September BBN team round up

September was a busy month for the Beyond Belief Network teams. Many took advantage of the cooler weather to get outside to build wheelchair ramps or pick up litter or go on a ride with adults who need adaptive bikes. Others remained volunteering at shelters and food kitchens and donating blood. 

This month we welcome the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island to the network and they already had an event in September. Members of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Islandjoined Humanists of Long Island to enjoy a meal at a restaurant and 20% of their bill was donated to American Humanist Society. Can’t wait to hear about your next event Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island! 

Central Ohio United Non-Theists (COUNT) in Columbus, OH had an event to explore a new organization to volunteer with in August. In September, they returned to The Adaptive Sports Connection (ASC) for a two hour ride. ASC helps central Ohio veterans, children, and adults who need adaptive equipment or instruction to participate in various sports including skiing, kayaking and cycling. Count also returned to the Community Shelter Board (CSB) for their 2nd joint shelter event with the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio. 4 COUNT volunteers worked a four hour shift as housewarmers at the Columbus Ohio Ronald McDonald House (RMH), which provides housing and meals to families with children being treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and other area hospitals. 

The Humanist Community of Central Ohio (HCCO) joined forces with COUNT for the joint Bleed-n-Feed event they hold every other month. After the event, donors have a meal together at a nearby restaurant. COUNT’s second CSB event of the month was a joint event with HCCO. This was their 33rd joint event at the shelter! 

Volunteers from Humanists Doing Good in Grand Junction, CO assisted the Food Bank of the Rockies by packaging and distributing food to around 250 people. People needing food assistance were able to choose from a wide variety of fresh produce, packaged foods, and drinks. Volunteers also helped anyone who needed assistance carrying their food through the line and those who needed assistance taking food to their vehicles. For their other event in September, Humanists Doing Good volunteers removed trash from their adopted 2.4 mile section of highway. Volunteers carry out a bit of a treasure hunt each time they clean the highway and this time the winning prize was a set of diplomas dating back to the 1920s that the organization hopes to reunite with a family. Wow, what a find!

For the high holidays, Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation Community Service Committee in Lincolnshire, IL, collected requested supplies for A Safe Place, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Lists were distributed at the Jewish New Year and bags and supplies returned at Yom Kippur. They filled two cars with supplies including $400 in gift cards. Congratulations on a successful collection Kol Hadash!

Ten Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry volunteers picked up over 300 pounds of litter on our adopted stretch of highway in North Charleston, South Carolina. That’s a lot of work Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry! 

Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless had a banner Labor Day giveaway. Despite unforgiving heat and humidity, the sheer number of folks that came out was staggering. About 273 bags of aid were given out to the Austin community. It was an unusually high number of people, but the 30 volunteers were ready to lend a hand and the four gallons of french vanilla coffee and five gallons of cool Kool Aid were were completely gone even before the giveaway was over.

Atheist Community of Austin not only provided the coffee, cups, and sugar for this giveaway, but also brewed it in the Freethought Library. The I Support the Girls Austin chapter donate feminine hygiene products. With a request last month for tweezers, they were well received this month, as almost all 200 were taken. They also had a voter deputy registrar helping to register folks to vote.

This was an amazing day, not only with the amount of donations that were received but also with the amount of volunteers that made it happen. Congratulations Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless for an incredibly successful event!