Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Being Thankful

Forever Thankful

We Are Thankful..

for volunteers that spend countless hours sorting food, stocking shelves and preparing a meal……

for volunteers with open ears while conversing with our clients.…..

for volunteers that scrub a soiled pan and then smile as another is added to the stack…

for volunteers that help our residents polish a resume, assist in mock interviews and search the web for potential jobs…

for volunteers that answer the phone, guide guests through the dining room and pick up food from late evening donations…..

for volunteers that work behind the scenes in data entry, golf tournament promotion and crop walk coordination…..

for volunteers that extend kindness, honor and respect to all peoples…..

for volunteers that support the mission and goals of the agency……

for all past, present and future volunteers…….

for the unwavering dedication of volunteers at all levels in this agency…..

Forever thankful…have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

Until next time…Peace,

Karen

Monday, November 23, 2009

Volunteer Statistics

Our Volunteers Count

Have you ever wondered how many people call the volunteer office each month to inquire about volunteer opportunities? Or how many people attend orientation each month? Or perhaps how many people are placed into volunteer positions in a given month? Here are some interesting statistics from the month of October:

New Volunteer Inquiries (phone, e-mail, drop in) - 58 people
Number of People attending Orientation - 30 people
Number of People placed in volunteer positions - 15 people

Although keeping up with inquiries and placement of people is at times a challenge, it’s also very rewarding to know that people in our community are seeking to help. We do our best to answer all calls, encourage individuals to attend orientation and attempt to place people in positions that best suit the individual needs and the needs of the agency.

Over the past year, the agency has taken a more focused step at matching needs and making sure that volunteers are trained and placed in positions that can really make a difference. We depend on our volunteers to help the staff in day-to-day services. Examples include: interviewing clients, answering phones, cooking meals, picking up food, sorting food, etc. Our attempts to better train and educate our volunteers have increased continuity, created a clearer understanding of roles and responsibilities and opened volunteer communications.

Our goal is to be able to help all volunteers find their niche in the agency, whether it’s working directly with clients or behind the scenes. In any event, we thank you, all our volunteers, for your dedication and support. Due to the large number of inquiries and attendance at recent orientations, we are filling many positions at record levels. We are thankful for this blessing. There are always positions that become vacant or new positions that are created.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at the IFC, please email me at volunteer@ifcmailbox.org. Thank you, again, for your support.

Until next time…Peace,

Karen

Friday, November 6, 2009

Orientation for New Volunteers

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or just interested in gaining information about the IFC, please come to one of the scheduled new volunteer orientations. The orientations are held on the second Tuesday of each month. The next orientation is this coming Tuesday, November 10th. It will be held at 110 W. Main Street in Carrboro from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the second floor conference room. If you are coming by car, there will be parking available in the back of the building.


Chris Moran, IFC Executive Director will offer information about the IFC and answer your questions. Volunteer applications can be completed on line and forwarded to volunteer@ifcmailbox.org. Applications will also be available the evening of orientation. As always, thank you for your interest; and we look forward to meeting you at orientation.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Justice United

Who Is Justice United?

Justice United is a broad-based, non-partisan group of individuals from various organizations, faith-based communities and non-profit groups that have come together to address social justice issues. Understanding social justice issues and how they impact our community is the key to initiating change. Justice United supporters are dedicated individuals that agree to address the following issues: education, affordable housing, healthcare, living wages/jobs, immigrant families, environmental justice and the equity/quality of life for rural Orange County.

On October 26, 2009, Orange County Justice United held a ceremony and public action meeting at the United Church of Chapel Hill. This ceremony was an opportunity for organizations to accept an active role in becoming aware of and addressing the issues that affect the low- and middle-income families in Orange County.

Inter-Faith Council for Social Service accepted the invitation to be a member of Justice United. Staff and volunteers from the IFC were present at the meeting. It was wonderful to see a large number of IFC volunteers taking an active role in addressing these issues. Volunteers stood not only with their faith-based communities, but with other community organizations as well. As the name of each organization was announced, individuals from that group stood (literally) in solidarity to accept an active role in Justice United.

It was a powerful evening with witness stories on children’s safety issues, education, neighborhood development and living wages. Stories were told by Juan Carlos Nunes, Habitat for Humanity, Kevin Nicks, Parents Advocating for Children Together, Lisa Williams, Pine Knolls Neighborhood Association and Kelly Dunlop, Catholic Newman Student Center & Parish. The focus of the evening was to educate people and have a call to action. The call to action included written action items for each of the social justice concerns outlined above. With the help of team members, the group will continue to explore these issues in the coming years and make a call for change. If you have a passion to learn more about the social justice issues that face our community, you can get involved. To learn more about Justice United, go to the website: http://sites.google.com/site/ocociaf/home

The time for change is now. You can be part of this change in Orange County. As always, you can email me at volunteer@ifcmailbox.org or call for more information on volunteer opportunities. Until next time…Peace.

Karen