ONEin3 Mayor’s Advisory Council – Deadline to Apply EXTENDED TO JULY 15th!

ONEin3ers, since many of you only found out about the Council applications because you got an email today – the last day before the deadline – we’ve decided to offer and extension til July 15th.

Here’s some info on the Council:

The Mayor’s Advisory Council was created to find out about, research and recommend solutions to the problems facing Boston’s ONEin3 population. Through the Advisory Council, ONEin3 and Mayor Menino work to improve quality-of-life for 20-34 year olds living in the City of Boston. 

In addition to working with senior members of Mayor Menino’s administration, you get the chance to meet and work with the best group of young people in the entire city in your fellow Council members.

So, if you’d like to improve Jobs and Careers, Civic Engagement, Social and Cultural Life, Housing, and Young Families (and anything else you can think of) for your fellow young people, APPLY HERE.

While we’re talking about the World Cup…

We hope you enjoyed this morning’s first World Cup post. The podcast will be back up shortly, so in the meantime we thought we would give you a great World Cup related volunteer opportunity.

Lead volunteer role:  Mobilize teams of 8-10 volunteers to welcome, greet, and orient guests at big World Cup viewing party!

More info:

You Don’t Need Clean Water to Volunteer!

Now that we Bostonians can return triumphantly to our beloved Dunkie’s and Starbucks for the caffeine fix we all know we need, we can turn our attention back from scalping cases of water to our volunteering lives. Even though a City emergency like this can throw our lifestyles for a loop, nonprofits have had to think of creative solutions to keep their services going without a hitch. The Greater Boston Food Bank supplied its member hunger-relief agencies in the no-water zone with bottled water free of charge. The United Way of Mass Bay and Merrimack Valley delivered almost 8,000 water bottles to homeless families in the affected towns (source: massnonprofit.org). It reminds me that the simple things we might take for granted, like clean water, are not as readily available for individuals and families in need. It also reminds me that it takes a village to protect and beautify the sources of our water and other resources, and several environmental organizations are fighting that good fight every day. With a water focus in mind, here are some nonprofits you can support that are gung ho about H2O:

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay: citizens, scientists, and community leaders who strive to protect and restore Massachusetts Bay and the Boston Harbor.

Boston Harbor Island Alliance: promotes the use, enjoyment, and awareness of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area.

Charles River Conservancy: works to make the Charles River parklands more attractive, active and accessible to all.

Agency Spotlight: Friday Night Supper Program

Between unpredictable weather and other unforeseen circumstances, volunteer projects can get cancelled all the time in Boston—not Friday Night Supper Program. FNSP, located in the basement of the Arlington Street Church in the Back Bay, has never missed serving a Friday night meal since opening its doors in 1984. This meal service agency serves upwards of 150 clients every Friday, and the volunteer experience here is a well-oiled machine. Everyone who volunteers there is given a very specific job and is kept busy the entire time: everything from serving to doing dishes to clothing closet help to even recording demographics. If you’re not convinced yet, listen to what FNSP volunteer and board member Karen Boss has to say: “Friday Night Supper is volunteerism – soup to nuts! You get to see the set-up, help prep the hall and food, participate in serving the meal restaurant style, interact with the guests, and do all the clean up. And all this in a friendly, fun atmosphere. Whether you are a first-time volunteer or a volunteerism veteran, FNSP is the place for you!” If you can’t volunteer on a Friday evening, FNSP is ALWAYS looking for men’s clothing and toiletries to stock its clothing closet. If you’ve been working on your spring cleaning, or took a trip through the CVS mini-toiletry section, contact Executive Director Caroline Carwood about dropping off your donations at ccarwood@partners.org!

Project Highlights

All of these projects are found on the Boston Cares Calendar—check them out, and if you like what you see, sign up to become a member!

Special Olympics Track Training with Newton Parks & Rec: getting a good run around the track will keep you in shape, and working with the athletes will give you that extra inspiration you need to make it through a busy day!

Saturday Tutoring at Boston Latin’s Saturday Success School: the kids at Boston Latin School are super motivated and this program is extremely organized and well-run.

East End House Free Farmers Market: with this project, the farmers market is delivered directly to elderly and disabled residents at their homes!

Happy Volunteering,

Kelly Clark, Boston Cares

Volunteer Vednesday 4/28/10

We’ve had a streak of nice weather recently, and that always puts me in a good mood. And that good spirit makes me think about neighboring. If you aren’t familiar with the concept of “neighboring”, it’s a grassroots form of civic engagement, where neighbors literally help other neighbors. Examples of this include helping your elderly neighbor carry her groceries from the store, doing an energy audit and changing the light bulbs in the house down the street, and starting a community garden. The idea is to improve the place where you live, and to enhance the relationships among its residents. When neighbors take action together, they get to know each other, and can help each other in times of natural disaster (hello flooding), crime and economic downturn.

Clean Out Your Closet to Benefit Your Community

Spring is in the air and even though we might be jumping the gun with pulling out the shorts and flip-flops, a crop of exciting environmental volunteer opportunities are on the horizon. As the weather continues to warm, keep an eye out for opportunities with great agencies like The Esplanade Association, The Food Project, EarthWorks and Gaining Ground. Hopefully this weather will also inspire you to do a little spring cleaning! I know that the bar in my closet is sagging a bit from all the clothes hung on it, and there are some really worthy organizations that will be glad to take some of that weight for you. Men’s clothes are especially needed at the New England Center for Homeless Vets and Friday Night Supper Program (located in the basement of Arlington Street Church). Women’s clothes can be dropped off at Women’s Lunch Place or Rosie’s Place. And if you have more than just clothes, Boomerangs in Jamaica Plain is a fantastic second-hand shop where all the proceeds from sales benefit the AIDS Action Committee. Do some good while making room for your spring wardrobe!