Miss Clay County & Miss North Florida Pageant (MAO)

Volunteering at the pageant was a lot of fun! Here are some fun photos from the event I love volunteering and being with friends and seeing someone you know win is just as special and icing on the cake! Most of the ladies in the photo are heading to Miss Florida and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen pageants this July! To the New Queens have the time of your life at State!


Enjoy!

April is National Volunteer Month: What are you going to do?

Volunteers are people who give and receive. If you are one of those people who would like to give more but can’t quite figure out how to do it, then this column is for you. April is national volunteer month and the people, places, and events all around you will eagerly accept your interest, abilities, time and talent.

But it all starts with you and what you’d like to do. Are you passionate about working with people, communities, wildlife, the environment or preserving our national parks?

On the local level, you can find out about needs in your own backyard through the Points of Light Institute www.pointsoflight.org


They believe that each person is able to make a difference and contribute to creating healthy communities. Their HandsOn Action Centers enable you to search for volunteer opportunities in your local community if you are interested in using your skills to help people or causes that are important to you, want to meet people who share your interests, and learn how to get involved, visit www.handsonnetwork.org, go to Action Centers and click on your state to find an affiliate. Volunteer opportunities will be listed by city and organization with a key that provides links to directory information, Web sites, online volunteer matching, and volunteer management training.


Another way to find local things is through your United Way Chapter and through 1-800volunteer.org and the volunteer match programs. Also contact your friends to see if they volunteer and also a great way is your church family they are always needing good volunteers.

Volunteering can also be spontaneous. Walk around your community to see if anyone needs some help - or go to a community bulletin board, often found in the post office, town hall or library. Go to the local supermarket and see what they do to help in the community search the web find your passion!





HERE IS GREAT NEWS Bewteen Points of Light - HandsOn Network and Starbucks Partners and Customers such as yourself - This just makes me want to volunteer more so I challenge you to step out of your confront zone - find your passion for something and GO Volunteer encourage your friends and family to help! Once you do there is no better feeling in the WORLD knowing that you have helped someone in need! Remember you never know you may be the next person needing a helping hand!


Points of Light Institute's HandsOn Network brings volunteer opportunities to Starbucks Partners and Customers across the country.
HandsOn Network Works with Starbucks to Host Community Service Activities as Part of April Global Month of Service Initiative.


Contacts:
Anne O'Neill
Points of Light Institute
(404) 844-5360
aoneill@pointsoflight.org

Johanna Clark
Allison & Partners
(310) 496-4452
johanna@allisonpr.com


ATLANTA - March 24, 2011 - HandsOn Network, the volunteer arm of Points of Light Institute in the United States, announced today that it will work with Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) to host service activities across the country in April as part of a global month of service dedicated to engaging Starbucks partners (employees) and customers in meaningful service opportunities.

Earlier today, Starbucks announced that the company is partnering with nonprofit organizations around the world to host a global month of service throughout the month of April 2011. Starbucks continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year and the global month of service is part of its company-wide commitment to inspire and invest in community service around the world. The company's goal is for 200,000 hours of community service to be volunteered globally this month alone.

HandsOn Network will work with Starbucks to host three large-scale service events across the country during the month of April, including:

On April 9 in Los Angeles, volunteers will make a real difference for the students and residents of Hyde Park and Vermont Square by participating in clean up and refurbishment efforts that will give their neighborhood schools and a local park a much-needed makeover

On April 23, volunteers will come together in New York City to make improvements to P.S. 180, update landscapes at Morningside and Riverside Parks, help renovate Abby House, YouthBuild and Abyssinian Towers, and assemble gift baskets for local residents in need

On April 30 in Seattle, volunteers will update and improve local schools, parks and community gardens in the city's Mount Baker neighborhood including painting, landscaping and renovation projects

In addition to these events, the HandsOn Network and its 250 local action centers across the U.S. will work with individual Starbucks stores to help identify and organize service activities in communities across the country.

"Starbucks' commitment to creating thriving neighborhoods everywhere it does business is a powerful example of how a company can mobilize its scale, reach and, most importantly, the passion and energy of its people to be a force for good," said Amy Smith, president, HandsOn Network. "Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network are proud to partner with Starbucks and offer our network of volunteer resources to help create change by bringing the global month of service initiative to life across the U.S."

"Involvement in our communities and neighborhoods is something Starbucks has been passionate about since our inception," said Vivek Varma, executive vice president, Public Affairs, Starbucks Coffee Company. "By working with HandsOn Network and tapping into its network of community-based resources, we are able to provide unique opportunities for our partners and customers to make a difference."

In addition to working with HandsOn Network here in the U.S., Starbucks has partnered with Volunteer Canada, UK Youth in London and Charyou in Shanghai, and will coordinate with other organizations around the world to identify and organize partner-led service opportunities that address local community needs.

To learn more about Starbucks Global Month of Service and to register for service projects in the U.S. and Canada, visit www.starbucks.com/communityservice. Customers can also learn more about volunteer opportunities in their neighborhood by visiting a local Starbucks store.

More information about the many different ways HandsOn Network is working to connect volunteers with service opportunities is available at www.handsonnetwork.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @HandsOnNetwork.

About Points of Light Institute Points of Light Institute inspires, equips and mobilizes people to take action that changes the world. The Institute has a global focus to redefine volunteerism and civic engagement for the 21st century, putting people at the center of community problem solving. We are organized to innovate, incubate and activate new ideas that help people act upon their power to make a difference. Points of Light Institute operates three dynamic business units that share our mission: HandsOn Network, MissionFish and the Civic Incubator. For more information, visit PointsofLight.org.

About HandsOn Network HandsOn Network, the volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute, is the largest volunteer network in the nation and includes 250 HandsOn Action Centers in 16 countries. HandsOn includes a powerful network of more than 70,000 corporate, faith and nonprofit organizations that are answering the call to serve and creating meaningful change in their communities. Annually, the network delivers approximately 30 million hours of volunteer service valued at $626 million. For more information, please visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org.

About Starbucks Corporation Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest-quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.

April 6, 2011 - National Start! Walking Day

Get Up and MoveThese days, adults like you are spending more time at work than ever before. An unfortunate side effect is that, as a nation, we're becoming more inactive. This is a problem when you consider the fact that physical inactivity doubles the risk of heart disease!

But take heart! It's a problem you can help fix by convincing your company to take part in National Start! Walking Day.

On this day, employees are encouraged to wear sneakers to work and take at least 30 minutes out of their day to get up and walk. It's a great way to raise awareness of the Start! movement and to give your coworkers a friendly push toward a healthier life.

Get the Ball Rolling - Sign Up for Your Toolkit!
It's simple to get your company to participate in National Start! Walking Day. Start by having your HR representative or Worksite Wellness coordinator fill out this registration form to download the National Start! Walking Day Toolkit for your company. It includes posters, flyers, a PowerPoint presentation and signs, which you can use to set up walking paths around the office. Look for the link to the kit in your confirmation email.

Get Others Involved
Begin by inviting coworkers to wear their sneakers to work
Encourage employees to get in their 30 minutes of walking that day.
Change one of your meetings to a walking meeting, and let your colleagues know why.
Start! Shopping for something green to wear. It shows you support the American Heart Association's walking movement.
Host a walk and/or rally to show your commitment to living longer, healthier lives.
Get the word out about your walk by first registering for our free, downloadable National Start! Walking Day Tool Kit. In your confirmation e-mail you'll have a link to access posters, flyers, e-mail scripts and more to easily promote National Start! Walking Day in your workplace.
Join others across the country and be part of the solution to get America walking.
Discover and share more information from the American Heart Association about why physical activity is so important.
Rally your family, friends and neighbors to walk that day - and every day.


Get Healthy
Taking just 10 minutes three times a day to walk will help you longer. In fact, studies show that just one hour of vigorous exercise will increase your life expectancy by two hours. It makes sense to walk more and eat well - to live longer.


http://www.startwalkingnow.org/about_start_walking_day.jsp

Drive to End Hunger Sweepstakes

Drive to End Hunger Sweepstakes

Hands On Network

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

You can help HandsOn Network respond to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. In these first few days since the earthquake, we are working with our HandsOn Tokyo affiliate in Japan and we are communicating with our international partners to determine support needed on the local level. We have set-up an account with MissionFish/Ebay and Paypalto collect donations to assist HandsOn Tokyo with relief efforts. Over the next few days we’ll continue to update you on current activities and ways you can help.

Until then, here’s what you can do right now:

* Volunteer: Our HandsOn Tokyo affiliate is continuing to monitor the situation and will be identifying volunteer appropriate activities. For now, you can register your INTEREST to volunteer for potential upcoming volunteer opportunities related to the relief and recovery of earthquake and tsunami impacted communities by registering with HandsOn Tokyo

*If you are local to Tokyo volunteer opportunities may become available more quickly.

*If you live outside of Japan, volunteer opportunities may take longer due to need to find proper accommodations and support for international volunteers.

*If you register your interest to volunteer, as soon as volunteer opportunities become available HandsOn Tokyo will send you an email updating you on those opportunities. Until then please do not call as HandsOn Tokyo’s offices as they are temporarily closed.

* Donate: Right now, monetary support is needed more than anything else. To donate resources to support recovery efforts Visit the HandsOn Tokyo homepage on eBay (Please do not send goods, monetary resources are most useful until needs are fully assessed)

* Teach: Resources at generationOn can help children and young adults better understand what their role in disaster relief, even when the disaster is far away, through lessons of philanthropy. Click here for lessons and other resources.

* Follow: Up to date information related to the disaster will be posted on twitter (this will only be updated when new information is available)

PLEASE BE REMINDED AS WITH ALL DISASTERS PLEASE DO NOT SELF DEPLOY TO THE REGION IMPACTED BY THE DISASTER. PLEASE WAIT UNTIL VOLUNTEER ASSISTANCE IS REQUESTED.



Australia Floods

HandsOn Network is actively reaching out to our partners in Australia including Volunteering Victoria, The Smith Family and Volunteer Queensland. At this time the below information is the best way to stay informed on upcoming engagement opportunities for this disaster.

Over the past few weeks, Volunteer Queensland has had an overwhelming response to the recent floods with an outpour of over 60,000 people expressing interest in volunteering.

For more information please visit the Volunteer Queensland website, which will be updated with details of a few practical ways you can help the flood-effected state, or visit Volunteering Victoria.

Where to Give/Donate for Flood Relief:

Queensland floods: Donate to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal





Gulf Oil Spill Update

"The best thing people can do right now for the region is to support tourism — travel to the Gulf or shop remotely from Gulf-area vendors."

Diana Brinson, Executive Director, HandsOn South Alabama

A request line has been set up for individuals who want to volunteer. Please call to register: 1-866-448-5816.

“Since the Deepwater Horizon explosion the night of April 20, federal authorities, both military and civilian, have been working onsite and around the clock to respond to and mitigate the impact of the resulting BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Response Team (NRT) has been activated and Unified and Area Commands (National Incident Center- NIC and Joint Information Center-JIC) have been established near New Orleans to coordinate search and rescue operations and oil spill response efforts. For more information from the White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov.”

BP has hired a training company to design four levels of training in oil spill clean-up. It is hiring paid temporary contractors, called Qualified Community Responders, to handle all clean-up activity. Volunteers have mainly been engaged in beach clean-up activities, which is mostly done. Volunteers will not be able to assist with clean-up efforts post impact, and any potential volunteers that want to assist oil clean-up efforts will have to become a Qualified Community Responder and get paid for their work.

For latest information about the response effort, visit the Deepwater Horizon Incident, Joint Information Center (JIC).



Donate


http://handsonnetwork.org/donate

20 + Ways to Give Without Giving "Stuff"

Plant a Tree in Her Name

Have an urban treehugger on your list? Dedicate a city tree in his or her name at TreePeople, a nonprofit organization offering sustainable solutions to urban ecosystem problems. Gift certificates range from $25-$100 at treepeople.com, 1-818-753-4600.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/best-green-gifts#ixzz1GgE6qBel


Give a (Volunteer) Vacation

Make the next vacation be about more than sipping cocktails or gazing at historic architecture. Volunteer vacations are a chance to give back to local communities, restore and protect local ecosystems or otherwise help out while enjoying a holiday. The testimonials from vacationers tell the tale: They can be more satisfying and offer a greater sense of renewal than even the most relaxing getaways.

Learn more at CharityGuide.org.


Adopt a Sea Creature

Oceana works to protect the oceans and its denizens through science, litigation and advocacy. You can support the organization by adopting one of the sea creatures the group fights to protect — a dolphin, shark, polar bear, penguin, octopus or sea turtle. $35-$150 at oceana.org.

Give a Soldier a Cell Phone

With the U.S. waging two wars, thousands of troops will be away from home during the holidays.

A great way to give them a gift is to donate a cell phone — even a used cell phone — to an organization like Cell Phones for Soldiers, which sells the phones to recyclers, and uses the proceeds to buy calling cards troops use to call home.

Create a Green Collar Job


Give a Mercy Corps Climate Change Kit in your friend or loved one's name, and you can both feel proud to have provided job training to youth. The next third-world solar power installer or organic farmer will thank you. Learn more at mercycorps.org, 1-888-256-1900.

Community Supported Farm Share

Give them the gift of fresh, nutritious vegetables! Community supported farms sign up members in advance and then dole out the harvest throughout the growing season (and sometimes even through the winter). Shares (or partial shares) can cost a couple hundred dollars, and vary by farm. Look up a CSA (that stands for Community Supported Agriculture) near you using the "Get Local Info" tool on the thedailygreen.com homepage.

Feed an Elephant for a Day

Help a former zoo or circus elephant load up his trunk and find peace at Tennessee's Elephant Sanctuary -- a licensed refuge designed specifically for elephants rescued after being abandoned or abused. Feed an elephant for a day for just $30, or purchase an acre for that elephant for $1,400. Learn more at elephants.com, 1-931-796-6500.

Prepare an Organic Meal

Do the shopping, seat your guests and prepare a delicious meal made with organic and seasonal ingredients (like the great winter acorn squash dish pictured here). What's better than the gift of good food and good company? For meal ideas, see The Daily Green's recipe archive. http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/

Clean Water (for Someone Who Needs It)
The Daily Green doesn't encourage the use of disposable plastic water bottles. This is a worthy exception.

Charity Water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean, safe water to people in developing nations, now offers "Bottle of Charity." Your $20 pays for water and sanitation projects that will provide third world citizens clean water for -- at least -- 20 years! Learn more at charitywater.org, 1-646-688-2323.

National Parks Annual Pass

Kathy Lee Bates wasn't kidding around when she wrote the poem "America the Beautiful." Help others see the beauty through a Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which allows your recipient (plus a vehicle and 3 additional adults) free entrance for one year to America's National parks and other public lands. $80 at nps.gov, 1-888-ASK USGS.

Donate Winter Clothes

Every gift doesn't have to be for someone you know. Many people have closets full of old clothes that aren't doing them any good. Why not take an hour away from shopping and put it into sorting clothes?

Look for local community coat drives, church thrift shops, organizations that outfit low-income people for job interviews, or other charitable organizations that help the homeless or others in need.

Make it into a personal gift by offering to help organize a cluttered friend's closet.


Green Clean Their Home

Give the gift of a clean house, cleansed with homemade or nontoxic products. A great gift idea for a DIY enthusiast (or, say, the unemployed recent graduate) to show you really care. Learn how to clean green with
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-cleaning-spring-cleaning-460303

Adopt a Cheetah

Someone bugging you for a pony? Give a cheetah instead. The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center's Adopt-a-Cheetah Program is designed specifically to engage children in the conservation, rescue and rearing of an endangered cheetah. In addition to updates from the "Cheetah Chat" newsletter, your child will receive an adoption certificate, mug, stuffed cheetah and a plaque at the entrance to the adopted cheetah's enclosure. $170 at hesc.co.za.

Charity Gift Card

Still not sure what to get them this Christmas? Tis Best partners with more than 200 certified nonprofits so you can give a "charity of choice" gift certificate, allowing recipients to donate anywhere from $10 to $200 to a favorite charity. The colorful gift cards make great last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers. Learn more at tisbest.org, 1-206-501-3005.

A Water Buffalo...or a Bee Hive...or...

Heifer International's mission is to help struggling communities end hunger and poverty through the gift of livestock, bees, seeds, farming tools and the know-how to reap a sustainable harvest from them. Heifer offers a wide variety of options, from a $250 water buffalo to $30 honeybees to a $150 llama that can provide wool, milk and meat for an entire South American family. Learn more at heifer.org, 1-800-422-0474.

Save the Bees (and Some People, Too)

Give struggling farmers in Honduras the sweet rewards of a marketable skill -- the Mercy Corps' Bee Hive Kit. It keeps families and the planet sustainable by providing the beekeeping know-how to provide themselves a marketable resource while helping to preserve the disappearing honeybee. Learn more at mercycorps.org, 1-888-256-1900.

Plant a Billion Trees

The Nature Conservancy is responsible for preserving scenic and ecologically important land around the world. The nonprofit land trust has three gift options this year that allow you to help plant a billion trees in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, adopt an acre in Las Californias, U.S., or coral reefs in Palau, or a number of other unique gift options. $10 and up at nature.org.

Adopt a Polar Bear

Who can resist this adorable polar bear? As global warming causes the polar bear's delicate ice habitat to shrink, you can help with the World Wildlife Fund's "Adopt a Polar Bear Gift," a cuddly plush polar bear. Proceeds go to support polar bear conservation efforts. $50-$250 at worldwildlife.org, 1-800-225-5993.

Preserve an Acre of Rainforest

Make a donation in your loved one's name. For $100, you can protect one acre of rain forest with the Rainforest Alliance, one of 88 environmental charities that is rated with four stars by Charity Navigator. Consult the independent watchdog's list of most financially responsible environmental organizations before making a donation to the cause of your choice.


Make a Micro Loan

Donations are one way to give in your loved one's name, but micro loans are a more personal way to support projects you care about.

Micro loans, celebrated by no lesser luminaries than Bill Clinton as the future of charitable giving, allow you to loan money to specific people, projects or organizations working on a variety of issues and problems, mostly in the third world. You earn interest, just like any loan (and accept the reportedly low risk of default) — and see exactly how your money benefits others.

For more information, or to make a loan in the name of a friend or family member, start by exploring Kiva, MicroPlace or BlueOrchard.

Give Your Time

Volunteering is perhaps the most important gift you can give to your community. Long commutes and the necessities of the two-income family are thinning the ranks of volunteers nationwide at a time when economic downturn only makes the need greater.

Soup kitchens are often packed with volunteers right on and around holidays. This year, make a point of donating your time not just on the holiday, but in the weeks and month afterward, too. Looking for ideas? Start by exploring VolunteerMatch.org to find opportunities in your community.

Offset Their Carbon

Put a spring in their step by taking 10 tons off their back. With a 10-ton gift card from Carbonfund.org, you invest in clean energy to offset almost a year's worth of your loved one's carbon emissions. $100 for 10 tons or $20 for two tons at carbonfund.org.



Enjoy!


Happy Volunteering!

Drive to End Hunger – NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon & AARP Foundation Fight Against Senior Hunger

Drive to End Hunger – NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon & AARP Foundation Fight Against Senior Hunger