BBN teams giving thanks through service

Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network is a network of secular humanist groups volunteering in their communities and raising money for FBB’s featured charities and programs. Any group with a public secular humanist or atheist identity is welcome to join, regardless of experience or group size.

Beyond Belief Network would like to welcome a new team, Atheists Aren’t Aholes from Phoenix, AZ. BBN can’t wait to hear about your service events!

Springfield Skeptics, a Level 3 team from Springfield, MO, is our October Team of the Month. Last month, thirteen team members removed litter from their adopted mile and a half portion of Highway 65, located outside the city of Springfield. They filled 18 trash bags! In a separate service event, Springfield Skeptics used the $250 BBN grant they earned when they reached Level 2 and purchased 60 pairs of men’s and 60 pairs of women’s socks. The thick merino wool socks were donated to Gathering Friends, a local organization that helps the homeless in Springfield. The socks should be effective at keeping feet warm through the cold Missouri winter.

Humanists of Houston in Houston, TX submitted our October Picture of the Month. This Level 1 team held a book drive for Books Between Kids, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 to serve Houston’s at-risk children by providing them with books to build their own home libraries. The team collected over 550 books and spent an afternoon at the organization’s warehouse sorting the donations.

Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless (ATXAHH) had another successful monthly giveaway! ATXAHH volunteers collected 3,548 items, their second highest total (so far) this year. Six members of the ATXAHH Gettin’ Knotty group created 41 hats, 17 washcloths, and 7 scarves for the giveaway. On the morning of October 18th, 41 ATXAHH volunteers gathered under a bridge in downtown Austin, TX and were able to assist 138 people with basic living items, warm clothing, hats & scarves, books, bags, non-perishable snacks, and other various items. The team is ranked at Level 3.

Another Level 3 team, Tri-State Freethinkers in Union, KY, had an eventful October!
The team helped the Freestore Foodbank prepare hundreds of lunches for underprivileged school children in the area. In a separate service event, Tri-State Freethinkers helped Planned Parenthood pass out t-shirts, obtain volunteer information for rally attendees, and solicit volunteer hours and monetary donations during their rally in Columbus, OH. Finally, Tri-State Freethinkers helped build a new KaBOOM playground in Pies Park located in North College Hill, OH.

For Creek Week, twenty-two volunteers from Pikes Peak Atheists and Pikes Peak Atheist Families in removed garbage from a local creek. Their cleanup efforts covered about 2.6 miles! The team separated and recycled all recyclable material. This Level 3 team is based in Colorado Springs, CO

Fellowship of Freethought Dallas, a Level 3 team located in Dallas, TX, removed litter from their stretch of adopted highway.

Seven members of Minnesota Atheists prepared a meal for nine guests at the Family Place Homeless Shelter. They purchased the ingredients, prepared the meal and cleaned afterwards. The team is ranked at Level 3.

Another Level 3 team, Corpus Christi Atheists in Corpus Christi, TX, removed litter from their adopted park, Oak Park. In a separate service event for Halloween, team members donated over $300 worth of candy and costumes to benefit children currently being housed at the South Texas Women’s Shelter.

Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry in Charleston, SC recently volunteered at Sweetgrass Garden, a farm that donates 95% of its yield to local charities for free. They removed crops destroyed by the recent flooding in South Carolina, laid new crop beds and constructed a bee house which will be used for the production of honey. The team is currently at Level 1.

The Camden County Humanists set up a table at the Blackwood Pumpkin Festival in Blackwood, NJ to raffle off gifts in order to raise money for their Light The Night team and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Prior to this event, the team had already raised $735. Due to their efforts, they raised another $395 and reached their team goal of $1,000. The team is currently at Level 1.

If you are a member of a secular humanist or atheist group and would like to participate in community service projects under the national umbrella of Foundation Beyond Belief, join Beyond Belief Network. We welcome all atheist groups interested in service, from groups with extensive volunteer experience to newly formed groups new to secular service. By aggregating our efforts, we demonstrate that all we really need is charity and goodness to make the world a better place.