Giving Back

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Helping over the holidays Several volunteer opportunities available in Bryan-College Station Make a donation to good health How to give back even when time isn’t on your side teach children to be charitable

Giving Back

Make a donation to good health

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

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haritable giving means different things to different people. While some associate donations with money, clothing or other tangible goods, donations also can include vital parts of our bodies.

Blood Blood transfusions and supplementation are vital to treating injured patients. Blood also is necessary during routine surgeries. Having an adequate blood supply at the ready can be a matter of life and death for a person in dire need of a transfusion. Canadian Blood Services, which manages the national supply of blood and blood products in Canada, announced during the summer of 2013 that the country is facing a “concerning” shortage

of blood due to fewer donations and constant demand. The story is similar in the United States, where the American Red Cross reports a blood donation is needed every two seconds. Blood is perishable, and the need is constant. Red blood cells only have a shelf life of 42 days and platelets just five days, so supply must be replenished constantly.

Blood can be donated whole or as plasma or platelets.

Plasma is the yellow fluid in which blood cells are suspended. Platelets are smaller than white or red blood cells and help the blood to clot.

Many blood collection centers will tell you that O blood type is in the highest demand because O blood, particularly O-negative, is compatible with

all blood types. But it also is the blood type in the shortest supply.

Organs The organization Donate Life America says nearly 120,000 men, women and children currently need lifesaving organ transplants, and every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. In addition to organ transplants, tissue transplants can save lives.

Certain organs and tissues can be transplanted from living donors, including kidneys, liver lobes, lungs, and bone marrow.

The National Living Organ Donors Foundation, Inc., says living organ donations can mean a more perfect match for the recipient, a longer transplant life and fewer medications. Living donors give patients an alternative to waiting months or years on transplant lists.

Men, women and children also can donate their organs

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upon their death. Drivers can declare their intentions to donate their organs by filling out information on the backs of their driver’s licenses, and individuals also can declare such intentions in their wills.

Hair Cancer patients facing radiation and chemotherapy treatments may lose their hair. Losing one’s hair can affect self-esteem. Certain organizations accept donations of human hair, which they fashion into wigs for those who have lost their own hair to cancer and other diseases.

Burn victims also benefit from hair donations. The organizations Locks of Love and Wigs For Kids are two not-for-profit groups providing hair replacement solutions for those affected by hair loss. The cosmetic company Pantene has their own “Beautiful Lengths” donation program that also accepts hair donations.

In order to donate to most

Blood supplies are at critical levels.

Making a donation can help save a life. organizations, a minimum hair length is needed and hair should be free of permanent color, bleach or other chemical treatments. Check with the organization for a full list of guidelines.

Giving a gift of health by way of a blood, organ or hair donation can make a lasting difference in another person’s life.

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prefer volunteers to promise a certain number of hours per week or per month.

But many other organizations host shortterm projects that may last only a day.

Habitat for Humanity, for example, often allows volunteers to sign up for one-day projects that are ideal for those who want to give back but don’t have the time to make long-term commitments. Signing up for such projects well in advance allows time-strapped individuals to clear their schedules in advance without having to rearrange their daily lives.

Become a mentor. Mentoring is a great way to give back without making a significant time commitment.

Mentors can take young persons under their wings and offer advice on careers, education and many other areas where they might ask for some guidance. Such advice can be offered over a weekly lunch, through email or weekly phone calls, none of which will eat up too much time. Mentoring is a significant responsibility and one that provides an invaluable service, and it’s a great way for busy professionals to give back to their communities.

Make it a family affair.

Parents who find it difficult to volunteer because it takes away from time they can spend with their families can combine the two activities and volunteer as a family. Bring your children along when volunteering at the local park, beach or soup kitchen. You will still get quality time with your kids, and you will be instilling a sense of social responsibility in your children.

Finding time to volunteer can be difficult. But even the busiest men and women can still give back to their communities in a variety of ways.

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en and women want to give back to their communities, but too often find themselves strapped for time. Commitments to work and family can make it hard to find time to volunteer.

But hectic schedules do not have to prevent people from doing good in their communities and beyond. The following are a few simple ways time-strapped men and women can give back to their communities.

Promote a good cause.

Shedding light on a good cause can help the less fortunate. When a local nonprofit organization is having a fundraiser or an event to raise awareness, men and women who won’t be able to participate can still chip in by promoting such events via social media or by encouraging friends and family members to go in their stead. It won’t take long to post a link to a favorite charity’s Web site on your social media profile, and doing so can raise awareness of that charity among family and friends.

Make a donation. While making a donation may not seem like the most creative way to give back, men and women who are short on time should not downplay the significance of such donations. Writing a check to a favorite charity may be a less than satisfying way to support a good cause, but nonprofit organizations cannot succeed and continue their missions without donations. So while a financial donation might not seem like an active way to give back, that does not mean such donations are not as appreciated as volunteering time.

Work with organizations that host short-term projects.

Volunteering is often a significant commitment, as many organizations

At this joyous time of year, we are grateful for our customers, far and near. We wish you all an abundance of happiness and peace in a new year filled with hope.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

How to give back even when time isn’t

Happy Holidays!

GIVING BACK

Mentoring young people is one way that busy men and women can give back to their communities without sacrificing much of their time.

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Giving Back

Helping over the holidays Several volunteer opportunities available in Bryan-College Station

The Eagle • theeagle.com

Sunday, December 1, 2013

By Holli Koster SPECIAL TO THE EAGLE

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s the holiday season rush kicks off, so does an array of volunteer activities geared toward helping those in need throughout the Brazos Valley community.

The Brazos Valley Food Bank has seen a 150-percent increase in demand over the last five years, and it has no slow periods, said Theresa Mangapora, executive director of the food bank. The food bank, a charitable center of food collection and distribution, needs volunteers year round, but especially during the holidays.

“One out of every five households in the Brazos Valley faces hunger,” Mangapora said.

“If that household includes a child, this risk increases to one out of four. And recent SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) cuts and possible additional cuts that may come with the new Farm Bill leads food bankers to believe that this demand will not weaken.”

Families can work to support the food bank in a number of ways – by donating food and funds and by physically working at the food bank, which is located at 1514 Shiloh Ave. in Bryan. The food bank is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30

p.m. Monday through Friday.

“The Brazos Valley Food Bank always needs donations,” Mangapora said. “When it comes to food donations, we can always use canned vegetables and shelfstable protein items (peanut butter, tuna, chili, stews, soups and dried and/or canned beans), rice pasta, fresh produce and cereal.”

Donors can bring food directly to the food bank or contribute to barrels located inside the Kroger stores off Boonville Road in Bryan and on Longmire Avenue or Southwest Parkway in College Station.

The food bank can also maximize monetary donations, according to Mangapora. For every $1 donated, the food bank ensures that five pounds of food is distributed.

“A different way to look at this is the Brazos Valley Food Bank can take $1 and secure four meals for someone in need,” Mangapora said. “For a $7 donation, we can fill a hungry child’s BackPack with shelf-stable food for the weekend when she does not have access to school meals.”

Families can make monetary donations to the food bank online at www.bvfb.org/donate.html -- a site that allows for general

donations, restricted donations and donations in memory or honor of someone. Checks can be mailed to Brazos Valley Food Bank, P.O. Box 74, Bryan, TX 77806. The food bank can also accept credit card donations over the phone at 979-779-3663.

Residents can also provide food to the food bank during the KBTX Cares Food for Families event Dec. 11. For the event, local residents can bring non-perishable

food items to the Brazos Center from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., the Kimbro Center in Madisonville from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and MidSouth Synergy Office in Navasota from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Donated food remains in the county in which it was donated.

For more information, visit www.kbtx.com/kbtxcares/ foodforfamilies.

During the holidays, the food bank needs several volunteers.

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Family Promise This national organization works through affiliates in 41 states, marshaling existing local resources to provide for homeless families as they work to get back on their feet. Resources include available congregational spaces, donated goods and volunteers.

Funds donated to the BryanCollege Station affiliate remain local.

For more information, contact 979-268-4309.

Phoebe’s Home Phoebe’s Home is an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and their families, also offering case management

and non-residential counseling services. Volunteers can contact the center to determine needs, including whether children in residence need Christmas gifts.

For more information, call 979822-2674.

Salvation Army The organization, which donates millions of dollars each year to aid needy families, seniors and the homeless through its red kettle campaign, often is in need of bell ringers to collect funds near businesses around the city.

For more information, call 979361-0618.

For information on additional volunteer opportunities in Bryan-College Station and the surrounding area, visit www. volunteermatch.org.

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

for families in counseling at the agency, the local child advocacy center serving abused children and their families.

“Naturally, the holidays are rough for these families,” said Melanie Scarpace of Scotty’s House.

“Anyone interested in helping these families can contact us for more information.”

Scarpace said Scotty’s House currently has a couple families in which one parent has been removed due to abuse. The other parent is left to provide for the family.

For more information, contact Scarpace at 979-703-8813 or mscarpace@scottyshouse.org.

For information on year-round volunteering opportunities, visit www.scottyshouse.org/ Volunteers.aspx.

Bryan Police Department The Bryan Police Officers Association’s Blue Angel Tree will feature tags listing needy children and elderly in the community.

The tree is located in the lobby of the police department, but it will make stops at retailers throughout the community.

Local residents can select an angel from the tree and purchase gifts to be presented at the Blue Christmas Party. The police department is also accepting new toy donations and monetary donations to purchase gifts for the families on the tree through 5 p.m. on Dec. 10.

The association will present gifts to the families in need on Dec. 14 at the Bryan Police

GIVING BACK

“All of our food is sorted by volunteers; all of our BackPacks, Senior Bags and Family Boxes are packed by volunteers,” Mangapora said. “We also need volunteers to assist with our monthly Mobile Food Pantry in Madison County.”

The mobile food pantry is a drive-through pantry located at the Madison County Fairgrounds. It is open on select dates throughout the year.

For more information on volunteer opportunities at the food bank, visit www.bvfb.org.

Opportunities for seniors For seniors interested in pitching in with charitable organizations over the holidays, Brazos Valley RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), at the Brazos Valley Council of Governments, provides many opportunities to get involved.

RSVP reports senior volunteer hours with legislators at state and national levels, demonstrating seniors’ contributions to the economy and workforce and often attracting federal matching dollars for local communities.

The organization also covers volunteers under its insurance for the hours they work.

For more information on volunteer opportunities during the holiday season, visit www. bvcog.org/programs/retiredsenior-volunteer-program or call 979-845-2800 ext. 2021.

Scotty’s House Scotty’s House is collecting gifts, clothing and other items

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GivinG Back Sunday, december 1, 2013 The eagle • Theeagle.com 6

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teacH cHildren to be charitable

t is often during times of extreme devastation when children first see how communities can join together to help one another. Such efforts may be a child’s initial exposure to charity while highlighting the importance of putting another person’s needs before your own.

But children need not be exposed charity solely during times of tragedy. Teaching children to be charitable is one of the ways to help them become good citizens of the world. By helping others, parents can instill early on lessons of kindness, empathy and compassion into their sons and daughters. Children who are ready and willing to lend a helping hand may grow up to be more appreciative of what they have in their own lives.

What’s more, they may learn to be selfless while assigning less value to material things.

Youngsters who repeatedly see their own parents and other role models doing good and lending a helping hand may be more inclined to repeat that behavior, and giving will be the norm for them rather than the exception.

To mold charitable children, families can employ the following techniques: start locally. There are people right in your own community or on the street where you live who can benefit from a helping hand. Ask an elderly neighbor if he or she needs assistance with shopping for groceries or could benefit from your child taking in the garbage cans after pickup. Children can help shovel snow from sidewalks or do other age-appropriate tasks, such as place a carelessly strewn newspaper closer to a neighbor’s door.

volunteer as a family. The entire family can get together and spend time working at a community-sponsored carnival or cleaning debris from an area beach. Volunteer work may be available at your child’s school, where families can plant gardens around the property. When volunteering as a family, not only is your entire family helping to do good, but you’re spending quality time together as well.

Make charitable donations. Let children see the solicitations for monetary donations that come in the mail.

Read aloud the pleas for funds to help children and adults who may not have enough to eat or who may require medical care. This is an important lesson in humility and helps show children that not every person in the world is comfortable. Once kids have read about the needs of others, involve them in the donation process. They can assist with sorting clothing and toys they may no longer need and then help bag it up and donate it to an agency that takes collected items. give throughout the year. Charity need not be limited to the holiday season. Inform children that many people need throughout the year, and that volunteering is a year-round activity.

Match kids’ charitable fundraising. Encourage children to start their own fundraising efforts and match the funds they raise. Find companies that will also match the amount your children have raised. set up a giving policy. Children can learn the importance of giving at an early age by dividing their allowances and financial gifts into different categories. They can put one-third toward savings, one-third toward spending and one-third toward donations. If children do not have a lot of money in a piggy bank, they can donate their time, which many charities need as much as money.

How to keep volunteers happy

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olunteers can be the life’s blood of nonprofit organizations. Without individuals willing to donate their time, charities facing tight budgets may not have sufficient personnel to achieve their goals.

Organizations who rely heavily on volunteers can take the following steps to ensure their volunteers know their efforts are appreciated. create a welcoming environment. No matter how many times a person volunteers, he or she will feel like the new kid in town on his or her first day with a new organization.

Make new volunteers feel welcome, giving them a guided

tour during which you introduce them to fellow volunteers and full- or part-time staff members.

An environment that is warm and welcoming from the moment a volunteer arrives will make the experience better for all involved.

Maintain an open door policy. Volunteers should feel comfortable conversing with executive directors and other higher-ups at the organization. Encourage the sharing of ideas, even with executives high up on the totem pole. Directors can meet with staff members to illustrate how everyone is working together and no one carries greater

importance than another in the organization.

Be prepared for volunteers. Volunteers are giving their time and expecting nothing in return.

Walking into an office that is not prepared for a volunteer may lead the volunteer to view the organization as unorganized or one that lacks dedication.

Charities should have a clear plan in place with regard to the duties of volunteers.

There should be a desk area or computer available when necessary. In addition, be sure to have work immediately available so the volunteer won’t be sitting around with little to do.

clearly spell out time constraints.

Volunteers often find time to volunteer while juggling their day jobs and responsibilities at home, and not everyone has the same amount of time available to devote to a charity. Therefore, being up front with how much time a project is expected to take can help a volunteer gauge if he or she will be able to assist.

Decide how much time the job will need, and be honest with potential volunteers during interviews or when advertising openings. give frequent praise. Let volunteers know their work is appreciated.

Come up with ways to show your appreciation, be it taking volunteers out to lunch, providing snacks or other treats around the office or accommodating their personal schedules. Each of these efforts shows volunteers that you have their best interests in mind.

Provide proof of success. Keep volunteers informed about the fruits of their labors. Share notes of gratitude from those who have benefitted from your organization’s efforts with the staff. Single out volunteers who played key roles in making changes happen. Frequent encouragement and proof of success will raise spirits and reassure volunteers that their efforts are worthwhile.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

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GIVING BACK

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