Get CONNECTED - Agency Workshop

Join the United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties and Volunteer Connections as we launch GET CONNECTED!

 In an effort to increase the collaboration, connections, and relationships among local non-profits and community members, United Way is excited to introduce the NEW online volunteer and donor opportunity system called “GET CONNECTED!”

GET CONNECTED is an easy-to-use web-based platform that matches the right donors, advocates, and volunteers with the right opportunities in our neighborhoods.

Community Members can use GET CONNECTED to find ways to give your unused materials and household items to agencies in need of donations, advocate for causes that require your passionate voice, and volunteer your time in ways that make a real difference.

Agency Page Building Workshop

September 17th 

10:00 AM at the United Way Office

H.O. Steele Educational Building - North M-66

&

October 2nd 

1:00 PM at the United Way Office

H.O. Steele Educational Building - North M-66

This is the same training both days, so you only need to attend one!  The first hour will be demonstrative, showing you how easy this new system is to use.  If you can stick around for a 2nd hour, you will have a change to use Get CONNECTED to make finishing touches on your Agency Page and Personal Profile.

If you want a sneak peak at the site before attending the training please use this temporary link displaying info for the Get CONNECTED Agency Training.  From there you will be able to play around the site as a guest to see what volunteers can see.

If you are unable to attend these meetings in person, there is a conference call feature available.  If you would prefer to use the call-in feature, please let us know so we can send you the link and dial in info.

If you have not RSVP'd for tomorrow's training, there is still room at the table!  Just reply to this email and let us know you are coming!  Remember, you can also share this info with co-worker who might be interested in attending!

Download the Training Announcement!

Email the Coordinator of this Training!

Karen Merchant - Sentinel's Interesting Person of the Week!

Karen Merchant: 'Giving is the heart's way of expressing joy' After retiring from a 30-year teaching career at Palo Community Schools in 2005, she has more time for another of her passions: volunteering. 

Karen Merchant retired from a 30-year teaching career at Palo Community Schools in 2005. But that doesn't mean she has slowed down – only that she has more time for another of her passions: volunteering. Merchant is a founding member of the Ionia County Peace Community, for which she also contributes to an online blog. This summer, she wrote a post asking readers to "Give peace a chance," in which she expressed her world vision. 

"The other day a person asked me this question: 'If you could have any thing in the world, no matter what the cost, what would it be?'" Merchant wrote. "I have always answered this question in the same way for years and years and years ... a peaceful world where all people are respectful of each other and hate or prejudice does not exist."

It is this vision of a peaceful world that guides Merchant's activities every day. Merchant is a 4-H leader for the World Wide Kids 4-H Club, a global and cultural education club that participates in numerous service projects, such as the International Dinner and the Passing on the Gift/Empty Bowls Soup Dinner, with funds raised going toward ending worldwide hunger and poverty efforts, and locally to the Zion Community Food Pantry, Ionia Commission on Aging and Heifer International.   

"Karen is more than simply kind and loving; she is love," said friend and colleague Amy Buckingham of Ionia. "There are lists and lists and lists of things that she does and gives and creates and organizes, but she is more than her deeds and her talents. Karen is love. She lives love." 

Merchant and World Wide Kids 4-H Club members also are involved with tree planting in Ionia County, painting trash barrels and planting flower boxes for the Ionia Free Fair, spreading compost and wood chips at the Howell Nature Center, and wrapping Christmas gifts to benefit Nyaka AIDS orphans in Uganda. In addition, Merchant is president of the 4-H Still Exhibit Committee and vice president of the 4-H Advisory Council. 

"Lao Tzu said, 'Kindness in words creates confidence, kindness in thinking creates profoundness, and kindness in giving creates love,'" Merchant wrote in another blog post earlier this year. "As the quote from Lao Tzu says, our actions have definite consequences. The consequences are far reaching, not only affecting our own life, but the lives of those around us. A simple word can make – or break – someone's day. Thinking before you do or speak can make the difference in the response that you get back. Giving is the heart's way of expressing joy."

Merchant's mission is always to give. Along with her 4-H activities, she is active in her church, where she sings in the choir, chairs the administrative board and helps plan a yearly retreat for women. Merchant is president of the West Central District General Federation of Women's Clubs, a committee member of Ionia Relay for Life and publicity chair for the Ionia CROP Walk each year. She is an officer, member of the choir and band member for the Saranac Area Musicians and Singers, and plays in the Danish Band for the Greenville Danish Festival. 

"Karen is special because she is so much fun. She has a great sense of humor and is lots of fun to be around," said friend and colleague Judy Huynh. "She is also a very loyal and devoted friend to many. She really cares about people, and lives a life of service to others. Her faith is very important to her, and she is a wonderful example of what it means to truly follow Christ – never judging others, but treating everyone with love and respect." 

Those who attend the Ionia Free Fair may recognize Merchant from her work in the Free Fair's Antique Village and where she serves as superintendent of the Floral Department. Her love of antiques also has led to her involvement with the Ionia County Historical Society. 

Merchant is president of the Ionia Area Retired School Personnel, and she often helps with the organization's pre-retirement workshops. 

"Karen is such a friendly, outgoing person. She is extremely dedicated to many projects and causes," said Penny Beeman of Ionia, another of Merchant's friends and colleagues. "Often this much passion leads to trying to convince others that your way is the right way, but Karen is not like that at all. She realizes that most often there are several sides to a story or more then one way to do the job. This quality makes Karen one of the most caring and loving people that I know. She shares herself and her time freely. And her actions always put a smile on my face."  

Merchant was one of four people nominated for this year's Ionia County Woman of the Year award during the Ionia Free Fair. "Every day we are faced with opportunities – opportunities to make our own life better, opportunities to make someone else's life better," Merchant wrote in her blog post. "How do we make the decisions needed to face these opportunities? My suggestion is with kindness."

GET CONNECTED Partner Training

This September, the United Way & Volunteer Connections will be making the move from HandsOn Connect to a NEW and much easier to use volunteer management platform GET CONNECTED!

Your Agency has been selected to be one of the first  to gain access to this new resource.  Please attend this workshop to ensure that your organization's information is up-to-date and accurate for GET CONNECTED.

Get Connected Workshop

September 17th

10:00 am to 12:00 pm

To make the most out of your Get Connected Workshop session, please bring the following with you:

• “About us” information such as history, mission, and vision
• Description of services provided in the community
• Agency/Program pictures on zip drive
• Agency Logo on zip drive
• Agency/Program/Event video(s) uploaded to youtube

You may bring your own laptop to work on, or we can provide one for you.   If your agency tried to use HandsOn Connect, we want to introduce this new and much easier system to you.  GET CONNECTED allows Volunteers to sign up with their social media account, pledge in-kind donations, sign up for volunteer opportunities, and help advocate for your organization using the information you provide.  We look forward to getting connected with you and your agency! 

This is a FREE workshop provided by Volunteer Connections Montcalm-Ionia Counties, a program of the United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties . Galaxy Digital staff will walk attendees through the creation of their agency’s pages, the listing of needs, and the posting of events.

 

September 11th Day of Remembrance

On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as a way to pay tribute to, and remember the victims and others we wish to honor, we put aside whatever differences we may have at the moment, and work together to help others in need. That is the annual ritual, a fitting and appropriate gift to the many that lost their lives and the countless others who were injured or came to the aid or defense of those in need.Thanks to the strong support of tens of thousands of nonprofits, employers, faith organizations, schools and other organizations around the nation, 9/11 is now this nation’s largest day of charitable engagement. Last year a record 35 million people observed 9/11 by performing good deeds and engaging in service activities that help others. The 9/11 Day Vision

Here’s what makes 9/11 Day unique…
The 9/11 Day Observance is unique in so many ways.

First, 9/11 is not just a day of volunteering. It is a day of doing good deeds of any kind to help someone else. While that certainly does include volunteering activities, individuals can participate in any fashion they want, by making donations to causes, helping friends move, cleaning up the house, buying supplies for classrooms, or even giving out hugs to those we love and appreciate.

Of course we engage in good deeds and other charitable activity in honor of those lost and injured in the 2001 terrorist attacks, and in tribute to the many that rose in service in response to the attacks – our firefighters and EMTs, public safety officers, rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and also our men and women in the armed forces. But why? Ultimately, we want something positive to come from the sacrifices they made. Also, we want to forever remember and keep alive the spirit of unity that arose in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. We became one nation, bonded by our universal concern for the well-being of others, and our desire to help those in need. We put aside our differences for a while, and although that moment was fleeting, we had the rare opportunity to experience what our society could be like if we worked more closely together to solve our problems. 

Through 9/11 Day each year, we honor those who gave so much, and remember the remarkable spirit of unity that brought us together as a nation. On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as a way to pay tribute to, and remember the victims and others we wish to honor, we put aside whatever differences we may have at the moment, and work together to help others in need. That is the annual ritual, a fitting and appropriate gift to the many that lost their lives and the countless others who were injured or came to the aid or defense of those in need.

Text First:  Pledge to Drill

Ready.gov: Pledge to Prepare

I WILL:  Pledge to Serve

United Way:  Pledge to Volunteer

9/11 Day in Michigan: Volunteer in Your Community

Michigan Dept of Human Services sent this bulletin at 09/09/2013 02:20 PM EDT

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here SERVE.HONOR.REMEMBER. Individuals and organizations across Michigan are preparing to volunteer as a way to strengthen communities in honor of September 11, 2001. Find a local volunteer opportunity!   Visit www.volunteermichigan.org to search for volunteer opportunities by zip code. Use key words like 9/11 day or National Day of Service to narrow your search. Spread the word about what you accomplished! After you volunteer at a 9/11 Day service project, share what you've done with others, including; media, community partners, and local businesses. Share your story of service with a friend, coworker, or on social media sites. Doing so will encourage others to volunteer in the future! Reflect on what you did! An important aspect of service is to reflect on your efforts. Take a moment to think about your volunteer activity and the impact you made on your community. Continue to get involved!   9/11 Day isn't the only special opportunity to get involved in service and volunteerism. Consider participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Global Youth Service Day, or others. Win a $50 Meijer Gift Card! Did your organization host a 9/11 Day of Service volunteer project? If yes, your organization can enter to win one of two $50 Meijer gift cards to be used to support future service projects simply by filling out a quick post-project survey. The deadline to enter is September 23, 2013. Just let us know the number of volunteers, total number of volunteer hours served, and number of people your project served! Fill out the survey here. Winners will notified by October 4, 2013. 2013 9/11 Day of Service Mini-Grant Recipients The Michigan Days of Service Partners, with support from the Connect Michigan Alliance Endowment Fund and the Corporation for National and Community Service, awarded 27 organizations with mini-grants to host service projects as part of the 2013 9/11 Day of Service. Projects will take place in communities throughout and were awarded to local schools, service clubs, and social service agencies. For a list of funded projects and descriptions, please read the 2013 September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance Mini-Grants Benefit Veterans and Military Families Through Service press release from the Michigan Community Service Commission. Spread the word! Share your project with us on social media. Post pictures and updates to the Michigan Community Service Commission Facebook page and use the #911DayMI hash tag on Twitter. Connect with the Days of Service Partners on Social Media!     Michigan Community Service Commission     Volunteer Centers of Michigan     Michigan Nonprofit Association     Michigan Campus Compact     The LEAGUE Michigan General Days of Service questions?   Contact daysofservice@volunteermichigan.org. Engage Online:  Follow 9/11 in Michigan on Twitter by using our Twitter hashtag: #911DayMI.

Volunteer of the Month - September

In recognition of the dedication to the community, service to others, and commitment to the organizations supported

Montcalm County CERT

has been chosen as Volunteer of the Month on behalf of the United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties and Volunteer Connections Montcalm-Ionia Counties.

ACTION:  What has your nominee done or is currently doing?

The Greenville Dept of Public Safety requested the assistance of Montcalm Co CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) to help with 3 parades held during the Greenville Danish Festival.  The Woman's Action Network also requested that CERT and MRC Volunteers set up a First Aid/Security Booth at Veteran's Park for 3 days during Danish Festival.  In order to recruit enough trained volunteers, the CERT team called in help from Ionia Co CERT and Kent Co CERT.  To make this happen 15 volunteers dedicated over 291 Volunteer Hours over the course of 3 days.

NEED:  What community need(s) does your nominee address?

During special events in the community, such as Danish Festival, there is a surge of people attending special events, visiting local businesses, and enjoying festivities.  These larger than normal crowds have a potential to overwhelm Emergency Services and the normal response agencies charged with maintaining public safety.    The CERT team is a group of volunteers trained in basic traffic safety, first aid, search and rescue, and other areas that can support the local incident command system when extra people are needed.  Greenville Dept of Public Safety (GDPS) made the initial request as in years past, to Montcalm Co CERT to assist with 3 parades.  The first parade, Fairy-tale Parade is made up of young children leading to an additional safety risk  therefore GDPS and CERT volunteers work side by side for public relations.  The Fireman's parade takes place at dusk with most Emergency Service Workers in the parade.  CERT Members are the main source of traffic control shifting barricades around as needed to block of roads being used for the parade.  For the Grand Dansk Parade on Saturday morning, GDPS calls in "all hands" pulling volunteers from the GDPS Reserve Officers, National Guard, and CERT.  Everyone works together under the Incident Command set up by GDPS.

Another common request of Citizen Corps Volunteers is to set up Information Booths, provide First Aid Supplies, and keep an eye on overall Scene Safety.  CERT Volunteers are taught to watch for safety issues including basic HazMat situations, possible weapons of mass destruction and acts of terrorism, and keeping an eye on your partner.  The Woman's Action Network requested that CERT/MRC work together to set up a First Aid Station at Veteran's Park throughout the 3 days that vendors and crafters were present.  In addition to handing out several band-aids and free first aid kits, volunteers also conducted routine walks through the park watching for possible safety issues.  The booth provided a direct connection to Emergency Services through radios connected directly with Central Dispatch.  All these services added together provide an additional layer of security and safety for a special event where a large number of people are gathered in one or more areas.

IMPACT:  What is different as a result of your nominee’s service?

GDPS, the Woman's Action Network, and the Danish Festival Committee all stopped by the CERT/MRC booth on the final day of the Danish Festival to thank volunteers and request the same services at this event again next year!  When working special events, planners hope that all will go according to plan without any issues or concerns.  Yet planners are forced to expect the unexpected!  By being able to rely on trained volunteers such as CERT, MRC and other Citizen Corps Programs, Event Planners can add to the safety and security of a well planned community event.  An example of good training paying off for this event is throughout the weekend there were 3 missing people.  CERT Members receive a basic Search & Rescue (SAR)  Training as part of the basic 20 CERT Class.  Many CERT Members choose to take additional SAR Training.  Although this was not part of the initial request expected of Citizen Corps Volunteers at Danish Festival, GDPS was able to use CERT Members who were already on scene and available to quickly locate missing people. 

CERT Volunteers give of their own time, talents, and resources to provide assistance to Emergency Service Workers!

More information about Montcalm County Citizen Corps Programs

Another great service provided by Citizen Corps Volunteers is Community Education.  MRC volunteers received a national grant to establish a website to help educate and train community members to prepare for emergencies.  Www,montcalmioniamrc.org is open to the public and filled with tips, tricks, and ideas to help you provide for your family.  In local emergencies, this website will be available to post local information provided by Emergency Service Agencies to get information into the hands of the community.  

Montcalm County Citizen Corps programs also partner together to provide FREE training and preparedness resources available at www.readymontcalm.us.

Upcoming Events:

Community Preparedness Training Workshop

Sept 9th from 6-8pm at Montcalm Co Emergency Services

This training is open to anyone who wants to help teach Community Preparedness Lessons.

CERT ONLINE Basic Training

October 19th from 9am to 5pm at H.O. Steele Educational Building

This training is open to anyone who wants to get involved in CERT.  There are some online pre-requisites' before taking this hands on training.

Family Volunteering

What is Family Volunteering?

Family volunteering occurs when the members of a family volunteer together. A “family”
is “any group of two or more people who consider themselves a family.” Family
volunteering can be done by the whole family together, by one parent and one child or
teen, by siblings together or by extended family such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and
cousins. It can be as simple as drawing cards for children in the hospital or as complex
as joining hundreds of families for a day of community volunteer work at a park or making
a long term family commitment to an agency or a cause.

Ionia Kids Club volunteered to shop for cleaning supplies to be given out for the 2012 County-wide Food Drive!  Donations were collected by staff at Ionia Wash King and these teens went shopping for over $80 worth of cleaning products!

Why Should Your Family Volunteer?

Family volunteering is a hands-on way to teach children the values of kindness, compassion, tolerance, community responsibility and good citizenship. When volunteering as a family, all family members can use their existing talents, learn new skills and feel valued for their contributions. And, it is fun!

Other benefits to your family include:
• Strengthens family communication and bonds
• Allows family members to be role models
• Builds shared memories
• Increases commitment to volunteering and community
• Provides quality family time

Here are a few great ways your family can get involved in Family Volunteering!

Sept 21st:  Bertha Brock Fall Festival runs 10am-4pm

Many local organizations set up booths with free kids activities!  Your family can join in the volunteer efforts by assisting at one of the many booths, helping prepare the day before or helping with clean up immediately following this event.  Learn more at http://ioniahost.com/bbfallfest.html

Oct 21st:  County-wide Food Drive Mini Drive Kick-Off Workshop runs 4-7pm

Your family or group can assist at this event by supervising one of the stations at this event.  Businesses, organizations, and FAMILIES can learn about how they can hold a mini-food drive, how to register, create marketing materials, pick up donation boxes, and learn about where to drop of donations on Nov 22nd!

Produce harvested in the Washington St Community Garden

Oct 26th:  Harvest Celebration runs 5-8pm

Volunteers are needed to make decorations and set up for this event, create mini-displays teaching about a harvest subject, assist with volunteer sign in, help in the children's room, help assemble volunteer appreciation packages and present volunteer awards.

November 22nd:  County-wide Food Drive Drop-Off Day from 8am to 6pm

Volunteers are needed to unload, count and sort food donations, prepare donations for the Food Pantry Pick-up Day, go shopping with cash donations, provide meals and snacks for volunteers, and so much more!

November 23rd:  National Family Volunteer Day - Food Pantry Pick-Up Day from 8am to 12pm

Volunteers are needed to pack up donations, escort Food Pantries through the pick up area, photograph this event and the food pantry donations, and so much more!

Learn more about the County-wide Food Drive and National Family Volunteer Day at http://ioniahost.com/fooddrive.html

Are you looking for a project that your family can do at a time and place that works best for YOU?

Hold a Mini-Bag Food Drive any day between October 26th & November 22nd.  Prepare bags and note cards to hand out to family and friends asking them to fill the bag with a few cans of food and letting them know when you will be around to collect the donations.

Participate in the Canned Art Photo Contest!  Collect food donations, work together to build a structure resembling any item of your choice.  Photograph your canned art and email your entry photos to iccfoodnetwork@gmail.com.

There are simple templates and rules available for you to download at http://ioniahost.com/fooddrive.html

Still not sure how to get your family involved in volunteering?

Contact Volunteer Connections!

Now located at the H.O. Steele Education Center!

Our new mailing address is PO Box 87, Fenwick, MI  48834

This location is on north M-66 in Fenwick between M-44 and M-57.

Our main phone number is still the same at 616-794-9840.

Montcalm Communities Together Invitation

You are invited by Drug Free Montcalm to participate in a special day focusing on  our county and the various communities within it.  We truly hope you and anyone else, including youth, you would like to invite from your organization and/or community will be able to join with others from around the county for this learning, information sharing, and planning event.  We need your input to help develop plans to work collectively and in our individual communities to make them safer, healthier, and more connected for all.  We will be guided in our process of “grassroots” community organizing by Rhonda Molina Ramsey of CADCA, the national training and advocacy organization for the community coalition model.

The invitation is attached to this email,  with the basic information below.  Should you have any questions, I would be very happy to answer them.  Please feel free to contact me.

Also, we are asking that you share this email with any coalitions, groups, and/or individuals who may be interested.

It would help us with accommodations and food if you could please RSVP before September 6^th.  Please include the number of people  you will be bringing on the 12^th.  We hope to see you there!

Thank you,                          

Amy Buckingham Drug Free Montcalm Coalition Coordinator/ Health Promotion

A Branch of Cherry Street Health Services

PO Box 836, 129 E. Main St., Stanton MI 48888 ( 989.831.4591│6 989.831.5768 │* AmyBuckingham@CherryHealth.com