I live in a building that has a co-op board and building manager, all of whom had to approve a written proposal that I was asked to submit. I also collected coats at work, and so I needed my managers to give me the okay, since it would undoubtedly lead to (and it did), a large number of coats sitting around for a few days in the office. Some of the questions you should be prepared to answer:

-Where do you intend to store the coats after the box fills up?

-What do you intend to do with coats not suitable for donation?

-Where are you donating the coats?

The answers will vary from person to person, but just be prepared for someone to be annoyed with you and your box full of donations. There is always someone who will rain on your giving parade.

If you plan on having the donation box in your home, be careful where you are advertising your drive: putting an ad on Craigslist or posting flyers on the street may bring some undesirable people your way, and I don’t recommend it. Instead, you can keep the drive small, and tell all your friends and family to bring their donations to your apartment. Alternatively, maybe there is a community center nearby, a bodega, or some other public space, where you can offer to host the drive and take responsibility for clearing out donations.

Now that you have a space to put your box, you have to find one big enough to hold your donations. You can buy boxes at a store like Staples, but that’s going to cost you money and who wants to spend money when you don’t have to? Think about stuff that comes in big boxes: refrigerators, furniture, clothing. Now think of stores that sell these items and give them a call, asking if they have any large boxes (in good condition) they want to get rid of. Chances are, you’ll be able to snag a few boxes and re-use them for your drive. Refrigerator not included.

The next step is finding a place to donate all of the coats you collect. You should have this decision made before you start; if you’re arranging for a pick-up date, you’ll want that day to coincide with the day after your drive ends, so that you’re not storing boxes of stranger’s coats in your home for too long. If you’re donating to another drive, like New York Cares, you can take coats as you get them to drop-off sites, so that you don’t have to worry about storage. Either way, know where the coats are going. I’ll list some places at the end of the post that you can call and ask if they are in need of coat donations.

You should now be ready to start collecting coats! You can click here to download (free) flyers for your drive, and I’ll even personalize it for you if you ask nicely. You can post these flyers in your building or office, or email them to family and friends. Get the word out in advance, so that people have time to look through their closets and say goodbye to their precious coats. Set a definitive time span for your drive, and make sure you’ve mentioned that only RE-USEABLE, GENTLY-USED COATS should be donated. You can also mention on your flyer or email those things that shouldn’t be donated:  gloves, hats, abandoned kittens, garbage, etc. You’d be surprised to find out what some people will put in an unattended box, so it’s wise to be specific…And it’s always a good idea provide contact information for anyone who has questions about what to donate, where their donations are going, etc.

Other things to know:

-Did I mention you can download free flyers here?

-To make your donation box more appealing to prospective donators, wrap it in some festive wrapping paper. Don’t put out a box that is fortified with a roll of duct tape and sagging-its an eyesore and not good for business…

-Tell people where the coats will be donated. It makes the drive more personal to each person if they can say: “Hey, I helped out the Salvation Army today,” instead of “I put my coat in an unmarked box and have no idea where its going. I think the lady on the 6th floor may be stealing coats for resale.”

-After your drive is finished, follow-up with an email or another flyer that says how many coats were collected. If you receive a thank you letter from the organization that received the donation, photocopy and share it. People like to know they’ve made a difference, and it feels good to know you were a part of something.

Find a Place to Donate(Always call ahead before showing up with coats):

NYC Stuff Exchange (will help you find places in your zip code)

New York Cares Coat Drive (December 1-31)

Covenant House

Salvation Army

You can also check with local churches, shelters, synagogues, and other community-centered places to see if they are in need of coats this winter.

There are tons of places to donate, so don’t think that this list is exhaustive. If you’re an organization that is in need of coat donations, please reply below with your information and location!

Email or comment with any additional suggestions for hosting a successful coat drive,or tell us about your own drive and how it went!

Happy Collecting!

I’m just going to throw it out there: I hate baseball. I don’t enjoy watching it. I don’t mind playing, but really, I only like to hit the ball. No fielding for me. Boooorrring. So when I caught wind of a recent wager made between the mayors of this year’s World Series teams -Mayor Bloomberg for the New York Yankees and Mayor Michael A. Nutter for the Philadelphia Phillies- I let out a big sigh. Torn between my love for volunteerism and my hatred of the sport, I had to decide: do I write about it, or do I remain happily ignorant of all things baseball. Obviously, I chose the former….

According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, “the losing mayor will travel to the winning city to join the winning mayor in a volunteer service project, while wearing a jersey from the winning team.  In addition, the losing Mayor will cater lunch from a local establishment for the volunteers working with the winning Mayor. Win or lose, Mayor Bloomberg will be joining Publicolor to work with students painting open spaces at I.S. 131, the Albert Einstein School in the Bronx, and Mayor Nutter will be joining the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program to paint a mural on the side of a Philadelphia recreation center.” In addition, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced that the entire Series has been dedicated to community service as a part of the MLB’s “Going Beyond” initiative, which supports programs for veterans, cancer research and youth development.

Publicolor, a partner of the Mayor’s NYC Service initiative, is a nonprofit organization that engages disaffected youth and encourages them to work together to improve their learning environments by adding color to the drab hallways and classrooms that often exist in NY public schools. The hope is that this will not only keep them off the streets and out of trouble, but the program will also teach them a marketable skill that they can use to increase their chances of a better future. They have a slew of workshops and programs for the teens involved, as well as various volunteer activities, which you can read about by clicking here.

I think this is great, that both Mayors are choosing to bet their time rather than eating cheesesteaks and cheesecakes together. Enriching the lives of children instead of feasting rich and cheesy treats (more for me). Following a week of prime-time TV volunteerism through iParticipate, this wager should continue to push the call for a national service movement full steam ahead; afterall, I may hate baseball but I’m well aware that I’m not in the majority for that. Lots of people are watching this series- at least 1,000. Maybe more, right?

For me, it adds a few inches of depth to an otherwise flat-lined sport.

So, I guess baseball isn’t all bad. For now…

For the full press release, click here.

This past weekend I volunteered at the 2009 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Central Park. I signed up through an ad posted to Craigslist about two or three months ago, and completely forgot about it until I received a letter in the mail reminding me to show up. Not that I wasn’t aware of the walk or it being Breast Cancer Month, I just forgot that I signed up to participate. It being the same weekend of the New York Cares Day event I did one day prior, I was worried that I wouldn’t really feel up to volunteering all day outside. My apprehension aside, I made a commitment so I was going. Come hell, high water, or unseasonable cold temperatures and rain, perfect for sleeping in.

So, on Sunday the 18th, I was up by 6am and heading into Central Park by 7. It was about 35 degrees out and raining, and somehow, my socks were already wet. I was not happy. But once I got to the 72nd St Bandshell in the park, I realized how big this event is and how important it is to so many people, and I quickly changed my attitude.  There were tents set up with different promotional items for sale, and a huge pink tent with a banner that read ‘Welcome Survivors’. I headed over to check in with the other volunteers, put on my XL volunteer t-shirt, and had a bagel and coffee (provided by Tim Hortons) while the sun came up. I was concerned that having signed up on Craigslist, the process of getting oriented and ready for thousands of people to arrive would be chaotic and unorganized. I should’ve known that a huge organization like the American Cancer Society would not only have things under control, but the volunteers would be led with military precision. Whether assisting with set-up, checking in walkers, or passing out water along the route, all of the volunteers seemed to be comfortable with what they were doing, as if they had been doing it for years (some of them had, in fact, been doing it for years)

I was assigned to the registration and online check-in tents. There were mini-orientations for volunteers as they arrived: when about 7 or 8 people got to the tent, a lead volunteer or staff member would tell us what we would be doing, and send us each to our location for the day. I was to direct the walkers to the appropriate place as they arrived, depending on whether or not they had registered online, were with a group, etc. Having studied the map of the event footprint before the walk started, I was also able to give people directions to event areas or park exits and subways. I assumed the weather would deter people from attending and was prepared to deal with cranky, wet participants, impatiently waiting on line. Once again, I was wrong. Not only did 20,000 people show up, but they were happy to be there. No one was running for shelter from the rain, or complaining about the cold. Droves of people continued to arrive for the rolling start from about 830 to 11am. The music played on and some people danced their way to the starting line. Groups of high school and college students waited, taking pictures and cheering. Every time a survivor registered or checked in for the walk, a team of volunteers would begin ringing cowbells and cheering, which incited sporadic cheers all morning from walkers, volunteers, and staffers alike.  By the end of the day, the Making Strides in Central Park walk raised over $2,400,000.

On their website, the The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer writes that they provide “a community for all of us to join together with a shared passion to end breast cancer once and for all. Together, we will make a difference, make history, and make strides against breast cancer.” At this event, I really did sense that this was a community; of women, families, children, coworkers, people from all walks of life, supporting one another. It wasn’t just a fund raiser; it was a day dedicated to paying tribute to anyone affected by breast cancer, and a day to recognize that no one has to go it alone. I was proud to be a part of it, and look forward to next year’s Walk.

To see if there is an event coming up in your area, or to make a donation, visit the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer homepage by clicking here. You can also check to see what volunteer opportunities the American Cancer Society has by clicking here.

Yesterday, along with some friends and coworkers, I participated in New York Cares Day. It was a huge success: $235,000 was raised for New York Cares year-long programs, and 117 schools in NYC were given revitalizing makeovers. 8,000 volunteers painted bookcases, murals, fences and walls, organized libraries and classrooms. Our team was assigned to PS 11 K, the Purvis J. Behan Elementary School in Brooklyn, and our job for the day was to paint as many bookcases and shelves as we could. Following a list of classrooms that were registered for the day, we took to the halls with red, blue, purple, yellow and green paints, brushes in hand. For each room, we had to take out anything that was in the bookcases, lay down some butcher paper to protect the floors, and then decide how we wanted to paint each one: stripes? handprints? I like to think we did a pretty good job. We and everyone else wanted to add as much color and fun as we could. At the end of the day, we returned to each classroom we had dismantled, put everything back the way we found it, and admired our handy work.

Other teams at PS 11 K were painting murals that had been drawn out on walls and doors. Some were painting fences outside a bright yellow. The library also got a much needed re-organization. On Monday morning, 600 children will arrive at PS 11 to find bright new colors in their classrooms and new murals to enjoy. More importantly, they will hopefully see that there were a lot of people who cared enough about them and their education, to come to their school and make it more vibrant and fun place to learn.

To those that came out for Team Give and Get NYC, thank you: Alison Art, Dustin Growick, James Posner, Jason Kahan, Jonathan Essa, Massimo Pennisi, Marshall Weaver, McKenzie Mahoney, Meghan Dockery, Michael Bamford, Paul Costa, and Sasha Growick. It meant a lot to me that I was able to share something I love to do with friends. We had a lot of laughs, and got a lot of paint in places it didn’t belong (don’t worry, we cleaned up).

I’ve posted some pictures from our day at PS 11 below (click to enlarge). If you’re interested in seeing what went on at other schools on New York Cares Day, check out their blog by clicking here.

I recently came across a new initiative from the Entertainment Industry Foundation that I wanted to share. It’s called iParticipate, and its coming soon to a television near you…

According to their website, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) “harnesses the collective power of the entertainment industry and channels its unique assets to raise awareness and funds for critical health, educational and social issues in order to make a positive impact in our community and throughout the nation”. You’ve probably seen PSA’s from the EIF without even knowing who was responsible for them: Felicity Huffman raising breast cancer awareness, Morgan Freeman for colorectal cancer, Christina Ricci with Stand Up to Cancer. Many more have been created, and for over 65 years EIF has been educating, raising awareness, and raising money for research not only in the United States, but internationally as well, using the power of celebrity.

Their latest initiative, iParticipate, is not a surprising addition to their resume. Service and volunteerism are hot topics in our country right now, thanks to the Serve America Act and other government/city programs, so it’s only natural that a large organization like EIF would follow suit. iParticipate is a multi-year program designed to inspire a new era of service in the US. It will kick off next week on October 19th; in addition to PSA’s, the EIF has enlisted numerous television networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, to name a few) to participate in encouraging viewers to give back to their community, and prove the power of community. Many shows have written service and volunteerism into their story lines or segments (for shows like The View and David Letterman), and it should be interesting to see how each chooses to shed light on the subject, given the diversity of the 90+ participating shows, which include The Office, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, and CSI:Miami. For a full list of participating shows, you can visit the iParticipate blog on their website. One show I am most looking forward to is 30 Rock; according to a USA Today article, Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), who has embraced faux charities including Pants for Zoo Animals in past episodes, gets emotionally wrapped up with abandoned dogs from an animal shelter. I love 30 Rock, I love Tina Fey as a writer and actress, and I am excited to see how next week plays out.

In addition to the week-long kick-off, iParticipate has also created a widget (which you can pick up here) to help you search for local volunteer opportunities by zip code and area of interest. Feel free to test it out at the end of the post-it worked for me, returning about 20 listings in my area.

iParticipate will be able to reach a lot of people, using prime-time television as a vehicle for delivering their message. Whether or not it will increase the number of volunteers, I don’t know. Judging by the comments left on a lot of blogs and online news sources, it seems some people are not impressed with force-fed information about volunteerism, and are downright insulted that in the current economic climate, we as a nation are being asked to give our time away and work for free. It’s understandable, but I don’t share their sentiment. Taking a few hours out of my day to help clean up an animal shelter or serve food to a group of homeless co-citizens, doesn’t seem unreasonable, especially when there often isn’t money to pay someone to do these things. But I digress…

Regardless of the outcome, I think this is a great initiative that will undoubtedly grab the attention of the nation next week, for better or worse. Be it through subtle hints in plot lines or PSA’s during commercial breaks, it should become clear to many people that volunteering isn’t always as hard or time-consuming as they previously thought, and there are many ways to give back to your community and country.