June BBN roundup

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.

What were our BBN Teams up to in June? Let’s find out! 

We have a new team joining us in June, Community of Reason in Cincinnati, Ohio! Welcome to the Network, COR! 

Austin Humanists at Work held a donation drive for their June Giveaway. ATXHAW volunteers solicited donations via word of mouth, on neighborhood listservs, and social media, and were able to collect 2,346 items to distribute! Also in June, members of ATXHAW’s knit and crochet group, Gettin’ Knotty, met in the cafe of a local bookstore, creating washcloths to also be distributed at the giveaway – this month they created seven to hand out! On the morning of June 16, thirty ATXHAW volunteers gathered under a bridge in downtown Austin to hand out basic living items to those in need in their community. They were able to serve 209 fellow humans! Thanks to the Ethical Society of Austin for bringing coolers & ice to chill donated water. 

The Family & Friends Humanist Crew in Mundelein, IL participated in a 5K called Hustle for Health which raised money for the Kenneth Young Center. This organization helps older adults safely live independently and provides behavioral health services to children, adults, and families. It was held at the beautiful Busse Woods Forest Preserve in Elk Grove, IL. This team loves to run!  One of our international teams, Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI), collected clothing, snacks and medicine to distribute to indigenous people in their area. This visit, they were able to provide vitamin drops for 36 children!

Volunteers from Humanists Doing Good in Grand Junction, Colorado, assisted the Special Olympics of Colorado's State Summer Games. Volunteers helped track and field athletes to their events and ceremonies and also aided with the necessary paperwork for the events. There were plenty of heartwarming moments and big smiles throughout the day. The team received late notice that the Special Olympics needed additional help and were able to provide six volunteers! 

Freethought Dayton in Dayton, OH, held a highway cleanup event, picking up litter from the I-675 and OH-48 interchanges. Five members participated and were able to gather about eight bags of trash! 

Central Ohio United Non-Theists (COUNT) volunteers worked as Housewarmers at the Columbus Ohio Ronald McDonald House again this month, and then partnered again with the Humanist Community of Central Ohio (HCCO) volunteering as servers at the Community Shelter Board (CSB) facility on Van Buren Drive in Columbus, Ohio. COUNT also sent volunteers to a number of Adaptive Sports Connection (ASC) events, helping Central Ohio veterans, children, and adults who need adaptive equipment or instruction to participate in various sports including skiing, kayaking and cycling. (In June, it was more kayaking and cycling, not so much skiiing!) In the photo below, COUNT member Andrew (rear of tandem) shares a tandem kayak with a student participant.

The Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation Community Service Committee in Lincolnshire, IL, volunteered at St. James Soup Kitchen in Highwood, IL. Volunteers provided food, prepared and served, and cleaned up afterward. Full service volunteering!

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.