Beyond Belief Network Teams raise levels and (community) spirits

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.

Nine members of Corpus Christi Atheists volunteered on a city beautification project organized by Guerrilla Gardening Corpus Christi. They weeded an island in downtown Corpus Christi and planted attractive plants. Corpus Christi Atheists also fielded four teams for Expedition II, a competitive beach cleanup in a national park. CCA removed 111 bags of trash from the beaches including 50 pounds of bottle caps. The top three teams in the competition were all Corpus Christi Atheists teams, not an easy feat considering they had to work in the rain. The event removed a total of 4,550 pounds of garbage from the beach, of which approximately 2,655 pounds were removed by CCA! Corpus Christi Atheists also recently reached Level Two.

Lehigh Valley Humanists held a garage sale in support their Light the Night team. Members donated items to sell and all money received went to LLS. They raised over $400, before heavy rain cut their sale short. Leftover items were donated to Goodwill.

Siouxland Freethinkers removed enough litter from their adopted stretch of highway to fill five trash bags. With this service event, Siouxland Freethinkers also advanced to Level One.

Pikes Peak Atheists and Pikes Peak Atheist Families are beginning to work regularly with a local Colorado Springs shelter for women (and their children) escaping domestic abuse situations, TESSA. In August, they promoted a school supply donation campaign on social media and collected school supplies at all of their groups' events. They ended up with a car full of supplies that TESSA was grateful to receive. Pikes Peak Atheists and Pikes Peak Atheist Families also participated in a painting studio benefit for Black Forest Animal Sanctuary. They got eleven of the seats paid for by their group members for $35, and supported a great cause! They had a lot of fun learning to paint a horse. Speaking of helping those in need, Pikes Peak Atheists and Pikes Peak Atheist Families also participated in Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis on behalf of one of their organizers, who suffers from Crohn's Disease. Twenty-one members came to the event to support their fellow team member. Sixteen members walked. The group raised $840.

Minnesota Atheists cleaned up a section of a local highway that's been handled by atheists for years. In addition to this service event, Minnesota Atheists also sorted and packed enough food for 1,760 individuals at the Emergency Foodshelf Network. The Emergency Foodshelf Network serves people with different diets including vegetarians and vegans. With these service events, Minnesota Atheists have reached Level One.

Fellowship of Freethought Dallas prepared their monthly meal for the Supper Club program of AIDS Services of Dallas. AIDS Services of Dallas is a 501(c)3 organization that provides medically supportive housing to low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS. The Supper Club program provides residents with a hot, nutritious, home-cooked meal every night. The volunteer group did an Asian/Stir Fry theme for this month's supper club featuring homemade egg drop soup and spring rolls. Fellowship of Freethought Dallas also crocheted and knitted hats and scarves for an upcoming Homeless Nexus winter clothes drive.

With the completion of their recent service events, Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation Community Service Committee has advanced to Level Two. Every year, during the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Kol Hadash acts on their humanistic values by collecting supplies, food and other needs for A Safe Place, a women's domestic violence and support center in their county. They collected over 150 bags of donations during the drive. Kol Hadash also collected and donated 500 books to Bernie’s Book Bank.   

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.