Michelle Nunn
Michelle Nunn reflects on her families experiences at the national parks this summer.
My son, Vinson, is a great enthusiast for earning badges and pins of any sort, so we became devotees of the Junior Ranger program as we traveled through the national parks this summer. To earn his badges, we identified sage brush, learned what Sitting Bull did during the Battle of the Little Big Horn (stayed with the women and children), and discovered how long it took to carve the figures on Mount Rushmore (14 years).
Friends,
Morgan Tracey knows a lot about the word "champion." She's from Champion, Ohio. She's training to be an Olympic champion in skeleton, a sledding event similar to the luge. And on Friday,
she'll be named a White House Champion of Change for her outstanding record of community service.
Tracey put in thousands of hours becoming an athletic champion - and a civic leader.
Michelle Nunn writes about her service trip stop in Sheridan, Wyoming.
Imagine that you are driving down the road with your dog in the back, minding your own business when you find yourself being followed by a woman who parks when you park, then jumps out of her car, races to your side and starts talking about the difference you can make by contributing to the local animal shelter.
Minneapolis has long been considered a bastion of civic virtue, and for good reason. With the highest volunteer rate among large cities, the city understands the impact of giving back.
HandsOn Twin Cities – the longest operating volunteer center in the country – continues to find new ways to create change. I had the chance to meet with its board members and staff, led by Executive Director Kristin Schurrer, to learn more about their evolving work.
For those looking for innovative ideas, here are two: HandsOn Twin Cities will sponsor a speed-volunteering experience (think speed dating and you’ll understand the matching that goes on!) for 10,000 people at an event at the Mall of America. And the group will also launch a skills-based, done-in-a-day volunteer expo in the fall.