Volunteer Board- Habitat for Humanity

Hey there,

Hope you got to hear or see some of the Blue Angels practicing today. I wanted to post an opportunity to get engaged with an organization I truly love, Habitat for Humanity. I used to lead alternative spring break trips with them back in college, great organization and really helps people that want to own a home and are low-income in the Seattle area. The other cool thing is the volunteers work with the family to build the home. Very cool. They are looking for:

Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Relations Committee Member

Goal of the Position: To recruit, retain, and recognize volunteers that work to support the goals of Habitat for Humanity.

Department: Volunteer Services

Responsible to: Elise Cope, Volunteer Services Manager

Time Required:Hours: 1.5 hour meetings, once a month, Wednesdays, 6:30 to 8 pm. 3 to 8 hours a month overall.

Length of Commitment: 6 months – 1 year

Positions Available: 5 Position Availability: All year

Description:

The Volunteer Relations Committee ensures that the HFHEKC volunteer program is conducive to a rewarding experience to maintain the highest possible level of participation, safety & satisfaction. Committee members will:

· Actively recruit volunteers throughout the year to accomodate changing needs.

· Improve orientation information given to all volunteers.

· Improve the volunteer recognition / follow-up process.

· Organize an annual formal volunteer recognition event.

· Develop a Youth Volunteer Program.

· Develop a Summer Team Lead Program.

· Establish a more efficient information transfer system between the office and sites.

· Ensure that the volunteer database is maintained & accurate.

· Manage and assess legal forms and documents.

· Organize volunteer info sessions for the public once a month.

Desired Skills of Volunteer Relations Committee Members:

• Good organizational skills
• Strong problem-solving skills
• High level of responsibility
• Volunteer experience on the construction site(s)
• Volunteer coordination experience
• Ability to work with diverse populations
• Connection to community resources and potential sources of volunteers
• Comfort and desire to share the HFHEKC mission with groups of potential volunteers
• Ability to respond appropriately to the changing volunteer needs of HFHEKC
• Database management experience
• Event planning experience

Training Provided:

We will orient each committee member to the Habitat for Humanity mission, the affiliate organization (HFHEKC), & current and prospective volunteer relations committee projects.

Contact:

If you have any questions about the Volunteer Relations Committee or would like to join, please contact Elise Cope, Volunteer Services Manager, at elise@habitatekc.org or 425-869-6007. Please include a resume and/or explanation of your applicable experience.

Take 2 some events, trainings and conferences

So today, here are some upcoming trainings, conferences and events I thought were interesting.

Upcoming Public Affairs Trainings and Free Workshops - These are put on by KBCS 91.3 radio station out of Bellevue Community College . These are great public affairs and civic related broadcasting opportunities.
We’re growing a volunteer-powered and social justice-focused newsroom, where reporters and producers are community members committed to skill sharing and facilitating media making of, by, and for our communities. KBCS offers free community journalism workshops. To get involved, come to one of our monthly public affairs volunteer orientations. They’re held on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the KBCS studios. You’re also invited to come by any Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. to observe and/or assist in the production of Voices of Diversity and One World Report. RSVP to Joaquin Uy at 425-564-6195 or juy@kbcs.fm. Upcoming Wednesday Night Workshop Schedule: Volunteer Orientation 1st Wednesday (August 6th)
Their website is http://kbcs.fm/site/PageServer?pagename=publicaffairsprograms

Radio Journalism 2nd Wednesday (August 13th)
This workshop covers the basics of radio journalism. We’ll go over our approach to media, community radio, ethical standards, libel, First Amendment, and the elements of a good radio story. Writing for Radio 3rd Wednesday (August 20th) We’ll cover specific techniques and standards of writing for radio. Practice includes writing for One World Report. Art of Interviewing 4th Wednesday (August 23rd) A good interview is based on asking the right questions, and we’ll show you how to do just that. RSVP to Joaquin Uy at 425-564-6195 or juy@kbcs.fm. Upcoming Wednesday Night Workshop Schedule: Volunteer Orientation 1st Wednesday (August 6th)


Another opportunity to check out:
Leadership: The Experience Conference Center for Learning Connections Back by popular demand! This event is designed for leaders at all levels, whether you are an executive director, team leader, supervisor, and the president of a company! We are pleased to present the 3rd annual Leadership: The Experience conference on October 8th at the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington Seattle. The day will be focused on "sharing our strengths" within the context of emerging leaders and legacy leaders. Topics will include generations in the workplace, the role of mentoring in growing leaders, and coaching skills and strategies. This promises to be a day filled with opportunities to meet with experts from our community as well as network with your partners from the broad community. You can register at: http://www.learningconnections.org/clc/experience/conference08/index.htm

Another interesting forum:

Gangs: Developing a Regional Strategy The Seattle/King County Gang Prevention & Outreach Work Group Monday, August 18, 2008, 8:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. WA
State Criminal Justice Training Center 19010 1st Avenue, Burien, WA 98148 Who should attend? This is a free event for Community-Based Agencies, Educators, Policy Makers, Community Members and Law Enforcement. Purpose: *To hear about successful gang/violence prevention, intervention and suppression strategies from around the country *To review and gather input on a comprehensive strategic plan (draft) for King County *To engage organizations to participate in a collaborative effort to address gang issues in King County Guest Presenters Include: The City of San Jose's Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force and the Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership Register online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/38016

Also, if you donate any amount of money by midnight tonight for Barack Obama, you will be entered to win a trip to the Denver conference and time backstage. If you are interested in the Democratic National Convention and Barack Obama, this might be worth checking out. http://www.barackobama.com/

Enjoy the cloudy day. :)

The first time is always awkward. Welcome

So as a first time blogger, I obviously have the jitters as I start to write down all that inspires me. I came to this blogging idea because I work a million places and I am involved in a bunch of things in Seattle. With my current work, I get alot of information and ideas that cross my desk for how to engage young professionals and through our programming, I have access to hundreds of young professionals looking for ways to be engaged. I figured starting a blog was a great way to put the information out there, you can pick and choose what you want to go to and I get to ramble a bit.

Now I know there are lots of people out there that are already programming away for those young people like you and me but I think that there is a gap and an opportunity to let you know about more diverse things to get involved in.

Anywho, first of all a great site to check out is the Seattle Networking Guide at http://www.iloveseattle.org/. I like this site because people can post their organizations and events and talk a little about what they do. Its a nice format and an easy way to categorize organizations and things that are happening in Seattle. I have attended several events sponsored by different organizations and they are quite cool. Especially for all you folks that just moved here recently, showing up at those Happy Hours is a great way to meet people and break into the social "circle" that Seattle has to offer.

Now I know that everyone loves and is super comfortable in North Seattle but South Seattle has alot to offer. If you are wondering, where is the diversity in Seattle, go to South Seattle, even Central and you will find it. One big way young professionals can get involved in Seattle is working to stop gentrification and make more diverse living communities. Super cool! Recently, a friend of mine decided she was tired of eating at the same places and doing the same thing every week. Now whenever she goes out, she looks up a new place to eat and meets people there. I recently took her to Hidmo in the Central District, an Eritrean locally owned restaurant, the unofficial Hip Hop home of Seattle. Check out their website at : http://www.hidmo.com/ She loved it, we ate with our hands, the owner is always there, she is a huge supporter of youth activism and hosts all sorts of events at Hidmo. You should check it out, they have excellent food and you get a totally new experience. Now my friend, she takes people there.

Trying new things is really rewarding. If you need ideas for new places to eat, check out Seattle Weekly's restaurant guide, you can also sign up for the dining newsletter. I happen to work at Seattle Weekly on their Street Team, so I can vouch that they do a nice job. http://www.seattleweekly.com/restaurants/

If you want to know about how to get involved with some of the more multicultural programs and events happening in Seattle, http://www.colorsnw.org/ and http://www.colorscareers.org/ are great places to start to learn about all the diverse offerings and events in Seattle. ColorsNW is an online magazine that provides a forum for cultural articles, multicultural events and additionally has a fabulous career site. One of the best in the NW!

I think I will try to give information about events and opportunities to get involved every time I blog. So here we go:

Some cool events and opportunities to get involved include:

Help plan future bus service

King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit are looking for a diverse group of community members from Southeast Seattle, Skyway/West Hill, Tukwila, Burien and SeaTac to help plan changes to local bus service for 2009 and beyond. Application deadline is July 31. For more information about serving on the Transit Connections sounding board: www.kingcounty.gov/metro or call Sarah Luthens at 206.684.1154.

A great weekend event to check out is:

Umoja Fest 2008- Seriously an excellent festival
August 1-3.
An African-American community festival featuring a parade, live performances and food and crafts vendors.
Judkins Park
2150 S. Norman St. – Seattle 98144
877.505.6306
http://www.umojafamilyfest.com/

Education Resource Institute Fair Aug. 8th, 9th, 10th
http://www.edrsf.org/
All the workshops sound cool but these sound really neat
August 8. 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Bicycle Repair and Creative Expression for Emotional Literacy workshops.
Peoples Family Life Center
159 24th Avenue. – Seattle 98122

So if you liked the blog, let me know, if you have ideas of what I could post, send me those too. I am kind of excited if people are interested, I can provide a lot of information including referrals onto non-profit boards etc. What do you want to hear about? I'll do some research and let you know.