A Dozen Things to Do in St. Paul During the Points of Light Conference
The Points of Light Conference offers incredible opportunities to take in the Twin Cities rich culture. From museums, theater and dining to sports, music and historic districts, there’s something new to experience for every attendee.
Network with people from around the world and your own backyard.
Recharge your enthusiasm for volunteerism and gain new insights to take back home.
With more shoreline on the Mississippi River than any other city in the U.S., cruise on a river boat, take a leisurely walk or ride a bike by the river and take it all in.
Mall of America is an easy train ride away. With over 520 stores to choose from, it will be easy to shop till you drop.
Nerd out at the Minnesota Science Museum, located across the street from the Points of Light Conference and listed as one of National Geographic’s Top 10 Science Museums in the U.S.
See a show at one of the many historic theaters and show houses located in St. Paul or Minneapolis.
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is a foodie destination. With cuisine from all around the world, from hotdish to pad thai, we have it all.
St. Paul used to be known as a mobster’s paradise during Prohibition. Re-live history while exploring Wabasha Caves or the hidden secrets and hideouts around St. Paul.
Visit elegant Summit Avenue, the longest preserved Victorian avenue in the U.S. In addition to being home to the governor’s residence, authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis both lived on Summit Avenue at the same time.
Grab a bite to eat at the iconic Mickey’s Diner, a local favorite that has been featured in three movies including “The Mighty Ducks,” “Jingle All the Way” and “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Weather not to your liking? No problem. Take the skyway instead! The city’s 5-mile long continuous skyway system is one of the longest in the U.S., second only to her twin’s skyway network in Minneapolis.
Look up and be amazed inside the Minnesota State Capitol, home to the second largest unsupported marble dome in the world. If you must know, the first is St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with the Taj Mahal in India at third.
, content partner of the Points of Light Conference.
Co-hosted with HandsOn Twin Cities, the 2019 Points of Light Conference will offer unique opportunities for networking and exploring the Twin Cities and its rich history of volunteerism. View the agenda, featured speakers, special events, and register today at
Is there something special about the Twin Cities? Yep. You betcha. It’s the volunteers
In two weeks, the 2019 Points of Light Conference will kick-off in St. Paul, Minnesota. Our state is known for our 10,000 lakes, snowy and cold winters and his royal purpleness, Prince. But in the past few years, we’ve also hosted a Super Bowl, a men’s basketball Final Four, and countless events and national conferences.
Visitors to our region are often surprised by the fantastic food scene, bountiful cultural and natural attractions, and the giant Mall of America (with no sales tax on clothing or shoes!). But, just as often, are met with the feeling of being warmly welcomed by the volunteers who work at the events they’ve come to Minneapolis/St. Paul to attend.
Year after year, the Twin Cities is ranked the No. 1 metro area for volunteering. People here value service to others, stewardship of our community and participation in our common good. We are typically shy about bragging about our state, but one area we love telling people about is our willingness to spend time helping each other out. It’s no surprise HandsOn Twin Cities is the oldest volunteer center in the nation. And this year, we’re celebrating 100 years of supporting service and volunteerism.
We are home to a high number of Fortune 500 headquarters, an amazing tech and med-tech startup scene, and small businesses galore. We have a spirit of innovation and industry that comes from our fantastic education system, and a cornerstone of our corporate and educational culture is service. It is hard to understate the commitment of our business sector to volunteerism and civic participation.
When you land at MSP International Airport, we invite you to experience the lakes, the theaters, the restaurants and some meaningful professional development at the Points of Light Conference, which HandsOn Twin Cities is excited to co-host this year. But we also invite you to get to know what makes the Twin Cities such a fertile place for volunteerism. Talk to the conference volunteers and find out how many different organizations they serve with. Ask the people at your hotel how their company supports volunteer time off. Keep your eyes peeled when you go by any park, field or playground, and we bet you will see people volunteering.
So, we uncharacteristically boast about our No. 1 ranking in volunteerism. Is there something special about the Twin Cities? Yep. You betcha. It’s the volunteers.
Tracy Nielsen is executive director of HandsOn Twin Cities, a member of the Points of Light Global Network. She co-authored this blog with Andy Goldman-Gray, who serves as chairman of the HandsOn Twin Cities board of directors.
Co-hosted with HandsOn Twin Cities, the 2019 Points of Light Conference will offer unique opportunities for networking and exploring the Twin Cities and its rich history of volunteerism. View the agenda, featured speakers, special events, and register today at www.pointsoflightconference.org.
What Will You Do This Summer?
It’s graduation season. School’s out for summer. And all around us, young people are setting off on exciting paths – heading to college, to graduate school, or starting their careers. At graduations, we recognize and celebrate accomplishments, and the promise of what’s to come.
Natalye Paquin, President & CEO, Points of Light
I read an article recently about a high school in Minnesota where students can letter in service, just like they can letter in sports or academics. How incredible is that? This school, and others like it, are recognizing service as an achievement and signaling to the entire student body that it’s worthy of celebration. At graduation, their service is lauded as an accomplishment.
This week, one of my colleagues shared with me that this summer her kids are attending a summer service camp. Using their time to serve others – and finding outlets for that service in their communities – is so important. Increasingly, young people are being celebrated for their service, and seeing role models and peers around them celebrating service, too.
The Civic Century we talk about so often at Points of Light depends on a generation of young people for whom service is second nature, and who understand it impact. It’s up to us to show them.
Next month, we’ll be in St. Paul for our annual
. We’ve got a number of partners coming to the conference who will share what they’re doing to increase service and participation in their communities. While we’re there, we’ll also spend an afternoon outdoors, partnering in a service project with the
, an organization focused on helping the city’s Mississippi River Recreation Area. We’ll join volunteers in planting native species, removing invasive ones and cleaning up the river area. I’m really looking forward to it being just one of the ways I’ll give back this season.
So, my question to you is: What will you do this summer? Will you take one day, one excursion, one weekend to give back? The same joy, the same sense of peace, the same feel-good feeling we find in traditional summer things, like a vacation or a trip to the beach, can be found in service. And the impact lasts a long, long time.
Tell us what you’re doing using #summerservice and tag @PointsofLight on social media.
Improving Lives Through Technology and Mentorship, Volunteer Supports Rural Education and STEM Initiatives for Youth in India
Naveen Prathapeneni is committed to changing the world in small, impactful ways. A lifelong volunteer from Hyderabad, Telangana, in India, who began giving back to others at an early age, he focuses on skills-based volunteering and works with multiple organizations to support rural education and STEM workshops for students.
Naveen believes that education is a fundamental right for everyone, and that a person’s background should not affect access to quality, affordable education. Outside of his job as a cloud solution architect with
, he helps nonprofits and organizations scale their operations through technology, mentors high school and college students and has developed a mobile application to help small-scale farming businesses.
Reaching more than 10,000 students annually, Naveen is devoted to improving lives through education, mentorship and technology. He believes in the power of people, and understands that it is the actions of individuals that have the power to change the world.
In recognition of his dedication to service, Naveen received the “Volunteer Hero” award from
a Points of Light Global Network affiliate in India that brings together volunteers and organizations to share time, skills and passion to promote social development. We spoke with Naveen to learn more about his work in rural development and education.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I come from a rural background where most of my schooling was done at rural schools that had minimal access to information and less exposed to career opportunities. After schooling, I could not choose a career path to align with my interests and passion. I had to face several challenges in positioning myself in the market in align to my interests. This experience had motivated me to focus on rural education and helping students.
Tell us about the organizations you volunteer with, and how you are involved
.
I work with several nonprofits and schools. I have been working with Nirmaan since 2011, helping them scale up their operations with technology adoption. I adopted one primary school and work with 12 rural high schools, one junior college and one degree college in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana.
Nirmann Education Helpline: I am considered a social ambassador, and motivate rural students and connect corporations. I have participated in several initiatives and flagship programs and have mobilized volunteers and conducted train-the-trainer workshops.
Remote Volunteering: I have been a service lead and remote mentor at a college in the Khammam, Telangana, district. I initiated remote mentoring programs and conducted career workshops, code camps and spoken English classes.
Old Alumni Alum Lead: I Initiated alumni setup at 12 high schools located in Mamidikuduru Mandal, East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. I worked to improve rural schools, conducted career counseling, led train-the-trainer workshops, science fairs, science and engineering workshops and STEM sessions.
How did you become interested in education and sustainable agriculture? Why are these causes so important to you?
Naveen is devoted to improving lives through education, mentorship and technology, and works with multiple organizations to support rural education and STEM workshops for students.
My primary work areas are focused on rural education, improving schools and livelihood support. I also worked extensively in sustainable agriculture, promoting STEM careers, disaster management support and supporting people with disabilities.
Education is a fundamental right and everyone in society needs to have access to quality and affordable education to fulfill their aspirations
I strongly believe that a “do2Learn” orientation works better for students in rural areas, hence I focus on STEM education and conduct STEM workshops and prepare reusable kits. Every year I conduct STEM works workshops for 500+ students, and so far I have addressed more than 10,000 students.
I got an opportunity to work with nonprofits focusing on rural development while working with rural schools. This has created interest to explore the agriculture field. Voluntarily, I have developed a platform and mobile application to help small business and small-scale farmers to connect supply and demand, and access advisory support with minimal cost.
Tell us about the mobile application you developed, and how it helps users.
I proposed and initiated the development of the mobile/kiosk based app to help the Nirmaan Education Helpline to scale up their operations in disseminating career information to students, teachers and even counsellors with minimal effort.
This kiosk is touch-based and allows students to connect to the Education Helpline through a toll-free number. Student can register and complete the pre-assessment form and choose two careers choice of interest. The system asks a few questions – a psychometric test – and based on certain parameters, suggests a preferred career. Student can browse the careers and see videos related to the career, know about the path to achieve that career and other information like availability of hostel, total cost of the course, scholarships, etc., including list of colleges and entrance exams.
I was responsible for architecting, designing the solutions, training interns, day-to-day interactions with the development team, and conducting the pilot. I also made further enhancements to add cognitive features like a chat bot to answer career-related queries.
How are you involved with iVolunteer?
I participated in mentoring workshops conducted by iVolunteer and worked closely with the iVolunteer team in conducting STEM workshops as part of a STEM campaign organized by my organization.
What has been the most rewarding part of your volunteer work? Do you have a favorite memory or story to share?
Of course, there are many. In one incident, one student who studied in a rural school contacted me two years ago to express her gratitude for motivating her to pursue engineering, and mentoring her to overcome her career challenges. She updated me that she joined in a start-up company in Gujarat.
What have you learned from your experience as a volunteer?
Volunteering is not just a giving process or just giving. As I mentioned, it is both giving and receiving. I have learned how to face social issues, challenges, and some solutions and how technology can help in solving some of those. Lastly, often people tend to change the world, but my experiences made me stay focused on one of two areas where I can work long-term and see the benefit and impact that I can bring,rather than trying to address every problem of the world. This approach has given me an opportunity to apply my skills in specific societal problems and work at a grassroot level.
Why do you think it is important for others to volunteer in their community?
Enjoy in giving back to society, you will get a lot in return, like satisfaction, network, new learnings, new skills, new people, new relations, new stories, different dimensions in thinking … a lot.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Always do what you like and like what you do. Choose your area of interest and stay focused.
Honestly, what you are going to gain will be more than what you give.
Time management and work-life-balance used to be a big challenge. I started involving my family members in my activities, and they started enjoying the work. I tried to pair some of my field activities with family trips so that they are also engaged and feel the difference.
What’s next for you as a volunteer?
Continuing my focus on education in rural areas, my key projects are:
Study Circle at Government Degree College Khammam: I will strengthen the study circle by strengthening alumni and motivate them to be part of this initiative and help more than 600 students to achieve their dreams and goals. I will also help empower them with livelihood skills and work-readiness aspects. When I started working with this college, 80 percent of the students expressed fear, lack of guidance and moral support as major challenges.
Extend classroom at Government Primary School, Pochammabasti: This school is operating in 2.5 class rooms with 140 children from first to fifth grade. There are several proposals to government officials but, no progress. I am planning to crowdsource funds along with my contributions to set up temporary classrooms by the beginning of next academic year in 2020.
Operational Efficiency at Nirman Vidya Helpline: Continuing my support to Nirman Educaiton Helpline, I plan to enhance the mobile application with psychometric tests and cognitive capabilities. This will help counselors to quickly access information and learn the processes at call centers, and students can access information by asking queries in natural language.
Developing Future Civic Leaders, One Neighborhood at a Time
Points of Light was founded on the simple yet profound belief that individuals play an important role in solving community challenges, and that the innovation and dedication of ordinary citizens can accomplish extraordinary things. Starbucks has a similar commitment, reflected in its mission statement:
“to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
”
Through a grant from the Starbucks Foundation, Points of Light created a groundbreaking program inspired by national service that provides Starbucks retail employees an opportunity to lend their hearts, hands and minds to local organizations that leverage volunteers to meet their mission. The
invests in local nonprofits through the power of human capital, serving as an amazing example of the power of public-private partnerships, and the importance of elevating and investing in service.
HandsOn Miami Service Fellow Cindy Ariza dedicated her time to recruiting and training community emergency response teams in Miami.
Points of Light’s commitment to leveraging service as a solution for organizational and community needs is based on the belief that cross-sector partnerships are a critical element of effectively informing and impacting social and community issues. Our partnership with Starbucks is an innovative approach to strengthening networks and nonprofits that complements other products and services in our capacity building portfolio. Our shared commitment to volunteerism and impactful community engagement served as inspiration for the initial vision for this program, which was to create a revolutionary model of catalytic citizenship.
For six months, Points of Light and 13 members of our
engaged 36 Starbucks Retail Partners (part-time employees) as Service Fellows, providing them with a robust experience that included civic education, community engagement and sector building. This pilot program provided Points of Light, our Global Network members and Starbucks a rare opportunity to co-create an experience that was responsive to the needs of networks and nonprofits while simultaneously developing future civic leaders.
Fellows not only made a difference in their communities, collectively providing more than 17,000 hours of volunteer service, but inspired others to do the same. This partnership will continue to drive catalytic changes to the existing volunteer infrastructure, while also significantly enhancing the capacity of nonprofit organizations to effectively engage volunteers and fellows within their workforce. We look forward to leveraging the lessons learned and impact achieved to explore future phases of the program.
Shannon Galford, Starbucks global responsibility program manager (right), with Chicago Cares Service Fellows Zoe Pace and Vanessa Higueros.
Read stories from Points of Light Global Network members that hosted Starbucks Service Fellows during the pilot program:
Alison Doerfler is the senior vice president of capacity building at Points of Light.
Creating a More Vibrant Canada Through National Leadership on Volunteer Engagement
American Express Canada employee volunteers plant trees with Ontario Streams, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental conservation. In communities across the country, Volunteer Canada convenes and collaborates with volunteer centers, nonprofits, businesses, governments and educational institutions to create powerful tools for citizen engagement.
Volunteer Canada is at the forefront of providing nationwide leadership centered on volunteer engagement and is a member of the
. It convenes and collaborates with volunteer centers, nonprofits, businesses, governments and educational institutions to create powerful tools for citizen engagement. In the midst of an ever-changing world and political shifts, the organization works to increase the participation, quality and diversity of volunteer experiences that build strong and connected communities.
Since its founding in 1977,
, has provided national leadership and expertise for organizations and volunteers alike. It identifies common community issues, and seamlessly mobilizes the knowledge of experts to produce learning tools that help build stronger communities. With a network of 220 local volunteer centers, the organization helps promote volunteering, connect people with opportunities to volunteer, build organizational capacity and provides leadership around relevant issues.
With a deep focus on research and policy, Volunteer Canada has conducted several studies centered on volunteerism and the constantly evolving volunteer landscape. Its
study addresses a growing gap between what volunteers look for and the opportunities organizations offer. The organization understands what motivates today’s volunteers: they’re mobile, have goals, are driven by results, self-directed, have multiple interests and often seek short-term opportunities that use their skills.
To better understand these motivations and emerging trends, the organization has also worked alongside Statistics Canada to give insights into the state of volunteering in Canada. Their latest
found that Canadians volunteer an average of 154 hours per year, and that 82 percent of Canadians volunteer informally, helping people directly without the involvement of an organization or group. Youth are more engaged than past years, with 66 percent volunteering an average of 110 hours per year, and 38 percent of adults aged 55 and up continue to volunteer the most hours – 220 a year on average – out of any demographic.
In order to portray the social and economic value of volunteering to organizations, businesses and individuals, Volunteer Canada created the
This tool illustrates the many benefits of volunteering, including building confidence, competence, connections and community.
The Value of Volunteering Wheel illustrates the many benefits of volunteering, including building confidence, competence, connections and community.
By developing its wide network of partners and resources, the organization has seen volunteer centers evolve in their leadership roles, which has led to increased volunteer involvement across Canada.
“I see volunteering as a form of social inclusion and participation in neighborhoods, communities and society, so that the places we live reflect our values,” said Paula Speevak, president and CEO of Volunteer Canada.
The organization also looks for ways to make an impact beyond its national borders. It has adopted the
to mobilize global efforts to improve social, economic and environmental conditions around the world. The organization is looking at the degree to which Canadian volunteers are already contributing to the SGDs, and what volunteer contributions may look like in the future.
Volunteer Canada also provides a variety of resources, services and supports to help companies adopt gold standard corporate community engagement programs.
report, for example, summarizes key findings from the largest survey of Canadian employees to date on the connection between their levels of engagement with their workplace and their employer’s commitments to community.
The organization organizes the country’s National Volunteer Week each year in April, a weeklong celebration to thank and recognize volunteers and celebrate the impact of volunteer service. This year’s theme was
, highlighting the exponential impact of volunteers and the ways they lift communities.
“Volunteering is such a beautiful, free spirited act of generosity,” said Paula. “There’s a component of giving to the community, however I see volunteering as shaping the community you live in. It’s having your voice and having your space.”
Committed to Improving Children’s Lives, She Fosters Family Relationships for Youth of Incarcerated Parents
Betty Mohlenbrock founded Reading Legacies to empower children and youth as valued family and community members through intergenerational shared-reading experiences.
Meet Betty Mohlenbrock, who was a Top 10 finalist for the L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Award in 2018. Each year L’Oréal Paris and Points of Light recognize and celebrate Women of Worth who make a beautiful difference in their communities. Ten honorees each receive a $10,000 grant to support their most cherished cause, and an online vote determines one honoree who will receive an additional $25,000 grant. Nominations for 2019 are now open! If you know a woman who works to create lasting and significant change in her community, nominate her to be one of the 2019 Women of Worth.
“One of the core values that is most prominent at all times in my life is that when you give of yourself, even though you don’t realize it and it’s not the reason you do it, you are learning, you are growing,” said Betty Mohlenbrock.
As a former educator and nonprofit professional, Betty has always been committed to improving children’s lives, and when she retired, that commitment would continue. In 2011, she came out of retirement to establish
, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering supportive relationships between the children of incarcerated parents and the parents themselves through the simple act of reading aloud.
In 2012, an estimated 2.7 million children in the United States had experienced parental incarceration. Children whose parents are incarcerated often face a range of challenges, including an increased risk of depression, drug abuse, and poverty. On average, the children of incarcerated parents are six times more likely to become incarcerated themselves.
By helping to maintain the bonds between children and their incarcerated parents, Reading Legacies works to address the devastating impact of incarceration on families and communities. The organization operates two reading programs in the San Diego, California, area. The larger program,
, provides incarcerated parents with a way in which to connect with their children through recorded read-aloud sessions that are then delivered to the children’s homes. The smaller program,
, invites local teens – some of whom have experienced parental incarceration themselves – to read to children in their community on a weekly basis.
The central focus of these programs is the emotional and educational benefits that reading aloud has for children, but their impact is much broader. By participating in Reading Legacies programs, parents and teens learn to become role models, building their own self-confidence and sense of self-worth in the process. “That’s what’s happening with these incarcerated parents and these teens that we’re taking out of the gangs and the afterschool behavior that’s harmful to them,” said Betty. “It’s empowerment. It’s a double-edged benefit. It benefits the children, but the readers are getting so much out of it, too.”
Betty has partnered with many institutions in the area to bring programming to underserved populations, including the San Diego County Probation Department and Sheriff’s Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, school districts throughout San Diego County and many Head Start facilities. The work of Reading Legacies is made possible by the many volunteers who execute the programs. In 2017, volunteers dedicated 21,105 hours to Reading Legacies and its mission.
Although Betty is the visionary and leader of Reading Legacies, she insists that its success is due to the support and advice she has received from others. “None of this can be done well if you don’t bring smart people alongside,” she said. “That’s something that I learned very early on.”
The organization has made tremendous impact in the community. In 2017, Reading Legacies facilitated 8,000 interactions among parents, teens, children and family members participating in its programs. As a result of these interactions, Reading Legacies is seeing incredible effects. The families of children who have participated say that 73 percent of children are enjoying reading more, and that nearly 70 percent of them are communicating more with their parents.
As a former educator and nonprofit professional, Betty Mohlenbrock has always been committed to improving children’s lives, and when she retired, that commitment would continue.
Every teen who has volunteered with Reading Legacies says that the program strengthened their leadership skills, and 87 percent report an increase in self-confidence. Of the incarcerated parents who have participated, 94 percent have seen a boost in morale and feel more connected to their children at home.
Stephanie Scott, a long-time volunteer with Reading Legacies, has experienced incarceration. Her passion for the organization comes from seeing the positive change that the programs have had on parents. “For me, and also for some of the other ladies who serve, we have children, and some of us have experienced separation from our children,” she said. “We know firsthand how that can feel, so being able to instill some hope in parents – it’s such a rewarding experience.”
One of Betty’s greatest challenges is providing programming to incarcerated parents. A stigma is often attached to serving incarcerated people, and sending videos from prison is often complicated by prison regulations. “[Incarcerated parents are] difficult to reach, and they’re difficult to follow. It’s a transient population,” Betty said. None of these challenges deter her, however, and she’s proud of the unique work her organization is doing: “It’s worthwhile because it’s something that no one else is doing. It’s the right thing to do.”
Reading Legacies has created a ripple effect through families and communities. A father whose incarceration had strained his relationship with his eldest daughter found reconciliation through participating in Reading Legacies. “This program changed his life because it let him become a parent rather than a criminal,” said Betty. It changed the daughter’s life, too: she is now pursuing a career in education in the hopes of becoming a teacher.
Betty also tells the story of a young man who joined the Youth Readers program. He originally volunteered so he could spend more time with his girlfriend, but ended up realizing that he was good with children. “He stayed with the program for three years, then went on to college,” Betty said. “The first in his family.” He then became the vice principal at a high school in San Diego.
The Power of Connectivity: A Reflection on Volunteering and Service
Craig Arnold supporting the Salvation army during a relief effort in Tacloban City, Philippines, following a cyclone. (Photo courtesy of Craig Arnold/UPS)
When I started at UPS, the plan was just to pay the bills during college and move on. More than three decades later, I’m still here —
why
?
Craig Arnold, Vice President of Sales, UPS
It comes down to service. My parents worked for the Salvation Army their entire adult lives, so I grew up seeing service in action.
I saw the same commitment when I walked through the doors at UPS. I still remember my first training class as a young supervisor when the instructor told us quite simply:
UPSers
serve
. Service is in our name. We serve customers, each other, shareowners and the community. I love that concept.
The instructor on that fateful day challenged us as leaders to make our decisions through the lens of service. I was hooked. All these years later, against the backdrop of
. As he said, the starting point for giving back starts within. When you find something you’re passionate about, giving time, sharing knowledge and offering financial support come naturally.
For me, the path was clear. My 32 years of developing logistics expertise and my passion for helping those in need were accelerators for giving back. I’m now part of an early-response Salvation Army team that goes to large-scale international disasters. Usually, we’re on the ground in the first couple of days after an event.
During the past nine years, I’ve deployed to Haiti, the Philippines, Vanuatu, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. In each case, my role is to build a supply chain to deliver urgent aid to those in desperate need.
All disasters are different, but for me, they all have one common thread: We maximize our impact when we’re truly connected.
SUPPLIES BEING STAGED DURING A UPS HUMANITARIAN RELIEF OPERATION. (PHOTO COURTESY OF UPS)
Getting results
For example, after the earthquake in 2010 in Haiti, the Salvation Army cared for 15,000 displaced people living in a soccer stadium. They had more than 100 local volunteers, five trucks and an international team of disaster response experts, but they needed aid from outside the country as well.
UPS had never landed in Port Au Prince and needed landing rights, custom processes and a partner who could effectively distribute aid to people in need. I was blessed to be in the right place at the right time. From the ground in Port Au Prince, I could organize the inbound processes, set up local trucking and engage the 82
nd
Airborne to help us deliver support.
In 23 days, we delivered 1.2 million meals.
In Vanuatu, after the devastation brought by Cyclone Pam, a community in a remote island village perched on the side of a mountain needed PVC, plumbing connectors and hardware. The need here wasn’t for big jets — it was about connecting different networks.
UPS provided funding for a series of small charter flights from Vanuatu’s capital city to the island every day to provide enough water every 24 hours. The Salvation Army funded barge space to move the pipe. The French military supplied helicopter lift from the barge up the mountain. The local villagers rebuilt their own water supply system.
This was the power of connectivity at work.
More opportunities to give back
Most recently, in response to Cyclone Idai’s devastation in East Africa, UPS and The UPS Foundation worked with nonprofit organizations to
.
As the region rebounds, the need for support will continue. The work in all these countries shares the same common theme. It’s all about connecting people and networks. No single person can get these large-scale results. But working together, each person brings their own experience and expertise, ultimately creating a domino effect that produces life-changing solutions.
In 2018, UPS and The UPS Foundation responded to 29 major world disasters. Relief spanned 71 countries across continents around the globe. Beyond these headline stories are the stories of people in need. Some of them are in your neighborhood. Some are complete strangers. Either way, the opportunities to give back are endless.
As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, I’ll challenge you like my UPS instructor challenged me more than 30 years ago:
Go serve.
Craig Arnold joined Points of Light President & CEO Natalye Paquin for an interview with Atlanta’s 11Alive during National Volunteer Week:
Craig Arnold is vice president of sales for UPS. Since 2010, he has deployed as a front-line responder into disaster sites to help coordinate relief logistics after cyclones, hurricanes and earthquakes around the globe.
This story originally appeared on UPS Longitudes and was reposted by permission.
National Volunteer Week: Celebrating Acts of Service
Photo courtesy of Benenova, a Points of Light Global Network affiliate.
A lot has been said about the benefits of traveling. It can energize you and broaden your horizons. Travel can humble and inspire you, and help put your life and daily routines in perspective. After traveling to New Delhi, India a few weeks ago, I certainly came home feeling all those things.
Natalye Paquin, President & CEO, Points of Light
While there, I learned through our affiliate organization,
that some of India’s leaders are asking their citizens an important question: Is it possible for the entire Indian population to volunteer? Imagine the impact of 1.3
billion
acts of service. By 2028, India will be the largest country in the world by population. Wow, I thought, what a very big question and aspiration.
What if they actually do it?
We often talk about technology as a disrupter. But what about the disruptive power of people through volunteering and service? Consider the seismic shift that occurs when someone in need is cared for, clothed, fed, or when a playground is restored, a beautiful mural is painted on an abandoned neighborhood building, or a beach is cleaned.
Concerned individuals who bring their talent, skills or simple helpfulness and lend support to something they care about; these micro-moments of service are transformative. And they happen every day.
Our society’s toughest challenges – hunger, poverty, education, access to food and medical care – are being tackled by volunteers. The ingenuity of volunteering is incredible. And while technology has certainly changed the world in countless ways, most technology is about saving time. Because time is valuable. And it becomes even more valuable when we give it away.
Each one of us has 24 hours a day. You, me, the CEOs of billion-dollar companies, or the owners of your local coffee shop or dry cleaner. Not one of us can buy more time. Time is an equalizer!
So, when we choose to use our most precious commodity in service to others, it is worthy of our celebration, recognition and thanks.
This week during National Volunteer Week, as we do every week, we will recognize five Daily Point of Light honorees. These individuals are giving their time away to help solve problems in their communities.
There’s Hannah, an NYU student who created Transfernation and has turned more than half a million pounds of food that would otherwise be thrown away into half a million meals for the hungry.
Or Linda, a retired nurse in Virginia who volunteers with the Health Wagon to give free medical care to those in need.
There’s Tedman, a young man from the Bay Area who is leading – not one, but two – community service organizations to help more young people volunteer.
Then there’s Alicia, who created Project Petals to offer educational workshops and resources for students in Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx – and even as far away as Uganda.
And there’s Terry from Wisconsin. Last fall, a photo of him napping with cats at the shelter where he volunteers went viral, and the shelter received
more than $20,000
in donations in just one day.
These individual acts of service can be transformative and they impact not only the recipient of time, but the giver.
A
from UnitedHealthcare looked at the physical and mental benefits of volunteering. An interesting finding was that nearly 90 percent of the survey’s participants said that volunteering gave them a broader world view. By choosing to give their time – right where they are – they started to view the world differently.
At Points of Light, we ask you to imagine a world where service to others is everywhere – a world where it’s impossible to stand on the sidelines and do nothing; where it is easy to support causes you care about; where the power of people to be disruptive and dynamic in the very best ways possible is solving the world’s most complex problems.
To those who are creating that world, we thank you – during National Volunteer Week and every day. You are making a difference. Your service is celebrated, and it is very much appreciated.
Celebrate service during National Volunteer week, and nominate an extraordinary volunteer for the Daily Point of Light Award.
5 Reasons Nonprofits Can’t Afford to Skip the Points of Light Conference
Brian Dean, left, with Jersey Cares staff at the 2018 Points of Light Conference in Atlanta.
I don’t have time to go to St. Paul in June. That’s a busy time of year inside and outside of the office, and as the head of a nonprofit, I can find a lot of other things to do with the money I would spend on that trip. Our budget is definitely more tiny house than McMansion.
But I am going to go to St. Paul, and I’m going to make the investment to send other members of our team as well. The choice was easy, in spite of all of the reasons we have not to go. The
in St. Paul will be filled with remarkable people making a difference, and the chance to join with them to build a better world is a once-a-year, not-to-be-missed opportunity.
If you’re wondering how you would find the time or why you should find the money to attend the Points of Light Conference, I can offer you five reasons why you’ll want to do both and enjoy St. Paul in June:
Discover new ideas to transform old paradigms.
Challenge your existing mechanisms and spark new thought by spending a few days immersed in the company of smart people who ponder the same issues that you do. The 2018 conference sent me home with pages of ideas that have inspired new ways of thinking, elevated my organization’s work and brought people together in new ways.
Get inspired by new friends who are passionate about the same work that gets you out of bed in the morning.
The Points of Light Conference grants you the opportunity to share in the enthusiasm of inspired and inspiring people who remind you why you began this journey. You’ll return home ready to leap out of bed with the energy you’ve found among your new worldwide network.
Know the name and face to call when your local partner wants to work globally.
Meeting the great people who love making the world a better place is only part of the benefit. Expanding your local partnerships by assisting the people, organizations and companies critical to your work with their national and international efforts helps you improve your place in your corporate partners’ CSR portfolios and elevate your voice in local changemaking.
Break out of your personnel and financial audits mindset to spend quality time with your big picture.
The Points of Light Conference brightens and broadens your vision while redirecting your focus when the daily details are all you can see. Set your sights on the bigger and better, and be the bigger, better leader your community needs.
Share in the excitement of Points of Light’s new energy under the leadership of Natalye Paquin.
Points of Light’s re-commitment to local organizations and volunteers as central to our collective work in changing the world is your opportunity to reach beyond your service area and grow a global movement. This moment is your invaluable chance to imprint your passion, purpose and plans onto a global effort and accelerate your local work into a cultural transformation.
If you’ve never attended a Points of Light Conference, take a chance and see for yourself how a few days can propel your personal mission. If you haven’t attended for a while, come and see how a new direction and a new commitment to you can advance your work. And if you came last year, you probably already have your ticket. Whatever your history, hopefully your future includes joining new friends to share your story and shape the way you, and we collectively, are changing the world.
Brian Dean is the president and CEO of Jersey Cares, a Points of Light Global Network affiliate located in Livingston, New Jersey. This will be his 16th year attending a conference with Points of Light.
