Volunteer Book Review

Recently another blog posted a review of my book The Volunteer Book. The blog is Mel and Steve's Blog. Here is a little more about them:
Dr. J. Melvyn and Martha Ming and Steve and Ronda Mills are the founding partners of Leadership Development Resources LLC. After many years of collaboration in producing leadership materials and coaching church leadership teams, we formed LDR out of a commitment to a biblically based, Christ centered mission to develop leaders and empower churches. The focus of this blog is developing leaders and empower churches.

And now here is a link to their blog review of my book:
http://www.ldrteam.com/blog/volunteers/#respond
Here is a link to amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/TheVolunteerBook

Sweetwater Creek State Park Need Volunteers For Clean-up

Put away your wallet and pull out your fishing pole, hiking boots or gardening gloves.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 25, at Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs, volunteers will clean the park, do light trail maintenance, plant native grasses and remove invasive plants such as Chinese privet on the 17th annual National Public Lands Day. Call (770) 732-5871 to register.

National Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve the public lands Americans enjoy, last year had more than 150,000 volunteers nationwide participating.

Sept. 25 is also Free Day in the Parks, when at all Georgia state parks the regular $5 parking fee will be waived, historic sites will open their doors for free, and anglers will not need a fishing license.

The free fishing coincides with the 37th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day, which serves as a public reminder that hunters and anglers support conservation. Through licenses and excise taxes, they generate $200,000 every hour for fish, wildlife and habitat programs that benefit all who appreciate wild places and wild things.

“Georgia’s state parks and historic sites wouldn’t be here without our visitors and supporters,” said Parks Director Becky Kelley. “Free Day in the Parks is our way of thanking the thousands of people who volunteer their time, spend their vacations in the parks, or even just visit for the day. We are waiving the parking fee, but of course voluntary contributions are welcome because they help us preserve Georgia’s public green spaces.”

To see a list of all events and find out more about how you can be of service, see www.GetOutdoorsGeorgia.org.

“For less than a tank of gas, families can enjoy a full day of ranger programs, hiking, biking, picnicking, birding and more,” said Ms. Kelley. “All visitors will pay for are rental facilities, some events or programs, and activities such as canoe rental.”

Sweetwater Creek State Conservation Park is a 2,549-acre park at 1750 Mount Vernon Road, Lithia Springs, offering hiking, boating, fishing, 11 large picnic shelters, an interpretive center, and weekly interpretive programs. See gastateparks.org or call (770) 732-5871 for more information.

American Cancer Society Is Looking for Volunteers

The American Cancer Society is looking for help. They're searching for volunteers interested in supporting one of two programs.

First, cosmetologists willing to help cancer patients cope with hair loss and skin changes. Also, they're looking for breast cancer survivors to help guide those newly diagnosed.

On Monday, Sept. 20, at the Society's office located at 740 Commerce Drive, Suite B, in Perrysburg there will be a refresher class for current Look Good&Feel Better (COSMOTOLOGIST) volunteers. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. A class for new volunteers will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Breast cancer survivors willing to help guide newly diagnosed breast cancer patients by providing a listening ear, help, and hope, are invited to a Reach to Recovery training on Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the same location. Dr. Anita Leininger, a breast cancer surgeon from the University of Toledo Medical Center, will be speaking.

Snow Storm Volunteers

Across the region, family members, neighbors and volunteers have stepped in to help older people cope with cold homes, snowdrifts and empty cupboards. One family waded through deep snow on an unplowed street in Silver Spring to get a man to a car that could take him to a hospital for dialysis. A woman in Northeast Washington was thankful for a delivery of meals from volunteers as she shivered under blankets in a house with a broken furnace. She had kept her oven and stove on for warmth.

Four-by-fours rumbled over snowy streets to neighborhoods in Anne Arundel and Howard counties, bringing extra food to shut-in residents.

Some programs that assist the elderly have redoubled their efforts because of the storms. But many were unable to staff programs or deliver food and aid on icy roads or in neighborhoods where snow hadn't been cleared.

Most area Meals on Wheels programs had to suspend operations Tuesday, said Michael Flynn, director of communications for the organization. While many were able to deliver extra food Friday before the first storm, officials were not sure when they would be able to start restocking cupboards and freezers again.

Some programs were using four-wheel drive vehicles to deliver meals, said Enid Borden, president and chief executive of the Meals on Wheels Association of America. "This is a very serious situation," she said.

Many older people were thankful for conveniences unavailable in previous storms: assisted-living communities where some staff members stayed, sleeping on air mattresses, to keep services going; pharmacies and grocery stores with delivery programs; and neighborhood e-mail lists that made it easier to ask for help with shoveling or running errands.

In Springfield, Mary Anderson, 81, said several neighbors showed up to shovel her driveway, porch and front steps. On Tuesday, other neighbors were digging trenches to ensure that melting snow would drain away from her home and to prevent driveways from becoming slick with ice.

Taffy and Frank Schwelb were grateful that five or six neighboring families in Northwest Washington pitched in, helping to dig them out, keeping an eye on their cat, Bumper, when they checked into a warm hotel and bringing them a gallon of milk they couldn't have carried home.

From The Washington Post blog "In Washington snowstorm, neighbors, volunteers take care of area's elderly"

Help for Haiti

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, at 5:10 p.m. Haiti was hit with a 7.0 earthquake that leveled areas in and around Port au Prince, leaving thousands homeless and an untold number of lives lost. Survivors are in desperate need of basic life-giving resources. LifeWind's donors are calling and asking, "How can we help?"

Prayer is our first and foremost response. In addition, LifeWind’s participation will be threefold:

Immediate relief will be distributed by trusted Community Health Evangelism (CHE) groups who work in the earthquake zone.
During the recovery period, LifeWind will empower further work of CHE in the area around the earthquake zone.
Across Haiti, we will empower CHE teams. They help community members work together to address the key issues of poverty, disease, and infrastructure, bringing resilience through community organization when facing disaster. And as the message of CHE is taught, participants hear and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, the One who brings HOPE
http://www.lifewind.org