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Short interview done by my Instructor regarding the Spread the Love Project

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:17:28 +0100

Short interview done by my Instructor regarding the Spread the Love Project

Intructor: What can I do to help with your project?

JG: I’m glad you asked. I could use some help with editing. In particular, I’m going to write a letter that I give to businesses that will explain the project and ask for permission to sell roses in their establishment.

Intructor: What physical shape will your project take?

JG: There is a presence online.
There will be local campaigns to increase volunteer activity.
There will be a long term campaign that will allow me to go on an international volunteer trip.
I will be meeting people in person and learning about how to motivate people to engage in work that benefits a greater good.
I will have a collection of my writing that will accumulate and build into a larger work.
Joking: My passport will have many stamps and my grandmother will have many postcards.

Intructor:

How will it be shared with others?

JG: Generally, information is shared through the internet by way of posting, blogging, and twittering. I’m using social networking strategies to bolster exposure. I’m also sharing information by word of mouth and face to face meetings. I leave them with a card that directs them to information online.

Intructor: Who is your ideal audience?

JG: Ideally, I’d like to get people between the ages of 25 and 45 to engage in service work that have never done service work before. Or I’d like to get families to involve children in volunteering to build up that experience in the adults of the future.

According the stats I’m getting online, I’m reaching 60% females and mostly between the ages of 35 and 45.

Intructor: What research do you have, and what research do you need?
JG: Research topics are in three general categories:

1. Volunteering statistics (what factors that promote or inhibit volunteering?),

2. Motivational theory (what motivates people to take action?)

3. Using technology to communicate (How can I use technology to get the message out in the most effective way?)

I read a lot. It’s not a linear process though. I am also asking people about their thoughts and that provides a lot of interesting information.

Intructor: What are the potential pitfalls?
JG: I may not get the money I need in time to take a trip because I have other obligations I am responsible for that also take up big chunks of time.

Intructor: Why are you doing this?
JG: I love this quote, “I do what I can because I must” or is it “I do what I must because I can”. I do this because of the joy and it seems to come easy. Here’s another quote “The world owes me nothing and I owe everything to the world”. (Ani Difanco)
I need to do this because the world needs help, people need motivation, and I need to be able to look back on my life with no regrets that I was apathetic to those needs.
Also I want to see the world.

Intructor: How will this project and its process help you develop the mindset of a scholar?
JG: I believe that worldly person that engages in social service and is able to understand the world’s problems with critical thinking skills is a scholar. To understand problems at a deeper level takes a lot of reading and talking with people. I believe a scholar can take this information and present it in a way that is useful for others. This project and the processes do all of this.

Alpha Eta Iota Logo for my school's Phi Theta Kappa Chapter

Tue, 31 May 2011 19:04:12 +0100

I made this for my school's Phi Theta Kappa chapter and a facebook page. I hope to tie this project in with the Alpha Eta Iota chapter at Portland Community College.

Factors that Influence Volunteer Rates in Oregon

Mon, 30 May 2011 23:34:38 +0100

Factors that Influence Volunteer Rates in Oregon

From: VolunteeringInAmerica.gov – information on volunteering and civic engagement -

http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/factors.cfm?state=OR

I want to share some information I found regarding Volunteering in Oregon. My hopes are that other organizations can tap into some trends that increase volunteerism and avoid obstacles that reduce participation. I would also like to increase my understanding so I can motivate folks to do more service work activities. I’ll use this information for talking points in future blogs.

First the statistics:

Volunteering in Oregon

Highlights:

The bullets below are all based on an average using 2007 to 2009 data

1.0 million volunteers
33.8% of residents volunteer - ranking them 11th among the 50 states and Washington, DC
133.8 million hours of service
44.7 hours per resident - ranking them 7th among the 50 states and Washington, DC
$2.8 billion of service contributed

Incredible! I’m so proud of Oregon. We are up there near the top of the list.

Volunteering in Portland, OR

Statistics for this area were collected within the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Major cities in this MSA include Portland, OR; Vancouver, WA; and Beaverton, OR

Highlights:

The bullets below are all based on an average using 2007 to 2009 data

627,300 volunteers
37.1% of residents volunteer - ranking them 2nd within the 51 large cities
48.2 hours per resident - ranking them 4th within the 51 large cities
$1.7 billion of service contributed

WOW! There’s more details relating to Portland Volunteering but I’ll save those for a closer look at Portland’s volunteering later.

For now, here are some reasons why Oregonians Volunteer:

Factors that Influence Volunteer Rates

Oregon

Greater Attachment to the Community Encourages Volunteering

Indicators such as homeownership and the number of multiunit dwellings, help determine whether residents have a long-term commitment and attachment to their communities. Data show that as the rate of homeownership increases the volunteer rate also tends to increase. Nationally, 66.6% of individuals own their home. In Oregon, 64.3% own their home. Conversely, communities with a large percentage of multi-unit housing, such as apartment buildings and condominiums, have lower volunteer rates. Nationally, 32.4% of individuals live in multi-unit housing, while Oregon has a rate of 31.7%.

Long Commutes Can Curtail Opportunities to Volunteer

Long commutes can be expected to reduce the time and opportunity individuals have to connect to organizations in their communities, thus reducing average volunteer rates. Nationally, commuters travel on average just over 25 minutes to work. In Oregon, commuters travel on average 23 minutes to work.

Volunteering Rises with Education

For states and large metropolitan areas, as the education level increases, the likelihood of volunteering also rises. At a national level, 85.0% have a high school diploma or GED equivalent and 27.7% have a college degree. In Oregon, 88.6% have a high school diploma or GED equivalent and 28.1% have a college degree.

Volunteering is Less Common in High Poverty Areas

Poverty is another socioeconomic characteristic that tends to be strongly associated with lower volunteer rates. However, it is difficult to determine whether high poverty rates reduce the overall propensity to volunteer, whether high volunteering in a community leads to a reduction in poverty, or if both effects occur. At a National level, the poverty rate is 13.2 percent. Oregon has a poverty rate of 13.6%.

Higher State Unemployment Related to Lower Volunteering

As shown in the Volunteering in America 2010 Issue Brief, states with high rates of unemployment usually have low volunteer rates. While theorists have ideas as to the basis of this relationship, more research is needed to determine a cause. In 2009, the national unemployment rate was 8.5%. In Oregon, the unemployment rate was 10.7%.

Volunteer Rates Lower in Cities with High Foreclosures

In general, higher foreclosure rates are expected to have an impact on volunteering rates; that is, it would not be unexpected if higher foreclosure rates in a city corresponded with lower volunteer rates. In 2009, we see the evidence. Cities with high foreclosure rates tend to have a corresponding lower volunteering rate. For more information, see the Volunteering in America 2010 Issue Brief. In Oregon, the foreclosure rate changed by 0.8 percentage points between 2008 and 2009 (Foreclosure data used for this analysis was provided by RealtyTrac).

The Capacity of a Community's Associations Impacts Volunteer Rates

Communities with higher nonprofits per capita are likely to have higher volunteer rates. As the number of nonprofits per 1,000 city residents increases, the volunteering rate also increases. At a national level, there are an average of 4.45 nonprofit organizations per 1,000 residents. Oregon has, on average, 5.16 nonprofits per 1,000 city residents.

Why I'm Into Service Work (THANKS Red Cross and CERT)

Tue, 31 May 2011 19:00:07 +0100

Preparedness for disasters is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. Nature and manmade disasters are devastating to people’s lives, the economy, and the environment. Whether it’s an earthquake, pandemic or nuclear hazard, disasters cause havoc and affect many for a long period of time. Media has shown us images of people whose lives have been completely changed by disasters, but unless you have been a victim of one, it’s difficult to fully empathize with the kind of issues they face as they try to create normalcy again.

Hurricane Katrina made me aware of how hard disasters are on people. The images and stories I saw on television affected me greatly. I had much compassion for those that were left distraught, and it caused me to take a look at the possibility of something like that happening where I live. By the next summer, I enrolled in a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class to learn about personal preparedness, and mitigation. Throughout the eight week class, I learned about many emergency situations that I should be prepared for. I saw ways that my community was not extremely well prepared. I concluded that I needed to do more to help my community be prepared, so it will be easier to recover in the aftermath of emergencies.

At the end of the CERT class, a training event called a CERT rodeo took place. It just so happened that the rodeo was two days after Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast. Red Cross was at the event and the representative spoke about the needs of the people in Texas. I had a calling. I wanted to see the situation and help the recovery first hand. Two weeks later, I was in Galveston, Texas, deployed as a Red cross volunteer with the job to help find missing people.

This was a life changing experience. I met people that had lost everything. I met people who needed such basic things as water, prescriptions, and eye glasses to read the forms just to get some assistance. I also met people that were dedicated to providing help for those in need. And I met others, who despite losing everything, still had the dignity and the courage to rebuild. It put everything in my life in new perspective. My problems seemed trivial and my blessings were greater than I had been aware. I learned that serving others delivered a reward that no money could buy. I am most grateful for the gift that trip gave me. Also, I know how vital it is to be prepared for emergencies, because that preparedness will make all the difference in the world if a disaster hits.

Since that time, I have continued to build preparedness in my community. I have put together a nonprofit that helps with animals and pet owners with disaster issues. I have done public speaking, interviews for reporters, set up public information / outreach booths, and taught at the same CERT rodeo that I attended years before. I received certification in numerous FEMA courses, made connects in the emergency management community, and last fall, I received my certificate so that I may teach emergency management to residence in my city. Spring of 2011, I took a volunteering trip to New Orleans and worked with several agencies with the rebuilding that is happening five years after the Hurricane Katrina event. (It’s amazing how great of an impact such event can truly have. I’m still in awe.)

This topic is global and local because disasters can happen anywhere. Being prepared saves lives, money and stress. Next fall, I will teach CERT classes and I’m looking forward to that. I hope that I will be able to encourage a few students to deploy with Red Cross, or create a community project that will build up preparedness in their community. My wish is they can come to know the rewards that service work can provide and the security that emergency planning will bring.

SEVEN BASIC REASONS WHY PEOPLE FAIL

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:31:10 +0100

Someone gave this to me and it has been a great motivational tool. I want to share it with you. This applies to pretty much all people and endeavors. I hope you are successful in achieving all your goals. J Julie

SEVEN BASIC REASONS WHY PEOPLE FAIL

1. THEY DON’T ALLOW THEMSELVES TIME TO SUCCEED. It takes 13 years to become a doctor, 6 years to become a lawyer, and 1,000 hours to become a barber. Yet, too many people try just a few months or a few weeks. And then decide they are not cut out to be successful.

2. THEY LACK THE DESIRE. Too many people wish they were successful, but they don’t really want success enough to do all the things that are necessary.

3. THEY DON’T HAVE A PLAN. They let each day take care of itself. A successful person outlines and plans what they do EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY.

4. THEY DON’T HAVE THE PROPER ATTITUDE. People who fail often do not believe on themselves, or their opportunity.

5. THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO CONTINUALLY LEARN. Herbert Hoover said.” The wise man learns from the experience of others.” Top people attend meetings, read books, and talk with other people to obtain ideas that will help them to be better.

6. THEY DON’T SHOW ENOUGH ENTHUSIASM. Emerson said that nothing great ever been done without enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is to success as yeast is to bread… IT RAISES THE DOUGH.

7. THEY DON’T WORK HARD OR SMART ENOUGH. The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary. TOP PEOPLE WORK HARD AND SMART.

NOTE: OF ALL THESE SEVEN REASONS WHY PEOPLE FAIL. NOT ONE HAS TO DO WITH AGE, EDUCATION, MARITAL STATUS, BACKGROUND OR WHETHER A PERSON IS A MAN OR A WOMAN.

Volunteer with the Kids - something amazing happens

Tue, 24 May 2011 06:21:33 +0100

I’m a mom and I like to mom-smart not mom-hard (it’s like work-smart not work-hard). If I can double duty something I will. If I can turn a family outing into a fun educational experience, I can’t pass up the opportunity.

I have taken my son out to volunteer with me and I must say it’s always such a positive experience for both of us. For one thing, it’s an activity we do together and that kind of things just strengthens the relationship. TOGETHER we played a part to make the world a little better. It feels good for both of us. But the joy is doubled for me because getting my son to feel the rewards of community involvement is something that’s hard to match. He is getting life experience, and feeling good about his place in the world.

It’s fun to do things like go the park, or laser tag, or bike riding, but doing something like spending a few hours distributing blankets to homeless people or working at the food bank, is truly remembered. It’s a rich experience that goes a long ways in building a child’s sense of responsible for their community. It builds grace in their character.

Kids get opportunities to do service work with some of the groups they are involved in like scouts. However, doing a fun volunteer activity with a parent sends the message, “In our family, we contribute to a greater good”. There is a slightly different and somewhat deeper meaning to that message because, after all, the groups will change but the family is something you will always be a part of.

I suggest letting your child pick from a few different volunteer activities that you have selected then go and do it with them. It doesn’t have to be grueling work, maybe its just helping to care for kitties at the animal shelter for a bit or delivering a few meals on wheels. You both will get a lot out of the experience and doing together. Plus it provides great things for the city we live in. It’s win win win.

If you volunteer with your children I’d love to hear about it.

Rose Festival

Sun, 22 May 2011 04:57:27 +0100

It’s just a few weeks away! The Rose Festival is a big deal. It’s the Portland community’s biggest city wide celebration that’s been going on for over 100 years. Everyone around here knows about the Rose Festival. And when you say that you have Volunteered for the Rose Festival you are given true-blue Portlander brownie points galore. Heck, I’d put it on my resume.

There are quite a few volunteer opportunities for a variety of Rose Festival events. Most of them are just a few hours of time and a lot of fun. Some of these will allow you meet interesting folks in the community, others will help protect the environment, and others are just to help make the event better for everyone. These would be great for groups or as a family activity. Or perhaps it’s just you, doing your part.

I just checked their website: http://www.rosefestival.org/support/volunteer.shtml and here’s a few opportunities available.

Portland General Electric/SOLV Starlight Parade -- Saturday, June 4, 2011

Parade route clean-up -- Walk along parade route after the parade collecting the trash bags provided by SOLV. Requirements: Must be able to walk the entire 2.25 mile route, suitable for all ages. (Volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

Fred Meyer Junior Parade -- Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Judging -- Review entries in the formation area for determining parade awards. Requirements: Adults over 18 years old only.

Parade Guide -- Provide directional information in parade formation area, assist in guiding parade participants through formation onto the parade route. Requirements: Adults over 18 years old only.

Regence Grand Floral Walk -- Saturday, June 11, 2011

Registration -- Help set-up registration area, process on-site participant registrations, disperse bib numbers and participant t-shirts, and provide general information to participants. Requirements: Adults over 18 years old only.

Course Marshals/Finish Greeters -- provide directional information to walk participants to keep participants moving along the parade route. Also direct participants at the end of the walk to the parade seating area. Requirements: Adults over age 18 preferred, (volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian), must have a valid drivers license and be prepared to drive to a specific course location.

Grand Floral Parade -- Saturday, June 11, 2011

My Favorite! Float Decorating -- Help apply the all-natural materials covering all surfaces of the Grand Floral Parade floats at the warehouse of our official float builder, SCI 3.2, Inc. Volunteers are needed prior to the parade, June 1-10, 2011. Requirements: Adults over 14 years old only, all volunteer decorators must complete a separate SCI 3.2 volunteer application. (You can find the form at SCI32.Com.)

Parade route clean-up -- Walk along parade route prior to and after the parade distributing and collecting the trash bags provided by SOLV. Requirements: must be able to walk the entire 4.2-mile route, suitable for all ages. (Volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

If you’re interested go the web page and submit your info. I know they would appreciate all the extra hands they can get.

Hey, Thanks for caring!

Julie

Boise, Idaho

Sun, 15 May 2011 06:48:38 +0100

I'm in Boise, Idaho today for an Honor's Society (Phi Theta Kappa) conference. The last couple of days have been about recognizing accomplishments and developing people’s potential. There were awards given and information shared about service projects that are to better our communities.

One group from Utah, did a project on the sex trade industry and they learned that no state is immune to this activity. Women that are caught by this crime believe they can’t tell anyone about their situation. They don’t know that people care, and want to help them. They don’t know that there are resources waiting to help them. The group made information more easily available to both the women that are victims of sex trade and to the public to increase awareness of the problem. This action had an impact and the group that did the project developed as more empowered individuals. These individuals will eventually take on new projects and have more confidence in doing so because of the success of this one.

Another group from Gresham, Oregon did a project to bring up awareness regarding the origins of the clothes we wear. The project was called “Where is what you wear”. In one piece of the project, they held an event where all of the clothing worn was labeled so that the country of origin was visible on the outside of the garb. There were displays that taught about working conditions in clothing factories in some of these countries and in some of these places the working conditions are horrible. It make a person think about their part as a consumer buying clothes from a place that does not up hold basic human rights, needs, and respect to their workers. That awareness is an enlightenment that we do not have to support this business and their business practices just so we can have cheap fashion. It brings out conscious consumerism. The awareness leads to new choices. Those choices made by many add up and the message is passed on to others. It changes things in a positive direction, if even a little bit, and corrects something that is not right. It doesn’t change the whole system in an instant, but like turning a giant ship it changes its course to better places. Its progress. This group from Gresham won national recognition for their project. Talk about an empowered group of people, these folks are so charged up by this project and already they are talking about their next project. So if they can change the course of one ship, imagine the impact they will have when a whole fleet is set onto a better course, metaphorically speaking.

Our group did a cell phone collection campaign and collected phones that needed to be recycled properly, refurbished, or perhaps just given to a new person. The people that the received the phones are women who are in woman’s domestic violence shelters and safe houses. These phones will allow them to have a new contact number for them to conduct business. This will allow them to get jobs and child care, or whatever else needed to get them a new safer life. It also provides them with emergency system access. If they were in a dangerous situation, say by someone like their abuser, they can call 911 for help. For some woman this is a real life line. Our project helps people in the area and helps keep our environment cleaner by properly disposing of the unusable phones. I have to say, that it feels good to know that this can mean so much to someone else. It’s a very rewarding feeling. Honestly, when you get involved in things like this you want todo more to be a part of the solution to problems all around us.

The Spread the Love Project is to get people that otherwise would not do service work to see the benefits that doing service works has. I want the individuals that I meet when I’m fundraising by selling flowers to know that it’s easy to do something that contributes to the greater good and that contribution will have a positive effect on the person that is doing the volunteering. Plus it helps everyone else too. I’d like to see service work increase in Portland by 15%. I’m excited about that goal and I can’t wait to get out there and see how people react to my message. I plan on blogging about people’s reactions, so if you’re curious too, check back often.

I’m also looking forward to doing some service work overseas. My plan is to earn enough money by selling flowers to pay for airfare to a destination like Haiti or Peru. I’d like to lend a hand in something far away as well as local volunteer actions. I like to do both environmental and humanitarian work. I’m not certain at the moment where the volunteer trip will be, but I’ll know in week.

This conference will be over tomorrow and I’m going to leave with the knowledge that of all these people that found ways to give. Their topics were varied but all meaningful. It inspires me.

Social Networking and Support

Fri, 13 May 2011 05:04:00 +0100

Wow! I am so impressed with how well social networking is to get a message out and rally people behind a cause. I can see how it weaves people and ideas together in such a powerful way.

Today I was able to get 25 people to show support on my fan page in less than two hours. I'm truly impressed that in just a couple days there are already dozens of people that support this project. It's not like the old days when one would pas out a bunch of flyers and it seemed like they went into a black hole. These days you get near instant feedback. For me that is very encouraging. It's motavating.

Launching this Project

Wed, 11 May 2011 02:48:14 +0100

I'm anxious to get this party started. I'm getting the basics in place. Website-check, Facebook fan page-check, E-mail-check, Tweeter account-check... now I need to do some design work. I need a logo, some business cards, and few other additions before I go out and hit the streets with flowers in hand. I'd like to develop a resource page for folks to access links and contacts for volunteering agencies. So much to do, so exciting to be doing it.