Josh Shear

Yesterday, a few of us from Civic Engagement volunteered at the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. Diabetes isn't one of my primary causes, but my employer is a national sponsor, so I had easy access to the organizers.

This is a really great event. Rather than a "simple" run or walk or ride, it's five rides – a 100-miler, a 62.5-miler, a 40-miler, a 25-miler and a 15-miler. It requires volunteers at many stages and a whole lot of planning.

From our perspective, it went as smoothly as we could imagine. We got bad directions to the rest stop we were supposed to run, but got there and set up before the first riders came in. We were missing some supplies, but our radio operator (yes, they have someone operating short-wave radios at each stop, in trail vehicles and at the home base) managed to get in touch with home base to get us the stuff we needed in time.

I didn't look up the numbers (the amount raised or the number of people involved), but it was impressive. If you're looking for a way to get involved, I highly recommend the event.

This comes to me by way of the Alchemical Nursery and the Syracuse Peace Council. The Peace Council's dinner is this coming Saturday, the 25th.

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The Syracuse Peace Council will be holding their 74th birthday dinner this coming Saturday Sept 25th, 6pm at St Lucy's on the Near Westside in Syracuse.

SPC is a great organization here in Syracuse, and a group with much affinity to Alchemical.

The dinner will feature retired Col. Ann Wright, the highest ranking officer to resign in protest of the US invasion of Iraq. Ann Wright also helped to reopen the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2001. For the past 7 years, she has been a tireless activist for peace - showing up everywhere a person of conscience might be needed. She traveled to Iran on a citizen diplomacy delegation, returned to Afghanistan in 2009 with a study group, joined the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza in 2010, and in September she will be an expert witness for the "Creech 14" trial of nonviolent activists protesting the Drones.

Sliding scale donation: $15-74

Make reservations ASAP to guarantee your place at the dinner! Walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis.

6:00 PM - doors open, appetizers
6:30 PM - Dinner is served (featuring Middle Eastern cuisine, all dishes are vegetarian or vegan)
7:30 PM - Program

Ann Wright is is the co-author of "Dissent: Voices of Conscience" and one of the featured portraits in artist Roberty Shetterly's "Americans Who Tell the Truth" series (on exhibit at the ArtRage Gallery while Ann is in town, check their website for details on the September 26th book signing!).

Contact Jessica (315-472-5478, jessica@peacecouncil.net) to make your reservations, or make online reservations at www.peacecouncil.net/bday.

Cross-posted from 40 Below Civic Engagement.

Please help us celebrate; it's time to highlight the many positive ways young people are impacting our community!

Approximately 1800 "Say Yes to Education" summer camp students will demonstrate new skills they have learned, talents they have developed and creativity they have unleashed throughout their 2010 "Say Yes" summer camp experiences at the Say Yes Summer Festival Wednesday, July 28th at Thornden Park.

We have a tremendous need for many volunteers to ensure a fun, safe, and successful event for our campers and their families!

Whether it's set up or break down, assisting in the information tent, or helping with an activity, we could use whatever time and effort you have available. Set up will begin at 7 AM, event will run from 9-2 and break down of the event will promptly follow.

We are specifically looking for corporate, community based organizations and other not-for-profit volunteer teams!

For more information contact Monica Richardson of Prevention Network at 315-471-1359, or log onto www.sayyessyracuse.org and follow the Summer Festival Link.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

The H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego seeks volunteers for the Festival of Sail June 25-27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Volunteers are needed to cover the following positions:

• Site Guides - LT-5, Canal Boat, Main Museum Building
• Shop Assistants
• Runners
• Craft assistants, children’s activities, storytellers
• Crowd Control
• Security
• Parking & Traffic Control
• Gate Admissions
• Stage Assistants
• And more!

Call or email the Museum office if you have any questions! info@hleewhitemarinemuseum.com 342-0480

This is cross-posted from the 40 Below Civic Engagement Task Force blog. What strikes me about this board position is that the metrics are well-defined. You don't just have to show up to meetings and generally support and promote the organization. If you can't raise $1,500, you're responsible for donating it, etc.

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Position Name: Leadership Board – at large member
Job Summary: The Leadership Board–Corporate Development member provides access to resources or constituents important to accomplishment of ADA’s mission
Reporting Line: Position reports to Chair/President of the Board
Time Commitment: 4 hours per month from Sept. 1, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2010; Two year term, repeatable for up to 2 years
Corp Recruitment member is responsible for:

• Understanding the American Diabetes Association’s mission and programs
• Attending the local Leadership Board, which meets 4 per year
• Securing financial and/or volunteer support from the community and/or own company
• Utilize community contacts to support priority events

Raising Dollar Commitment:

• Market's financial goal for the fiscal year is $.5 million
• Raise or personally contribute $1,500 or locate a corporate sponsor(s) of equal value
• Generate support from own company or organization for priority fund-raising events; i.e., Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes and The Tour de Cure.
• Participate in at least one fund-raising event and serve on one Executive Committee

Recruiting Volunteers Commitment:

• Recommending an assisting in recruitment of potential event or committee member throughout the year
• Use existing relationships to leverage opportunities and open doors to support ADA in reaching its market's goals
• Identify at least one non-participating company and create access for ADA

Reaching People Commitment:

• Participate in at least one program/advocacy event
• Work to create relationships with new corporations

Candidate Profile:

• Lives or works in the board area
• Possesses resources and contacts that can help impact the success of the local ADA

Staff Resources:

Director: Tom Czajak (315) 438-8687 x3666, tczajak@diabetes.org

Some Facts About Diabetes

» Total: 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population—have diabetes.
» Diagnosed: 17.9 million people
» Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people
» Pre-diabetes: 57 million people
» New Cases: 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older each year.

Cross-posted from 40 Below Civic Engagement:

The Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) is looking for volunteers on Saturday, June 12th from either 10AM-1PM or 1PM-4PM. The OHA is planning a mansions & gardens self-guided tour of the historic Piercefield Neighborhood of Solvay. We need volunteers to welcome guests at each property. For appreciation of your time, we offer you a comp reservation, snack, and water. You may take the self-guided tour before or after your shift. Please contact Adrienne Kelley, Director of Development at the OHA at (315) 428-1864 Ext 314 or email adrienne.kelley@cnyhistory.org.

You may remember that I mentioned the involvement fair the other day. here's a look at what that is.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

40 Below Civic Engagement Task Force Brings Fourth Involvement Fair Downtown
Event to bring together non-profit organizations and volunteers across Central New York

Syracuse, NY — The 40 Below Civic Engagement Task Force is pleased to announce the fourth Central New York Involvement Fair, Thursday, May 27 from 4 until 7:30 p.m. at SUNY Oswego Metro Center, 2 Clinton Square, Syracuse. The fair will be followed by a networking event hosted by Syracuse First at Al's Wine & Whiskey, 321 S. Clinton St., Syracuse..

The Involvement Fair is a place for local volunteers to find non-profits to become involved with. Picture a job fair, but instead of company recruiters sitting behind tables collecting resumes from nervous students, the tables are staffed by passionate non-profit volunteers or employees, and the people walking around are local residents looking to engage in their communities.

The first three involvement fairs, held at Drivers Village, Le Moyne College and Pensabene's, have been hugely successful for area agencies and organizations, and bringing the event downtown will only mean easier access for more area residents.

There is a nominal table charge for non-profits (RSVP required), and the event is free to attend for anyone looking for volunteer opportunities (no RSVP needed).

The networking event at Al's, hosted by local non-profit organization Syracuse First, will feature food and drink specials for Involvement Fair vendors and attendees with name badges. The event is free to attend.

Local media outlets, non-profit organizations and anyone wishing to attend are invited to contact Civic Engagement Task Force co-chairs Kelly Bayne and Josh Shear at the information below. The task force website is 40bcetf.org.

Kelly Bayne: baynek@gmail.com
Josh Shear: joshuanshear@gmail.com

Listen to the words of this song; try to get by the violence in the video. I've gone with this video rather than a live recording because it's official and I know the way this label works with artists, and I trust this video is the artist's vision. What I hear in Michael Franti's "Rock the Nation" is taking responsibility for moving things forward in a positive direction. I advocate non-violence.

I was elected Monday night to co-chair of the Civic Engagement Task Force, a piece of 40 Below I've been involved with since it re-launched in October of 2007. It's a two-year volunteer role, and it's a challenge I look forward to.

These are the primary things the task force does.

• The Involvement Fair. At least once a year – sometimes twice – the task force hosts an involvement fair. If you're familiar with the concept of a job fair – candidates with resumes walking around talking to a bunch of companies who have paid for tables and sent their HR teams out – this will look familiar. Except the people at the tables are outreach officers or volunteers of local non-profits, and the people walking around aren't bringing resumes, they're looking for a way to connect with the community.

• Connecting people to board opportunities. The task force works with volunteer organizations who are looking for board members to find people in the community who fit their needs.

• Introducing people to each other and to organizations in the area. We meet monthly in various locations, and frequently have a speaker introducing an organization she or he is involved in. It's a great way to get to know who's out there.

Here's my challenge to you. Where do you see a need in the city? What push do you need to get involved? How can we help you? Get in touch in comments.

Keep reading to find out why this purse made out of a crocodile was at the Involvement Fair.

I spent about five hours Thursday afternoon and evening at the second incarnation of the Involvement Fair, which is a project of the Civic Engagement Task Force of 40 Below.

If you're familiar with the concept of a job fair, that's pretty close. At a job fair, you have maybe 50 or 100 employers at tables in a large hall, and a bunch of people looking for jobs walking around, handing out resumes, and meeting their potential employers.

The difference here? You have a bunch of service organizations sitting at tables, and a bunch of people looking for volunteer opportunities walking around meeting representatives from the service organizations.

I handed out instruction sheets for using the Helping Out Blog, and also finding both new members and new organizational partners for CNY SPaRC.

There were 40-ish organizations there. Here are a look at some of them.

United Way of Central New York – If you're not familiar with United Way, you should be. In pretty much every decent sized market, UW sponsors a lot of small organizations that otherwise would struggle for funding and visibility. They also do work with larger, mainstream organizations.

Eastwood Neighbor Association – I don't live in Eastwood, but I do live pretty close (about a 15-minute walk). I'm excited to be getting involved in one of their projects: getting a multi-use skate park together. Some kids have been very involved with this project for a long time, and it's a unique idea – it will be a tri-level park in the woods, and it will be able to be used beyond just skateboarding and freestyle bicycling. I'm in the extremely early stages of being involved, so read often, as I'll be mentioning it frequently.

Center for Community Alternatives – Spend a lot of time learning about this organization from their Web site. Two of their programs that struck me were taking people who have done their time and working with them to find housing, employment and peer support; and getting to children as young as middle school whose parents have been "in front of a judge" (as they put it) to mentor them both with their schoolwork, and keeping them on the right path to make sure they don't wind up "in front of a judge."

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo – Next to the SPaRC table, a woman wearing a name badge identifying her as Ellen set up an elephant molar, a tiger-fur throw, a python skin, a crocodile purse (that's the photo above), and other stuff that you're not supposed to have. It turns out that when the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service confiscates banned items at entry locations on borders, at ports and in airports, it tags them, then sends them to schools and zoos for educational purposes.

On Point For College – The gentleman behind the table for On Point (one of those organizations the United Way helps out) was living proof the program works. He had dropped out of high school and gone back for a GED, and then On Point helped walk him through the scholarship, financial aid and application processes. He went to the University of Buffalo and Cornell. They work with some fairly hard-luck kids, and do good work.

There were a host of other organizations, including Meals on Wheels, Girl Scouts, and some others you've heard of – and still others you haven't heard of. If you're looking for a little extra fulfillment in your life, there are plenty of ways to donate your time and expertise around here.

Want to get hooked up? Maybe we'll see you at a 40 Below Civic Engagement Task Force meeting. We meet the first Monday every month from 5:30 to 6:30 in the 18th floor conference room in the State Tower building. Regardless of the name, we don't require you to be under 40 years of age.