Change Notes
Friends,
This weekend, more than 250,000 individuals will honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through hands-on volunteer projects in hundreds of communities nationwide, thanks to the combined efforts of Points of Light and its affiliates, Target, and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
In a parking lot in Far Rockaway, New York, a school bus is the volunteer staging site.
Volunteers check in and get their assignments. Then, with computers and maps of the neighborhood, they fan out to "muck out" homes, a critical first step to restoring power and starting the rebuilding process after Hurricane Sandy. Wearing protective gear and facemasks, they tear out the flooring and remove the debris and paneling in homes to eradicate mold.
There’s often a fine line between individual acts of caring and systemic change – a line we cross often in a world that needs both compassion and justice. That line took center stage last week at the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) conference in London, where I worked with 400 attendees from 70 countries -- all of whom engage volunteers to help meet critical needs, all of whom end up developing solutions to larger issues in the process.
Friends,
As millions of people along the east coast begin to mourn those who died and assess the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy, I find comfort and reassurance in one thing: Americans have always pulled together after disasters to lend a hand, help our neighbors and rebuild our communities. As Sandy recedes, we will unite in volunteer service once again.
Just a few days ago, three million people gathered across the country on the nation's largest day of service, Make a Difference Day. They donated food for military families. They cleaned up neighborhoods, parks and schools.