Volunteering

I still have volunteering on my mind. Making blankets/quilts/coverlets for Project Linus is certainly worth doing, and the feedback from hospitals, clinics, safe houses, and from disaster workers is phenomenal... but I didn't want to go beyond the "making" to becoming a chapter coordinator... so that was out. Through the years it has been appealing to envision myself volunteering my time at St. Vincent's or at the Food Bank or to Habitat for Humanity, but something has always held me back (though all those possibilities remain on the table).

This morning I got an email from www.Kiva.org asking for translators and editors, and was thrilled. If you know anything about Kiva, you know that you can donate small amounts of money through Kiva to individuals around the world to help them in their efforts to create and maintain a small business, thus giving them a helping hand toward climbing out of poverty and providing for their families. Another positive result is that they have contributed toward improving their village or town. Best of all, you can choose which particular person or persons you want to be the recipient of your donation. This becomes especially appealing when you realize that your money is added to others' money to make up a loan which is expected to be paid back... there's no free lunch involved here. You can donate whenever you want, any number of times, and to any number of persons. Well, I think it is just a great idea and was very glad when Marty made me aware of Kiva sometime last year.

Kiva has been very successful and is now looking for individuals who can/will volunteer to act as translators into English from a multitude of foreign languages, as well as folks who can translate English into other languages. Also needed are editors in all those languages. Whew. Well, editing is right up my alley. I do it all the time. I cannot read without a pencil in my hand (though I do try to refrain from marking up books!). Errors in spelling and syntax, content and context and meaning, just drive me nuts. Mike calls me Miss Fitich, which is his name for an overly fussy grammarian.

My fussiness has been vindicated. A very worthwhile cause wants me to volunteer as an editor. When do I start? (I'll let you know.) I wonder if my French is good enough to be a translator?

Chapter Coordinator?

After my last visit to the Indianapolis chapter of Project Linus, the coordinator contacted me and asked if I would like to start a chapter here in Loogootee. She knew that I drove 2-1/2 hours to and from her meeting place, and she had received phone calls and emails from people in Evansville and Vincennes who were looking for a chapter closer to home.

Oh, boy. My first reaction was a groan. Second, I checked out the website and discovered what was involved with starting a new chapter. Third, I talked it over with Mike who was excited and came up with all sorts of ideas and a huge pot full of encouragement. I almost succumbed. We make a habit of "sleeping on it" whenever there is a decision like this to be made, so I slept on it for three nights.

The details of starting a new chapter were daunting: raising start up money and annual expense money, recruiting members, finding a storage facility and a meeting place, contacting and establishing a relationship with recipients (hospitals, shelters, etc.), inspecting blankets and attaching labels, delivering to organizations and facilities in need, meeting annual goals, submitting quarterly and annual reports... it all began to sound suspiciously like a "job".

So, even though I was flattered and honored to be asked, I declined the offer. It's just too nice to revel in my new-found freedom to do what I want when I want to do it, or to simply do nothing at all except watch the grass grow, the flowers bloom, and the birds at their feeders. I'm just not ready yet, though it is curious that as soon as I considered volunteering, here came an opportunity plop in my lap!

Heifer International

There are so many ways to donate our time and money. Lately, the presidential candidates are begging for my help, but I'm trying to recover from "election addiction", mainly by refusing to answer the phone and by severely limiting my reading of election headlines, and also by concentrating on other worthy causes.

Some years ago, I discovered Heifer International, through which one can "buy" a share of a farm animal (cow, goat, pig, duck, chicken, rabbit) that will be given to an individual or a family, and this gift "makes it possible for... (the) impoverished around the world to feed themselves. That kind of self-reliance leads to self-respect, and a future worth living for. Heifer International isn't just about sustainable farming, they're about sustainable lives." It sounded good to me, so all those on my Christmas gift list that year got a card showing that they had bought, for example, half of a goat. "What??!!", they exclaimed.

Though it's still a worthy cause (providing aid to Albania, Peru, Kosovo, Tanzania, and Cambodia, to name a few), I was then and I am now thinking there must be some equally needy people and worthy causes right here in America. "Google it!"
Maybe look up 501(c) organizations?

Project Linus

Project Linus is not exactly a household term, but there are still many people who know what it is. If you recall, the cartoon character Linus had his very own special blanket that he carried everywhere. When his mother put it in the washer, there was no comforting him until it was back in his hands. Project Linus is an organization that makes blankets for children, youngsters, teens and even adults who are ill or who have been injured or traumatized in some way. There are chapters all across the country that organize the members and collect the blankets for distribution to hospitals and shelters or anywhere they are needed. Hundreds of blankets from Project Linus went to the victims of Katrina, for example. You can imagine the need when you think about the many people needing comfort, including families of injured or deceased soldiers.

For several years now, I’ve been making blankets of all sizes with flannel or fleece or yarn, and next I will try quilting. On Saturday there was a meeting of Project Linus volunteers in Indianapolis, where I met new members and became reacquainted with those I met last year. Over 200 blankets were turned in that day. One member showed us how to make a “tied quilt” and others sewed on labels. Donated materials were there for the taking. It was a very informal meeting with several conversations going on at the same time, people coming in and out, with cookies and chips and soft drinks making the rounds. We exchanged patterns and ideas and website information, and came away richer by far.

The sense of belonging and of accomplishment I get through this organization is amazing. It’s totally non-profit, there are no production guidelines or deadlines, no demands or requirements or quarterly reviews (!) from the “boss”. The local chairperson, for lack of a better name, reminds us of certain quality and safety standards, organizes the distribution of the blankets, and hosts a meeting a couple times a year. Another unexpected reward is the thank-you notes from recipients. Some are heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Receiving a special, personal blanket at a time of pain or grief can make a huge difference.

Check it out here