Jobless Volunteers

In light of today's dwindling economy and President Obama's call to be of public service, people all over the country have been looking for ways to fill their newly found free time by volunteering. Non-profit organizations have encountered a large influx in the number of volunteers in a somewhat catch-22 situation: they have all they help they could possibly need (and then some), but no funding from the government to fully take advantage of the new workforce.

In an article by the New York Times, Julie Bosman follows this trend in a number of non-profits in the New York area and talks to some of the volunteers. Most of the people were at the top of their game when economic struggles hit their company and they were laid off. From working 100 hours a week to nothing, the recently unemployed are looking for a positive way to fill their days while also searching for job opportunities.

“It’s sad but true,” Ms. Ceccarelli [senior Vice President at United Way] said , “but the irony is that sometimes it’s almost more work to find something for a volunteer to do than to just turn them away.”

While most non-profits are doing their best to take advantage of the volunteers, they are also bracing themselves for when the economy picks up again and they lose this large group of skilled workers.

Empower Campaign

The Empower Campaign was started last year by Andria Sherrow after she returned from spending a period of time in Africa. She wanted to start a program that would help the African children receive an education and provide an opportunity to build a future.

"The Empower Campaign is a holistic, school based initiative designed to help all children, including orphans and vulnerable children, receive a quality education in Africa. We accomplish this through a four tiered approach with our partner schools in Africa:

1. 1.Provide a safe and sound place to attend school by building and reconstructing debilitated schools.
   

2. 2.Provide educational materials for students attending school.
   

3. 3.Provide one meal per day for all children attending school.
   

4. 4.Provide access to health care and information at school."

The Empower Campaign was started at Ohio University in collaboration with Alpha Phi Omega. They raised money and awareness by selling jewelry made out of recycled materials by the women in Africa and screening movies to raise awareness. Volunteers attend a brief training session to become qualified to sell the jewelry and then work the tables around campus.

The Empower Campaign has spread to Ohio State University, Miami University, Bowling Green State University and the University of Dayton. Each of these schools conduct jewelry sales and also come up with fundraising ideas; for example, spaghetti dinners and benefit concerts.

Since it has grown, the Empower Campaign has become its own student group on campus and any student can join forces and help raise awareness and money to send to these children. 14 million children under the age of 14 have been orphaned from AIDS and only 18% of eligible children have access to education in sub-Saharan Africa.

To get involved, contact Andria Sherrow at andria@empowercampaign.org.

Belts Breaking Bondage

Belts Breaking Bondage is a movement that is being started by Christina Conrad, a senior Social Work major at Ohio University. The goal of this movement is to raise awareness and funds for human trafficking as it exists abroad and in the United States.

What inspired you to start Belts Breaking Bondage?

It is funny to say this, but "Lifetime" s what really changed my life and view of the world. They made a movie called "Human Trafficking" and when I watched it I was utterly horrified. This sparked my interest in the tragedy. I couldn't believe that such evil was going on in the world.

Why has this problem impacted you personally so much?

The thought of women being raped is so difficult for me to think about. I am not a very sexual person and have only had sex once with a serious boyfriend and still did not enjoy it. I mean, if it was painful and I couldn't enjoy it with someone I loved, how could I ever imagine just how excruciating it would be to be raped?

How widespread is this problem?

There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children trafficked across international borders each year. Between 14,000 and 18,000 of these people are trafficked into the United States annually.

What do you think of the people who help propagate human trafficking?

The men that buy prostitutes don't care about anything but pleasing themselves secually and they think they have the right to treat and mutilate any girl however they want because they paid for her.

Have you had any other personal experiences with the problem besides what you saw on Lifetime?

I was in Amsterdam in March of 2008. While I was there I decided to see what the Red Light District looked like. It was just horrible to me to see women completely exposed and exploited. There were buildings with three stories of windows the size of doors where women just danced naked.

How did this affect you?

The more I thought about it, the more the these horrors weighed on me. I started conducting a lot of research, but this just made me feel more terrible because I was learning about how horrible human trafficking was and was not doing anything about it.

What motivated you to get moving on the issue?

I set a goal for myself. I told myself that I would not let the following Sunday come until I had an idea of how to be an activist.

What was the inspiration for your movement (Belts Breaking Bondage)?

I was an itern for the Empower Campaign last year and we went to an international festival where we were instructed to wear something for the country we were representing. I used some old fabric and made waist belts for the team. At the convention, some women came up to us and ended up buying the builts right off of our waists for $7!

How much does it cost to create each belt?

The fabric is usually $5 per yard and five belts can be made from one and a half yards of fabric. The belt loops are created from curtain holders and are also relatively inexpensive. Each belt is very cost effective for raising money and awareness about human trafficking.

How do you plan to make the belts?

I've already hosted one sewing party with members of Alpha Phi Omega who came together to create a number of new belts. We will begin selling these belts next quarter.

How have you been raising awareness on campus?

I'm hosting a screening of the film "Sex Slaves," a documentary about human trafficking. I have already spoken to a bunch of organizations on campus and within the past two weeks we have generated genuine interst in almost every end of the campus. We have theater majors making productions, sororities philanthropy chairs taking this on as a project, graphic design students making logos and posters, people attending events, crowds at movie screenings and regular students going above and beyond to tell others. It is really amazing.

Where will the proceeds be going next quarter?

There are so many great organizations that need help, I felt like I couldn't pick just one. As a group, we're going to decide on one cause per moth to donate the profits to. For now, we are focusing on an organization in Columbus that is in the process of building a shleter for trafficking victims.

Service Locations

Sometimes people are wary to put themselves out there and get involved, but knowing exactly who they need to talk to and where they need to go can be a big motivator. This map contains the addresses and information about different service projects in the Athens area. Click on the map and drag to find the markers and see where places are located.

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ATCO Craft Night

One of the other weekly projects that Alpha Phi Omega does with ATCO is Craft Night every Tuesday at Rollerbowl. There is a group of five ladies who get together with three or four volunteers to make crafts and do other activities. This is a project that is fun and easygoing - as long as you have some semblance of creativity, you can help brainstorm ideas and join in the craft-making extravaganza.

At Rollerbowl, ATCO has plastic containers filled to the brim with colorful paper, beads of all colors and shapes, wire, paint, stickers, glitter and anything else you could possibly need. The main thing for volunteers to do is to pick a project to do and pull the supplies out so everyone can work on it. Most of the time the craft ladies are able to independently do the work, but volunteers are there to help if needed.

If there are extra supplies, volunteers are able to join in the fun and make their own crafts as well. I have a green piggy bank with jewels, a key chain that was made for me by one of my ATCO ladies, a tie-dyed shirt that I love and other knick-knacks around my apartment.

Tie-dying shirts was probably one of my favorite projects to work on. For this craft, we went to Passionworks Studio and set up the supplies there because we did not want to get dye and such all over the bowling alley. We arranged to have a couple extra volunteers at the project and a few more ATCO ladies came to tie-dye (some of them do not appreciate the amount of noise at Rollerbowl). We all got to hang out, tie-dye and talk. The ladies were sharing their techniques while we got everything together and helped them dye their shirts individually. Jeff Bierlein who runs most of the ATCO programs came as well and took the shirts until they could dry and returned them the next week.


ATCO Craft Night is a good opportunity to be creative and is mainly a bonding experience and an easy way to socialize for an hour every Tuesday afternoon.

Monday Lunch at UMC

Monday lunch is a weekly service opportunity that is offered at United Methodist Church (UMC) on College St. in Athens. Volunteers arrive starting at 9 am to help prepare the food for that day's lunch. Most volunteers sign up for one hour shifts and can prepare, serve, eat or clean up the food depending on when they arrive.

This service project has become increasingly important during the current economic crisis. The lunch provides an opportunity for people who are a part of the lower-income bracket to save money on at least one meal a week.

"Most of the people serve don't have a strong support group," explains Brendan Heil, an occasional volunteer at Monday Lunch. "They don't have the means or they don't have family, friends or other connections in the area."

John Gedeon, a regular volunteer at the Monday Lunch program, says that a wide variety of people participate. "There are lots of foreign exchange students, people who rely on free meals, students as well as teachers."

Gedeon explains the experience as similar to "cooking with Grandma." The long term staff who organize the meals figure out what type of meal can be made from the food donations that usually come from the Athens Food bank and then split up the duties. They then share their cooking knowledge with the people who help prepare the food. Also like grandma, they insist that no one leaves hungry, volunteers included.

"Serving at Monday Lunch is different from other free meal programs," Gedeon says, "It's not the rich serving the poor. Everyone is always so nice and everyone eats as a community."

When asked why he goes to Monday Lunch, Heil says that it is an easy job to do and a good way to give back to the community. It is also a convenient service project being on College St. and a manageable volunteer opportunity to add into a hectic schedule.

Gedeon relates his love for Monday Lunch with his love for cooking. This aspect is what initially got him interested in the project, but the people and the friendly atmosphere are what keep him going back for more.

Half of the volunteers at any given shift at Monday Lunch are from Alpha Phi Omega, while the other half come from various organizations or individual interests around campus.

Last Chance Corral

Last Chance Corral is a place that offers shelter and help to horses that have been neglected, abandoned or abused. They offer psychological and/or physiological help to these animals. Most of the horses that stay at the Last Chance Corral have been given away because the owners either could not or did not want to care for them anymore. Full-time employees provide treatment and care to the animals, while volunteers help with the maintenance and necessary duties of running a shelter.

A lot of times, by the time the horses reach the Last Chance Corral they have not received the kind of love they need to be healthy and happy. Last Chance offers a place where they are constantly surrounded by loving volunteers and staff members who work to rehabilitate them. After they are healthy enough to move on, Last Chance finds the horses a home that suits their needs and skill level.

Every Sunday morning a group of volunteers from APhiO goes to the barn at the Last Chance Corral. They help clean the barn and sweep out the stalls. I know, this does not sound like the ideal way to spend a lazy Sunday morning, but the volunteers who go once usually return on a regular basis. Not only are they making it possible for the Last Chance to function, but they also get to spend time with the horses and bond with fellow volunteers.