The heat of summer doesn’t keep our volunteer teams down

By Daniel Hay

Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network is a network of secular humanist groups interested in volunteering (Volunteers Beyond Belief) and raising money for FBB and our beneficiaries (FBB Partners Program). July has come and gone, and with it we saw a wonderful showcase of what humanist groups can do for the community.

The Central Savannah River Area Non-Theist Group (CSRA) assisted in the cleaning of litter around Augusta Riverwalk, where a fireworks display had been presented days earlier. Cleaning up the Riverwalk benefits the entire community because it is a beautiful attraction for their city.

The organizers of FreeOK have been continuing to help with tornado relief, assisting with the tent city that has sprouted up since May. The team organized overflow donations, which could not be held in the limited warehouse space, to be distributed to local women’s and children’s shelters, as well as to the local Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The Humanists of Rhode Island have been again showing the benefits of regularly scheduled volunteer work by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. They mixed cement, built stairs and laid down flooring on a hot summer day.

Ethics in Action volunteered with the LGBT Center of St. Louis, particularly working with their library containing many books on LGBT history, law, theory, self-improvement, and fiction. Ethics in Action volunteers spent the morning labeling books with their call numbers on the spine, as well as looking up hard-to-find books in the Library of Congress catalog. Some members even baked cookies in the kitchen, which the children who attended enjoyed very much!

The Pennsylvania Nonbelievers have been a great help to The United Way, assembling 500+ pledge packets of literature to be given to the top donors of the United Way of the Capital Region (Harrisburg, PA).

The Humanists of Houston worked as part of a team of about 50 community volunteers to sort and box food donations. These food boxes are ultimately distributed through the emergency pantry (one of multiple distribution modes at the Houston Food Bank).

Finally, the North Florida Atheists helped their community by volunteering with Dignity U Wear. Dignity U Wear is a local charity created to help those in need of new clothes for children and adults, including new school clothes and interview clothes. The NFA came in and helped sort by size, folded the clothes, and organized them to be easily accessible to those in need.

Member of a secular humanist group? Want to help your community, raise awareness of nonbelievers doing good, and connect with other service-oriented groups? Ask your team to join Beyond Belief Network! BBN staff can help you achieve your service goals and, as you submit event reports, your team will qualify for free t-shirts and the opportunity to apply for grants!