Last Saturday I volunteered at the MN SOMN State Bowling event with Chris, Josh and Robyn. Here’s a photo I snapped…as you can see most of the athletes have their own bowling ball because this rack is practically full…this is a serious event!
Original Photo:
Puzzle (click to play):
On Saturday afternoon Josh, Robyn, Chris & I headed over to Southtown Lanes in Bloomington to volunteer for the SOMN Bowling event. We were each assigned as a “Trouble shooter” and we weren’t sure what to expect. Unfortunately it turned out that we felt pretty worthless and were disappointed because we wanted to add value to the event.
Each set of lanes had two people (Lane Leaders I think they were called) assigned to make sure each athlete bowled when it was his or her turn. For the 48 lanes there were 7 trouble shooters and our job was to watch for a lane leader to raise their clipboard and if that happened to go see if we could help out. The 2 reasons they would need help were 1) A lane problem (ball stuck, pins on the lane) or 2) Scoring problem. Well…the 4 of us had never worked at a bowling alley so besides pushing the call button to tell someone from the bowling alley that something was stuck the first reason is ridiculous. There’s absolutely no reason I can see that they person leading the lane couldn’t have done that for themselves. The scoring problem is sort of the same to me. In order to change the score the bowlers had to stop so it could be adjusted and none of us were experts in bowling alley machine scoring so I’m not sure why the lane leaders couldn’t handle that part as well. Especially since there were 2 of them and at every lane I saw one of those people was standing back and basically just cheering. So…we actually ended up leaving early. I have been dealing with some sciatic nerve pains and my back was killing me so after 3 hours week took off. It’s unfortunate because an experience like that doesn’t make people want to come back.
It did seem as though the athletes were having a great time though, so I hope that it was a good experience for them! Each lane had people from different teams bowling together and everyone was cheering for the people they were bowling with which was fun to see.
Pictured L to R: Kathy, Chris, Victoria, Paul
Tuesday night was a time to celebrate with the families that were part of the most recent Circle to Success (C2S) program. We had met for 8 weeks talking and learning about finances, the community, goals and many other skills that are important to being a responsible citizen and last week everyone took a test which required 75% or better to graduate. It was so exciting to hear that all families were going to be graduating! (If someone didn’t pass they were given another chance to take the test but that wasn’t necessary with this group.)
Pictured: Me, Somer, Isis, Robert and Nyla
The graduation ceremony began with Paul (the founder of TWN) and Kathy (our trainer) speaking about the program and how these families improved over the past 8 weeks. Then they moved right into handing out the graduation certificates.
After all of the certificates had been distributed, the children handed out cards to their parents. The card listed at least one thing the child will do to help with the new household and each child was asked to share out loud with the group what they were going to do. This program is about improving the responsibility of the whole family which is great! A couple of the families spoke about how the program has improved their lives and their outlook (including Chris’s mentee Victoria!) which was very touching and then we all went downstairs and had cookies and punch.
The changes that we witnessed in our families over such a short period of time was amazing. They learned things that seem like common sense to us because we grew up with it and some of them re-lit the fire under a goal that has been on the back burner for a while. For me it was eye-opening because everyone in this group had jobs and most if not all of them had a car but they were struggling to get by every month. It’s sad that someone who is willing to work has to live with their family in or near poverty. My brother’s gf, Robyn, let me borrow a book titled The Working Poor: Invisible in America and I’ve just started it but the first chapter made me immediately think about these families in the program. I hope that Paul is able to successfully raise the money needed to get more families into this program because it seems like a solid idea to me and he has a great vision. If anyone is interested in making a donation to Third Way Network, Paul said a check would be best but that they are set up with United Way and have an online link for donations on their website as well. Apparently United Way takes 15% (gasp!) and the other one takes 5% so if you want the entire donation to go to the program a gold old check is best.
As I look back on the past 8 weeks I am so happy that we made the commitment to the program. Being an adult mentor was a lot more emotionally involved than I had expected but we really got to grow with the family we were working with and I’m looking forward to helping Somer keep on track with her goals and eventually celebrating home ownership with her sometime in the future. The Third Way Network program consists of multiple parts of which Circle to Success is the first (after being accepted). Next each family will move into their discounted housing before participating in the third phase which is called Foundation to Stability.
Foundation to Stability will start up this fall and is the first and third Thursday of each month. Each family will be required to attend at least one session a month in order to continue to receive the discounted rent and this enables us to continue with a positive environment and keep the learning active.
If anyone is looking for a volunteer opportunity and would like to participate let me know. You do not have to commit to EVERY session. I know that help is always needed both in the kitchen (from 4 - 7) or with the children or adults (from 5:15 - 8:15). Dinner is provided for all volunteers…we eat family style with the families prior to breaking into the adult/child groups.
I just signed up for Blog Action Day 2008! The only requirement is that you have a blog and you agree to write about the Action topic on October 15th so if you meet that criteria you should sign up too!
This year’s topic is Poverty. You can write about anything related to poverty…how it has affected you, what you’re doing to decrease poverty, organizations you’re involved with that are working to combat poverty, a favorite documentary or book about poverty and the list goes on. The people at Blog Action Day even created a list of ideas to help people get started! With the ability to schedule posts for the future, I plan to begin writing mine now and just review the post as 10.15 approaches. So…who’s in?!
Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.
For the past 8 weeks Chris and I have been volunteering as mentors in the Third Way Network’s Circle to Success program. In the program we work one-on-one with a low income family to help them learn new techniques to become financially secure and work their way towards home ownership. As we have worked on budgeting (and along with the fact that Maren & Laura have organized a group of ladies to find inexpensive but fun things to do) I started thinking that it would be great to have a list of free or cheap things to do around Minneapolis.
There are plenty of free outdoor activities in the Minneapolis area during the summer and Maren had a great list to get me started. I also came across the Money Life Network’s series “Frugal things to do when you’re in…” which has a Minneapolis post which was great!
Anyway, I decided that this list could be shared with my family and friends because who isn’t interested in an inexpensive night out, right?!?! For a PDF of the list, click here. If you do not have adobe installed, click here for the free download. (NOTE: The reference to attached pages is not included in the pdf. Those calendars can be accessed via this post.) Otherwise below you can find the list with the appropriate links to find more information about each one.
If you have any ideas to add to the list please submit a comment for everyone’s benefit!
Here are some ideas for activities that are family friendly, free and FUN!
1. Museum Adventure Pass: You can get tickets at any Hennepin County Library to any of these 18 places.
a. American Swedish Institute (4 passes)
b. Bell Museum of Natural History (4 passes)
c. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory (4 passes)
d. Minneapolis Institute of Arts (4 passes)
e. Minnesota Museum of American Art (4 passes)
f. The Landing – Minnesota River Heritage Park (4 passes)
g. The Museum of Russian Art (4 passes)
h. Weisman Art Museum (4 passes)
i. Bakken Museum (2 passes)
j. Hennepin History Museum (2 passes)
k. Historic Fort Snelling (2 passes)
l. Minnesota History Center (2 passes)
m. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (2 passes)
n. Minnesota Zoo (2 passes)
o. Sirens, Signals and Whistles Pass (2 passes)
ii. Minnesota Transportation Museum
iii. Twin City Model Railroad Museum
p. The Works: A Technology Discovery Center (2 passes)
q. TRACES Museum Center for History and Culture (2 passes)
r. Walker Art Center (2 passes)
2. Spend time at a Minneapolis Library: Read, attend story time or other activities.
3. Rent movies from the library
4. Walker Art Center*: The museum normally costs $10 for adults, but is free to all every Thursday evening (5–9 pm) and on the first Saturday of each month (10 am–5 pm).
5. Sculpture Garden*
6. Minneapolis Institute of Arts*
8. Wading pools (they’re all over)
9. Como Zoo (and conservatory)*
11. Minnehaha Falls
12. Lyndale Park Rose Gardens at Lake Harriet: Also, right across the street is a beautiful Japanese Gardens
13. State Capitol: Free tours every hour.
14. Traces Museum – Center for History and Culture*
15. Bell Museum of Natural History*: Free admission on Sundays.
16. Minnesota Children’s Museum: Free admission on the third Sunday of the month.
17. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum*: Free admission all day Thursday in the winter. Free Thursday evenings from 4:30 pm until 8 pm (or sunset) in the summer. Also, free family events and music on Thursday evenings in the summer. Summer is April 25 thru October 31.
18. River Rats water ski show: Weekly show Thursday at 7pm through August 28, 2008
a. Location: Just south of the Broadway Bridge on the west bank of the Mississippi River (about halfway between the Broadway Bridge and Plymouth Avenue Bridge near 17th Avenue on West River Road)
19. Minneapolis Parks Concert Series
21. Centennial Lakes Entertainment
* These are part of the Museum Adventure pass so you can go free anytime during the week if you get that pass.
Museums Resource: http://minneapolis.about.com/od/artsentertainmen1/a/freemuseums.htm
Music Resource: http://minneapolis.about.com/od/eventsfestivals/a/freemusic2008.htm
These are not free, but are a good deal if you’re looking for something else to do!
1. $2 movies at the Hopkins theater on Tuesday
2. $2 matinee (all day Tuesday) movies at Riverview
3. St. Paul Saints tickets start at $5 for adults, $4 for children
4. MN Lynx tickets start at $10
So…get out there & enjoy Minneapolis!
On Saturday morning Chris & I drove out to Bridging in Bloomington to volunteer for a few hours. I guess we actually arrived at noon…but we were driving in the “morning” and after being up late the night before it felt early!
The first thing we did was take a tour of the facility. They have two locations at this point, one in Bloomington and the other in Roseville (which just opened up in 2007). Both warehouses serve 70-75 families each week! Each family on average is made up of 4 people which means in order to have the necessary pieces of furniture and household goods, every week Bridging needs:
Click here to view the list of welcome items (as well as what they are unable to take). It really was amazing to us to see everything that is needed.
During our tour the founder, Fern, stopped by to say Hello and thank us for our time. He took a few minutes and told us a story. Fern had been in the warehouse one day (he’s 83 and at work 6 days a week - seriously!) when a mother and her daughter were in the area selecting kitchen goods and he overheard the daughter say to her mother “Now we won’t have to share a spoon mom!” Can you imagine not having enough silverware to each have your own? We probably have enough to eat 5-10 meals without washing! Each family receives one set of dishes and silverware per person (yes…they have to wash after each use), one frying pan, one pot (possibly a very small one), and maybe a coffee pot or a toaster.
Outside of the kitchen each person will have a bed to sleep on with the bedding and pillow included. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a young child won’t have to share with their sibling…but at least they won’t be on the floor. Every winter when the Bed Race for Bridging fundraiser is complete, Bridging purchases as many single beds as they possibly can to give more individuals their own bed, but since it isn’t always possible sometimes a family of 6 will receive 3 double beds. Each family of 4 or less can select one dresser, families of 5 or more get two. Wow. I have two dressers just to myself!
Another thing I couldn’t believe was that our guide said each family receives one towel set for every TWO PEOPLE! That definitely made me think about how many towels we have at home. I have been wanting to get new towels for a while & I think this is going to push me to do it. I will buy what we need and donate everything else that we already have.
All I know is that this experience made me feel like I have a lot to give. It also got me thinking about thrifty ways to donate & I think sometime Chris and I may go out garage saleing for Bridging. They have such basic needs and there is something that everyone can do. As Fern told us just before he left…just do something! Everyone can do something (especially if an 83 yr old man is at work 6 days a week - what an inspiration!).
How do families get to go on the “once in a lifetime shopping trip?” No one is allowed to walk in on their own. Each family must be sponsored by an organization in the community (shelters, churches, other civic groups) and given a referral. The sponsoring group must pay $50 per family but if they would like to increase that to $140 then delivery will be included. The family is given an appointment and they complete their shopping trip within about an hour. I cannot imagine how overwhelming that must be. They go to the sofa section and pick one…move on to the chairs and love seats and again pick one…next on to the lamps, dressers, kitchen tables, wall photos, etc. They have a set number of days to return and pick up their furniture before it is released back into the mix for someone else. Each family is able to visit one time only and if something is gone (ie: no kitchen tables when they come through), well that’s just how the ball rolls sometimes.
So…after the tour we were put to work. Chris and I volunteered to help load up a truck for delivery. In order to have the delivery truck ready to head out on Monday morning, we loaded it up with furniture for 5 families. The system is very organized and it only took a couple hours to identify the correct pieces and get them loaded. Once that was done we headed over to help out with assembly.
Left: Chris and I loading the moving truck.
Right: Patty and Todd putting together shelving units.
Todd and Patty, along with 4 other people had been putting together shelving units and TV stands. Usually Bridging is working on building custom dressers (because they don’t get enough donated) but there was an issue with their vacuum system and so that process is on hold. So instead we were putting together items that had been donated by corporate sponsors such as Ikea or Target.
Bridging has zero advertising budget. If you know of anyone who might have something to donate (a hotel that’s redecorating, a cafeteria that ordered new tables, or a warehouse that needs to get rid of discontinued merchandise maybe?) please spread the word. They will take donations from anywhere, including residential donations from people like you & me.
PS…sorry this got so long. I really respect this organization and hope we can support them again sometime soon!
Image of girl with megaphone by Free-StockPhotos.com. All other photos courtesy of JR.
In March my friend/co-worker Todd emailed the company asking if anyone was interested in volunteering with him. He had signed up to watch some kids and it looked like they weren’t going to have enough adults. Chris & I decided to join him and I’m so glad we did! Since then we have joined the group for all the first & third Thursday meetings (called Foundation to Stability) and we are happy to support the organization. I think we’re lucky to have found a group that we believe in that we can volunteer with together…it’s awesome!
Third Way Network is an organization that helps low income families work their way into home ownership. There is a multi-step program that all families must complete which teaches how to have a stable home and be a good member of your community. We think that this is a great way to improve the lives of these families while also improving community & neighborhoods. It usually takes a family 3 to 7 years to complete the program and move into a home…by then they are expected to have the skills necessary to be successful in home ownership.
Last Tuesday (6/17) was the orientation date for a new group of families to join the program. Phase 1 is called Circle to Success and it is a 9 week program so we will meet new families next week and spend the next nine weeks getting to know them and supporting them through the program. Not only are Chris & I committed to this program but my friend Liz and my coworkers Maren & Laura and Laura’s boyfriend Elliot are participating as volunteers for Circle to Success as well! I think it will be interesting to go through the program from the beginning with these new families.
If anyone is interested in volunteering please let me know. There are a few different opportunities with Third Way Network on Tuesdays and the 1st and 3rd Thursdays:
* Help in the kitchen from 4-7
* Be a family mentor (youth or adult) from 5:15 - 8:15
All volunteers have dinner with the families in the program at 5:30 before breaking off into smaller groups.
Thursday after work I went to Bethesda of South St Paul to volunteer. I recently became an Assistant Organizer of the Good Deeds Society on Meetup.com and this was my first event in the assistant role. Really, all being an assistant organizer for this group means is that I was the main contact person for all the other volunteers. We had a good time playing BINGO for about an hour with a group of seniors who live at the care center. Surprisingly, there were 3 winners at the table I was sitting at…I never win, but they were happy to!
Spending time with those seniors reminded me that I should get up to visit my grandma. Unfortunately her health doesn’t allow her to play BINGO, but we usually have a nice conversation when we’re together. I heard that her assisted living complex is under quarantine due to a flu bug but maybe in a couple weeks I can get up there.
I joined meetup.com earlier this year after my friend Todd introduced Chris & I to a volunteer organization that we’ve become very involved in (more about them in another post coming soon). The group is called the Good Deeds Society and there are tons of opportunities to volunteer in the community.
One of those opportunities was putting together gift bags for 6-10 yr old children on May 6th. The organization is Cheerful Givers and the idea is that everyone brings a predetermined number of $1 toys and then the children get 10+ items in their birthday bag. The bags are then distributed to local children. Everyone brings gifts for children at Christmas time but I never really think about missing Birthdays. What a great idea! Chris & I both attended the event and we brought beach balls and play-doh for each child. Some other ideas people brought included crayons, sidewalk chalk, games, and mini-sports balls. There were 10-12 of us so each kid is getting a fun filled bag!
Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos, but it was a nice event where we had a chance to socialize with other volunteers.