Help A-SPAN with their Cornhole Tournament

A-SPAN is having a Cornhole Tournament this Sunday, March 25^th and they are looking for 12-15 volunteers over the age of 21 to help them run the event. It will be held in Gateway Park in Rosslyn. Here’s the link to the event: www.victorytoss.com.

There are two shifts:

1)      11:30am – 2pm

2)      2pm – 4:30pm

The volunteer stations/tasks will be:

·         Checking IDs and giving out wristbands

·         Selling drink tickets

·         Pouring drinks

If you are interested in helping at the Cornhole Tournament, please email Sarah at smorse@a-span.org or call her at 828-429-2128.

Last Minute Volunteer Opportunity: AYD Date Auction Benefitting A-SPAN

If you're looking for something fun and entertaining to do on Wednesday night, here is a great opportunity for you! We have received a last-minute request for volunteers to help out at the Arlington Young Democrat Date Auction, an event where half of the proceeds are going to directly to supprt A-SPAN in its efforts to help the homeless in Arlington.

Here are the details:

AYD Date Auction

Wednesday, March 23 – TOMORROW!

Clarendon Grill – 1101 N. Highland Street, Arlington (Clarendon Metro)

Volunteers should arrive by 6:30 p.m. to be assigned a task, which may include collecting donations, selling and handing out raffle tickets, lining up auctionees, or spotting the bidders.

If you're interested in helping out, please contact Sarah Morse at smorse@a-span.org.

Serving Breakfast and Hugs for the Homeless

This guest post was written by Delia Sava and was originally posted on the Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslyn Patch. It has been reposted here with permission from the author.

Every Friday by 6 a.m. Jean and Gene Cross are in the basement of Central United Methodist Church in Ballston preparing breakfast for Arlington’s homeless. The husband and wife team who jokingly refer to themselves, as the “two Jeans” have been regular volunteers of the church’s breakfast program since its inception three years ago.

“People were already waiting at six today,” said Jean. “They will come in and they’re willing to help us with some of the tasks, like peeling potatoes and chopping onions and everybody is having a good time.” The meal is served from 8 a.m. until noon.

One of those waiting to come in from the cold weather was a homeless man who had spent the night outside. “Everything he had with him froze but his after-shave,” Jean said.

Jean said when the program started a few years ago, volunteer members of the church were just serving doughnuts and coffee. As word spread about the breakfast and number of people served grew, the volunteers determined that it was more cost effective for them to cook the breakfast, rather than purchasing doughnuts.

“I heard about the breakfast two years ago and it is the best breakfast in Arlington,” said Steven Brown, one of the regular faces at the meal. Brown, who was born in D.C., said he likes the “nice people” in Arlington.

Brown praised the baked egg casserole and the pancakes but said what he appreciates the most are the hugs from Jean. Brown explained that it’s lonely being homeless and he greatly misses the affection from his late mother. When told about Brown’s comment, Jean smiled and said, “Oh, he’s a hugger!”

Solomon Abawi, a social worker with A-SPAN (Arlington Street People Assistance Network) said, “I come here just to make sure everything is running smoothly.” Abawi brings clothing and hygiene products for the clients; he also offers assistance with medical appointments as well as other services. “We try to do what we can to get them back on their feet—they just need a boost,” Abawi said.

Funding for the meal comes from the congregation and a bequest from the Methodist church, explained Gene. Some of the volunteers will help for an hour or two before work, while others are there the entire time to help with all aspects, including washing dishes and cleaning up.

Gene is grateful for everyone’s assistance but one particular donation was especially appreciated. A client, who earns money by playing the ukulele at metro stations and Redskin’s games, approached Gene around Christmas. “He reached in his pocket and pulls out two singles and a five dollar bill and he says as he gives me the $5, ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing and I’d like you to have this.’” He added that the man has continued with his remarkable generosity. “We have the first $5 in a frame,” Gene said.

When asked what others might be surprised to learn about the homeless who come to the breakfast, Gene said most people have a stereotypical idea about the man who is panhandling or holding a sign asking for help.

“They hide in plain sight,” he said adding, “They are not the people you think they are-- they are kind, gentle people.”

To learn more, visit www.cumcballston.org and www.a-span.org.

Volunteering With Community Volunteer Network at the Help the Homeless Gala

This blog post was originally published on Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom's blog, Service Driven.  It has been reposted here with permission from the author.

Last Thursday night, Jay and I volunteered together for the first time in a long time.  We signed up through Community Volunteer Network to volunteer for the 5th Annual Help the Homeless Holiday Gala hosted by Arlington's Street People's Assistance Network (A-SPAN).

Photo by Carl Clifford

NOTE: More Great PHOTOS from Carl Clifford on Flickr.

A-SPAN

I had come to learn about A-SPAN's work through their Director of Development, Jan Sacharko, who is very active on social media and has really amplified the voice of A-SPAN in the short time he has worked there.  Although Arlington is well known for its high median incomes and low unemployment rate (around 4% even during this Great Recession), affordable housing and homelessness are still issues that face many Arlingtonians.  Many families are one pink slip or health crisis away from losing everything they have.  A strong safety net is vital so that children's lives are not uprooted and so that men do not freeze to death on the streets in our community.  These are real consequences  of a broken support structure that I became aware of in the last community we lived in.  Arlington manages to keep the safety net intact with a lot of dedication from individuals like those present at Thursday night's gala.

Interested in giving to A-SPAN?



Interested in volunteering with A-SPAN?

Our Volunteer Experience

As a volunteer experience, Thursday night was primarily positive (and would have been overwhelmingly positive if we had been able to arrive sooner and enjoy the event more).  CVN offers a great way for young people like Jay and I to volunteer on a flexible schedule with people that we know.  They have an ongoing calendar of volunteer events as well as happy hours where you can meet other volunteers.  Through my position at Volunteer Arlington I have worked closely with CVN for 2.5 years so we knew most of the CVN volunteers working Thursday night.

The event was split into two shifts, which is absolutely crucial for special events.  First, big events take a lot of energy and therefore a 2 or 2.5 hour shift is long enough (especially since all of the volunteers were coming straight from a full day of work).  Also, one of the main attractors to volunteering for a special event is getting to take part in it for free.  The shifts allowed us to participate before or after our volunteering was complete.  This is great for the organization as well, since none of us would have been able to afford the $100 ticket, but now that we know what the event is about we could spread the word next year or maybe attend in the future when we earn more money.

Jay staffing the front entrance of Artisphere for the Gala

Jay and I were stationed at the front entrance.  We welcomed guests, answered questions, and opened doors.  This role suits me well since I enjoy direct customer service.  Jay said he felt out of his element at a "gala", but he was excellent at the job and seemed to enjoy himself.

Recommendations

For next year, or for similar gala events I would recommend:

Offer a service club the opportunity to coordinate the coat check in exchange for keeping any tips they make.  Two volunteers handled the coat check and turned away tips all night.  They did not feel comfortable taking any money, but the guests did not mind paying and that would have been a great way to raise more money for the cause or for another community group.

The bulk of the money raised came from auctions (silent and live).  There is a lot of interesting social science behind raising the most money from an auction which is worth researching.  For example, in a live auction, should you have the auction items get steadily more valuable?  How many auction items are ideal for netting the greatest amount of money and good will from your donors?  What is the effect on giving when large donors are publicly recognized in front of their peers at the event?  Are there methods for real time feedback to the participants about who is bidding, how much, and why they give?  In addition to the giving itself, how can the payment process be streamlined so that donors have a positive experience throughout the event?

CVN has actually volunteered at several fundraisers that featured auctions this year.  We have discussed how CVN volunteers could serve as volunteer consultants to the nonprofits based on our first-hand knowledge of auctions and what we have observed to work best.