Where/how are you volunteering?

[Bernadine]

I volunteer with our local humane society, but I'd like to do something else. I'm overwhelmed, because I can't decide which issues are the most important to me. They all seem so important. I did pass by a future site of the local Boys and Girls club and was thinking I might check that out.

[candreco]

Currently with Girl Scouts (troop leader), school PTA, and I'm chairing a committee at church. Another non-time commitment thing is regularly grocery shopping for a local food pantry (we just shop and drop off when we can). My volunteer stuff is definitely community service-oriented right now, not activism.

I rotate off the church committee completely in May 2018, and that frees up time I plan to use to support mid-term elections.

[pinkdutchtulips]

I'm a GS troop leader and sit on the exec board for my local service unit. I also chair a committee on the school PTA (community family events).

Over the next 4 years (or however long it takes) I'll be a thorn in every CA state assembly and senate members side and every CA congressperson and Senators side over DV issues. Phone, email, FB, twitter, snail mail. I also plan on advocating for our National Parks too ! I'll be focusing my energies on DV prevention, protection and enforcement.

[maddiepaddy]

I drive a route for Meals on Wheels once a week. I view it as important, compassionate work - but not at all as part of the 'resistance.' I need to step up my game.

I did make calls for Hillary during campaign season - and I plan on volunteering for local and statewide candidates in 2018.

[cvillern]

I volunteer at my sons school and as treasurer of his Cub Scout pack. I just put in an application to volunteer at our free clinic as a nurse but they aren't taking new volunteers until April. I also joined our local chapter of SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice) and am looking for ways to volunteer my time with them.

[Pom]

I volunteer with a local Foster Group. The org works with teens aging out of the foster system and assists with finishing HS school, GED, college prep, transitional living, life skills, driving, support for career planning, etc.. The other part is Kinship Foster Families (no state support). My position is actually working more on the Kinship side with resources for family members fostering children within their own family...grandchildren, nieces, nephews, younger siblings, etc..

I just got in touch with our county Democratic Party. (I am still a registered R) Planning to phone bank, help with voter registration, drive to the polls...whatever they need.

Question for those more experienced at navigating local politics. Is there any reason I shouldn't switch parties? Primary voting, stuff like that since I am still learning the ins and outs.

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

I have never volunteered before but I am thinking of seeing what I can do with my the local refugee population. We have a large one, and a very supportive mayor so I know there are a lot of opportunities.

ETA also: Svante Myrick is my mayor. If you don't see him run for state or even national office, there is something wrong with this world. He is amazing. 

[AJL]

Girl Scouts (Troop leader)
PTA (secretary of our school's)
Reading intervention tutor
Partnerships for Children Foundation which supports our county's CPS caseworkers and their clients

[ijack]

I currently volunteer at a local NICU cuddling babies, but I'm trying to figure out what else I can do along the resistance. I quit my job and one of the reasons was to be able to give back more, I'm just overwhelmed trying to figure out how. I've been looking at volunteermatch, but nothing is really what I'm looking for.

[lingome]

I am going to keep doing what I do with our school PTA and try to do more. I had been a little burnt out and was thinking about taking a break, but I realize that those kids and our school need support more than ever. Furthermore I hope to become more involved with the legislative side of our state PTA, which will advocate against vouchers.

I'm also about to be more involved in a local environmental organization. Still need to feel my way into what kind of role, but it's important to me.

[atarianna]

Local refugee resettlement agency, and my church.

[wawa]

Currently not a whole lot. I chair the committee to award two scholarships for female student in a STEM related field for my professional org. One of those two scholarships is only open to one of our local HBCU's so I've made it a side mission to help the students I meet through that network.

After the election I reached out to Girls on the Run because that one was kind of a no-brainer for me since I run and the elementary school next door to my house hosts one of their groups, but my volunteer obligation for them hasn't started yet. (spring) I feel like that one is just tangentially related to this goddamn mess, but it's something.

In the interests of being more directly involved in the places I see as direct needs - today I just sent an email to a immigrant resource center in my community to express an interest in volunteering to help them out with administrative stuff. They also need tutors to help run their ESL supplemental program for school kids, and people to help with job-finding resources (resume review, searching and applying online for openings, interview practice, etc) but I'm not sure I'm qualified for either of those - so we'll start with some data entry and phone answering or whatever and go from there.

I've also signed up on the database for my state democratic party volunteer pool - planning on getting in on GOTV work and so forth as we get closer to 2018. Not sure if that's the right place to reach out for that, but that's where I started. I'd love to see our R governor be outsted. He's pretty moderate in that he's not an utter shitpig, (he never would have won in MD otherwise) but he's definitely of the school that government should be run like a business and I'm not here for that. My federal people are all D's in pretty safe seats, so also thinking about early voting for myself and spending election day up in PA with my mama, maybe driving people to the polls, since they don't have early voting and there are actual swing districts up there. we'll see.

so yeah, immigration is going to be my pet issue because it's a big one in my community, and then being a woman in STEM is my life so I'll just keep on keepin' on with that while keeping my eye on being intersectional. And then trying to get as many other people doing shit as I can.

[Bernadine]

Jan 26, 2017 15:47:07 GMT -5 wawa said:

Currently not a whole lot. I chair the committee to award two scholarships for female student in a STEM related field for my professional org. One of those two scholarships is only open to one of our local HBCU's so I've made it a side mission to help the students I meet through that network.

After the election I reached out to Girls on the Run because that one was kind of a no-brainer for me since I run and the elementary school next door to my house hosts one of their groups, but my volunteer obligation for them hasn't started yet. (spring) I feel like that one is just tangentially related to this goddamn mess, but it's something.

In the interests of being more directly involved in the places I see as direct needs - today I just sent an email to a immigrant resource center in my community to express an interest in volunteering to help them out with administrative stuff. They also need tutors to help run their ESL supplemental program for school kids, and people to help with job-finding resources (resume review, searching and applying online for openings, interview practice, etc) but I'm not sure I'm qualified for either of those - so we'll start with some data entry and phone answering or whatever and go from there.

I've also signed up on the database for my state democratic party volunteer pool - planning on getting in on GOTV work and so forth as we get closer to 2018. Not sure if that's the right place to reach out for that, but that's where I started. I'd love to see our R governor be outsted. He's pretty moderate in that he's not an utter shitpig, (he never would have won in MD otherwise) but he's definitely of the school that government should be run like a business and I'm not here for that. My federal people are all D's in pretty safe seats, so also thinking about early voting for myself and spending election day up in PA with my mama, maybe driving people to the polls, since they don't have early voting and there are actual swing districts up there. we'll see.

so yeah, immigration is going to be my pet issue because it's a big one in my community, and then being a woman in STEM is my life so I'll just keep on keepin' on with that while keeping my eye on being intersectional. And then trying to get as many other people doing shit as I can.

I'm in MD too, in a red county.  What is the database?  I feel like there must be activist groups here, and I'm just not finding them.

[leshoequeen]

I mentor with a local after-school program and am on the board of a local foundation.

[wawa]

Jan 26, 2017 15:49:28 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Jan 26, 2017 15:47:07 GMT -5 wawa said:

Currently not a whole lot. I chair the committee to award two scholarships for female student in a STEM related field for my professional org. One of those two scholarships is only open to one of our local HBCU's so I've made it a side mission to help the students I meet through that network.

After the election I reached out to Girls on the Run because that one was kind of a no-brainer for me since I run and the elementary school next door to my house hosts one of their groups, but my volunteer obligation for them hasn't started yet. (spring) I feel like that one is just tangentially related to this goddamn mess, but it's something.

In the interests of being more directly involved in the places I see as direct needs - today I just sent an email to a immigrant resource center in my community to express an interest in volunteering to help them out with administrative stuff. They also need tutors to help run their ESL supplemental program for school kids, and people to help with job-finding resources (resume review, searching and applying online for openings, interview practice, etc) but I'm not sure I'm qualified for either of those - so we'll start with some data entry and phone answering or whatever and go from there.

I've also signed up on the database for my state democratic party volunteer pool - planning on getting in on GOTV work and so forth as we get closer to 2018. Not sure if that's the right place to reach out for that, but that's where I started. I'd love to see our R governor be outsted. He's pretty moderate in that he's not an utter shitpig, (he never would have won in MD otherwise) but he's definitely of the school that government should be run like a business and I'm not here for that. My federal people are all D's in pretty safe seats, so also thinking about early voting for myself and spending election day up in PA with my mama, maybe driving people to the polls, since they don't have early voting and there are actual swing districts up there. we'll see.

so yeah, immigration is going to be my pet issue because it's a big one in my community, and then being a woman in STEM is my life so I'll just keep on keepin' on with that while keeping my eye on being intersectional. And then trying to get as many other people doing shit as I can.

I'm in MD too, in a red county.  What is the database?  I feel like there must be activist groups here, and I'm just not finding them.

just the state democratic party website - they have a volunteer sign-up tab.  There are options to click for things you would be open to doing (phone banking, driving people, door to door, writing letters to the editor, etc)  And then they ask you for money obvs.  It's a leftover from before the election, but I have to assume they're going to keep using it?  I don't know.  That one I'll follow up on later if I don't see anything.  Like I said, I'm unsure if that's the right place for that.

[SpartanGirl]

I lead my daughters' girl scout troop, am the Financial Assistance chair for a local nonprofit preschool (I served on the board of directors for 5 years and moved to this role when my term as President ended), serve as Treasurer on our school's PTA, volunteer in the classrooms at our school, and help out at our church. I'd like to do something community based outside of the school, but I am finding it hard to squeeze it in with work, kids, and current commitments.

[dale]

I'm a Cubmaster with my DS's pack. DH and I work with our church and DS's school to organize donations for the local food pantry. We also donate to a fund to help with immigration legal costs.

[krystee]

I'm a board member of a nonprofit that supports and educates parents who have experienced pregnancy loss (HoneySpider's organization, but I don't want random googlers to be able to connect my name with this profile, so I'm not typing the name) and a member of my church's connections committee (community outreach, driving engagement with current members, etc.). I definitely want to volunteer for causes related to this too, but I feel very stretched because I am also working 50 hours a week, taking a course toward a certificate and pursuing an industry certification. I think this year I will focus on small steps, and be more active next year when the certificate and certification are complete.

[wawa]

Bernadine, - whereish are you? west, south or east? The local ex-nestie board has been sharing a lot of local resources lately.

[Bernadine]

Jan 26, 2017 16:20:55 GMT -5 wawa said:

Bernadine, - whereish are you? west, south or east? The local ex-nestie board has been sharing a lot of local resources lately.

I pm'd you.

[CheeringCharm]

Currently just at my kids' public school (I do a morning in the art room helping the art teacher and a morning in the library shelving books etc. each week and PTA stuff as they come up - book fair, fundraisers, field day) but I'm looking to get involved with something in the community too. Maybe our local food pantry.