October BBN roundup

October may be a very spooky month, but BBN teams ain't afraid of no service!

Pikes Peak Atheists & Pikes Peak Atheist Families in Colorado Springs, Colorado participated in Creek Week, the largest Waterway cleanup event in Colorado. PPA had thirteen volunteers who cleaned trash and debris from a one mile stretch of their adopted waterway (Sand Creek) in Colorado Springs. They removed roughly 300 pounds of trash during this event!

The Atheist Community of Polk County, in Polk County, Florida held their biweekly cleanups of their adopted stretch of highway again this month in partnership with Keep Polk County Beautiful. Six volunteers collected fifteen bags of trash!

The New Orleans Secular Humanist Association (NOSHA) in New Orleans, Louisiana, collected 42 pounds of food donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank this month.

Four volunteers from Central Ohio United Non-Theists (COUNT) in Columbus, Ohio worked as housewarmers for a total of almost 24 hours at the Columbus Ohio Ronald McDonald House (RMH). RMH provides housing and meals to families with children being treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and other area hospitals. Housewarmers work with guests to provide a home-like environment. COUNT volunteers have contributed 1,494 hours since the start of their involvement with RMH in 2013.

COUNT and the Humanist Community of Central Ohio (HCCO) paired up for their monthly joint shelter event at the Community Shelter Board (CSB) facility on Van Buren Drive in Columbus, Ohio. Some volunteers serve dinners while others wash dishes, mop floors, and clean tables. Volunteers wear COUNT/HCCO branded t-shirts or name tags to raise awareness that they are non-theists doing service work. Once the dishes are done, the teams adjourn to the Omnipresent Atheists meetup in progress for dinner, drinks and conversation. 

Later in the month, eight volunteers from both teams picked up trash for a total of 16.75 hours at the 270 East/Cleveland Ave exit ramp in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has a sign in the area notifying drivers of HCCO’s adoption of this stretch of highway.

Throughout the month, the Family & Friends Humanist Crew in Mundelein, IL delivered food several times to their local women and children's homeless shelter. The organization is called Lake County Haven and they provide shelter and resources to help homeless women and children achieve independent living. The team packed lunches for delivery a few times and gathered several bags of groceries for the current residents of the shelter. They can't wait to work more with this great organization and are looking forward to creating a fundraiser for them over the next few months.

After that, the Family & Friends Humanist Crew volunteered at a local school 5K fundraising event called Hawthorn Hustle. A few members managed the food tables for the participants. The 5K organizers were short on volunteers so some of the group also helped with course direction. They were stationed near the end of the run, so they cheered and encouraged people to the finish line. Everyone just jumped in, found a place to help, and did amazing work in the chilly morning weather!

Keep up the excellent work!

Beyond Belief Network is a collective of over 125 humanist, atheist, and other non-believing organizations putting compassionate humanism into action through community volunteering and charitable fundraising. Its just one of many examples of the work our humanist community does to make a positive impact on the world. The network wouldn't be possible without your support. Please help us contiue this work with a contriution to our Annual Appeal campaign today.