It's Time to Register for Women's Service Day 2010!

Our sign-up page is now live, so you can register to participate in Women's Service Day 2010, scheduled for September 30. Be sure to spread the word to your friends, family, and co-workers--women over 18 are invited to participate in this day of service to women and children in the Holland and Zeeland community. And remember to register! Because we need to plan with agencies for volunteer projects for all participants, this event is first-registered, first-to-serve.

If you'd like to understand more about this community service event...
... How to sign up to receive ongoing communications, including early notification of the 2011 event date.
... Our current list of participating agencies for the 2010 Women's Service Day
... Read about last year's event if you'd like to know more about what to expect. We'll distribute and post an agenda for this year's event as soon as plans are finalized.
... Meet the planning team, which looks, two years later, even younger than we do in this 2008 photo.

Looking forward to seeing you on September 30!

Where We'll Serve on September 30

These are the agencies for whom we will paint, nail, sort, cook, clean, organize, assemble, tote, rake, and more as part of Women's Service Day 2010 on September 30:

• 70x7 supports women (and men) coming back to communities and families from jail/prison and overcoming addictions. Their services include relational support and programs to sustain mentoring and transitional living programs, employment services, addiction recovery, and leadership.
  
• Camp Sunshine provides a camping experience for persons with developmental disabilities in an inclusive environment that embraces their recreational, emotional, physical, spiritual and relational needs.
  
• Center for Women in Transition creates and sustains an environment that enhances the voice, opportunities and strength of women and girls in Allegan and Ottawa Counties.
  
• Community Action House feeds and clothes families, provides housing, and equips community members with skills and resources for sustainable living.
  
• Evergreen Commons brings together in one place both leisure
  activities for seniors and the coordination or delivery of services that address many aging related needs of seniors and their families, such as respite care, nutrition, home safety, and the assistance of social workers.
  
• Girls on the Run educates and prepares girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.
  
• Good Samaritan Ministries uses the power of relationships to effectively meet the needs of the poor.
  
• Holland Rescue Mission develops and delivers programs of excellence for the homeless and less fortunate.
  
• Hospice of Holland offers comfort and relief to soothe the body, counsel and support to quiet the heart, and resources of faith to strengthen the spirit toward the end of life.
  
• Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity builds housing with partner-owners, based on the principle that everyone deserves a decent place to live and that our community is a better place when that occurs.
  
• My Sister's House is an adult foster care facility sponsored by the Holland Deacons' Conference.
  

We'll also have a donation drive, silent auction, and raffle, the proceeds from which will benefit an agency supporting women and/or children in West Michigan. Stay tuned! We'll announce which agencies just as soon as we've completed our investigation.

Sign Up for E-mail Communications

The Women's Service Day Committee is gearing up for the 2010 event! We need to make sure you want to continue receiving e-mails from us. Would you help us out by opting in via this form by August 1?

If we don't receive your permission via the form linked to here, we'll be unable to e-mail you with more information about the event.

Watch for the registration e-mail mid-August!

2010 Event Planned for September 30

We've reserved our breakfast location and alerted the agencies we'll serve: Women's Service Day for 2010 will occur on September 30. "Like" us on Facebook or follow this blog for updates on the planning.

In August, we'll include a link to the registration form--and distribute a link to that form to people we know are interested. We sent out a "hold the date" e-mail on June 30; if you didn't receive it, we may have lost track of your current e-mail address.

Enjoy the summer! We'll keep you posted.

Become a Friend of Women's Service Day

One thing Women’s Service Day volunteers are good at is networking. Maybe it’s because that’s one of the goals for the grassroots event, now in its eighth year. Or maybe because the type of people who volunteer in their community are networkers by nature.

One way Women’s Service Day encourages connection among participants (besides the interaction that occurs among work crews) is during breakfast, where everyone comes together before heading out to their assigned tasks. But this year the connection extended to the virtual world.

While volunteers have always been invited via e-mail to participate in Women’s Service Day, this year the planning crew tapped into social media networks. Now through a group on Facebook (called Women’s Service Day), it’s easier for participants to invite their sisters, mothers, daughters, coworkers, friends, and partners to join the event. And, the planning crew will continue to use this blog to communicate about the event.

Women's Service Day began in 2002 when a few women at Herman Miller--passionate about serving their community--volunteered to work on a Habitat house for a single mother. The group blossomed into a team of 50 women—more than one Habitat house could accommodate. Every year since, the planning crew has organized a day of volunteering specifically for women, establishing the following goals:
--To make a difference in our community—and have a great time doing so
--To increase awareness of issues for women and children in the West Michigan community
--To promote networking among women in our organization and community

While 93 women signed up this year to serve 12 non-profit organizations in West Michigan, one-third of them were caregivers, students, stay-at-home parents, self-employed, or worked for other organizations beyond Herman Miller. Social networking yields results!

The group also raised $1,000, which was donated to Holland Free Health Clinic, an organization that facilitates access to health care for those in need in the Holland-Zeeland community. And they donated a heap of clothing and supplies to Women's Resource Center in Grand Rapids for low-income women embarking on job interviews or reentering the workforce.

Next year, the planning crew hopes to expand its network even further. Do you know some women who would like to participate? Have them sign up online and we'll be sure to send them an e-mail invitation when it's time to register!

Thanks for all the energy and enthusiasm! A great day.

An excellent day. We had the best weather of the week--no rain and warm enough for people doing outdoors work to shed layers. Best of all, we had 100 women working for 12 agencies in 17 locations. Our favorite quote came from a woman whose house received some paint and cleaning: It's "like a dream come true," she said. "It's the kind of thing you see on TV. We never thought it would happen to us!"

With the silent auction and raffle, we also raised and donated $1,000 to the Holland Free Health Clinic (if you missed the event, you can go to their web site to make a direct donation) and collected about 10 boxes of clothing and personal care products for the Women's Resource Center in Grand Rapids.

We love planning this event; we love even more seeing good things happen. It's lovely to know that we're here to help each other--a true community!

If you've got stories from the event you'd like to share, we'd love to hear them. Participants will receive an e-mail shortly asking for feedback, but you can also post your stories here.

A final wrap-up of the plans for the day

We've sent all these details for October 1 out via e-mail, but we'll summarize here, too. If you accidentally deleted your e-mail or are avoiding your work in-box, it's all here!

We look forward to seeing you for Women's Service Day, October 1.

• We request a $5 donation for breakfast, and we'll hold both a silent auction and a raffle, so bring some cash!
• We'll also be collecting donations for Women's Resource Center of Grand Rapids; follow the link to an earlier blog post for a complete list of what they're requesting.
• Plan to bring work gloves (and rubber gloves if you prefer to use them for indoor cleaning), and dress to accommodate a variety of tasks since you will be randomly assigned to your crew.
  
• Many tasks are better tackled with closed-toed shoes, so we don't recommend sandals or flip-flops; please plan to wear (or bring as back-up) a pair of close-toed shoes.
• We ask crews to lunch on their own (some prefer to snack and work through to early afternoon). If you prefer to carry your own lunch, please do!
  

We're looking forward to serving our community with you!

Here's what the day will look like:

8:00-8:15 a.m.
Plan to arrive at Hope Church between 8-8:15 a.m. The church is centrally located at 77 West 11th Street in Holland (between River and Pine Avenues, just south of downtown Holland and west of Centennial Park).

Drop off your donations for Women's Resource Center just inside the door.

Check in at the Welcome Table, pay for breakfast (donation of $5.00), and buy your raffle tickets ($1 each, 6 for $5, or 14 for $10).

Draw your table number, which will also indicate your crew assignment.

Distribute your raffle tickets among the artwork donated by talented women and/or bid on the silent auction items.

Go to the table number you received and meet your crew and agency representative.

8:30 a.m.
Help yourself to the breakfast buffet and network with your crew while you wait for the raffle drawing results.

9:30 a.m.
Adjourn with your crew to your work site.

Remember to take along a crew assignment card from your table, as well as an apple and granola bar for a snack at your work site.

Plan to have lunch with your crew and wrap up by 3:00 p.m. However, feel free to stay at your work site as long as you desire.

Silent Auction and Raffle Information
Many talented women from West Michigan have donated their crafts for the silent auction and raffle. Proceeds will go to Holland Free Health Clinic. If you forget to buy your raffle tickets at the door, you can still buy them from a Women's Volunteer Day crew member during breakfast. Please bring check or cash for the raffle and silent auction, as we cannot accept credit cards.

Women's Resource Center Donations
We'll collect donation items for Women's Resource Center in Grand Rapids, which offers professional wardrobe advice and clothing to low-income women to help improve women's workplace and economic opportunities. Through the Working Women's Clothes Closet (WWCC), the Women's Resource Center provides a source of high quality clothing and accessories they need for job interviews or to reenter the workforce. See this earlier blog post for specifics about what they can use.

Contact Information
If you have a last-minute change in plans (sickness, business crisis, etc.) and are unable to participate--or just need directions--please contact the planning team by e-mailing womensserviceday (at) gmail (dot) com. See you October 1!