What are you doing during Week of Action?

April 24-30 is Week of Action, a week in which we’re encouraging everyone to do good deeds and community service. There are quite a few events listed on our site, but if you can’t make the event in your area or there isn’t an event near you, you can still participate!

1. Check out our list of ideas, volunteering search engines, and idea guides on the Ideas section of the Week of Action website.
2. Post your ideas for action on Facebook now, and during Week of Action share your good deeds (and pictures!), too. While you’re there, like the page!
3. If you’re on Twitter, live tweet your actions using the hashtag #choosetoACT @weekofaction.

To show you how you can participate even if your time is short, I’ll share my plan for action. Week of Action falls during finals week for me, so I’ll finalizing and administering exams, grading 400 essay questions, and calculating and posting final grades for the semester during those. I work for Foundation Beyond Belief and have a few hours of freelance work per week, too. I also have a 20-month old to keep an eye on, so I definitely have a pretty hectic schedule, and it’s going to be particularly busy during Week of Action. But that’s not going to stop me from choosing to act.

I am lucky enough to have a couple Week of Action events within 30-40 minutes of home. I’ll be able to attend one of them, so on Friday night I’m going to a local team’s Bowling Party/Food Drive event. I’ll pick up a bagful of nonperishable items to donate while I’m on my way, and I’ll probably pick up a second bagful to donate to the food bank in my city, too.

I won’t stop there, however, and even with my busy schedule, I’ll still have time to do a few more good deeds.

At least once during the week, I’m going to make a large enough meal to feed my extended family as well as my own. Well, not all of them (my husband has five siblings who all have children), but some of them! One morning (probably Friday), I’m going to buy and bring mulch to my mother-in-law’s and maybe some donuts, too. And I’ll mulch her yard and the kids’ play area. You can easily do something nice for your neighbors, family, or friends during the week, too. Take them meals, send a card, even call them to see how they’re doing.

The timing of Week of Action in late April means that many cities will have cleanups or other National Arbor Day service events, and my city is having a Green & Clean Week, and encouraging residents to clean up their neighborhoods and parks the entire week! So we’ll clean up our front and back yard and pick up trash on our way to the park or on walks. We’ll also try to plant a couple trees in our own yard. Check your city’s website for similar events in your area.

At some point I’m going to buy some books and gifts from Amazon, while using Foundation Beyond Belief’s Amazon link. Making your shopping do double duty by buying locally (if your farmer’s market is open, you can support your community and get lovely fresh produce, too) or using an affiliate link. You can also support Foundation Beyond Belief by buying logo wear from our Zazzle store.