Thanks for your generosity!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Winter Warmers Thanks
Thanks for your generosity!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Brisbane Marathon... now that's a Fund Idea!
Well the folks from Ablaze Lighthouse are certainly on a roll with serving Brisbane! They sure deserve some Gold Stars! This time, 9 dedicated individuals woke up at the crack of dawn to attend the annual Brisbane Marathon. Before you let the word 'marathon' rule this out as a viable fundraising option for yourself and your group... read on!
Let's say it upfront for those who won't last until the end of this post - you don't have to run 10km, 21km or even 42km to raise funds for your favourite charity (or for Unidus for that matter!)
Each person receives $30 for volunteering at the Brisbane Marathon. While it was a very early start (5am!), it was an easy fundraising effort. The 9 individuals from Lighthouse raised $270 that went towards Watoto. It was a local effort with a global impact! To find out more, we talk to Suzie and Karyn - two of the volunteers!
What did you guys do?
Suzie: Some of us helped out at the Runners' Registration Desk. Our jobs were easy - tick participants off the list as they register, hand them their runner packs, and give basic directions (we might have sent some of them in the wrong directions because it was too early in the morning for some of us!)
Karyn: The rest of us helped out as road marshalls. My role was to make sure people are running the right way and to cheer the runners on! Although we could have kept the $30 for ourselves, we chose to give it towards Watoto.
What were the highlights for you? Suzie: The experience of going behind the scenes of a large scale community event, getting a glimpse of things that needs to be considered.. like how to best communicate information to so many people, how to lay out the registration area in a way that is conducive to human traffic flow! It was pretty educational for us too!
And you get some freebies like food, a drink and a free T-shirt! Not a bad deal!
Karyn: There were lots of amazing runners there... but I was most inspired by the runner ones who struggle to put one foot in front of the other with aching knees, pounding heart and sweating away through the slowly advancing distance. Regardless of whether a marathoner finishes the race or not, it was really encouraging to see that he or she had done their best!
Another highlight was meeting new people! I was partnered with another girl who was also volunteering. She was suppose to run on the day but had to withdraw due to an ankle injury. We had an awesome time of chatting while waiting for the runners to run by! It was a great outreach opportunity!
Would you recommend this activity to others? Suzie: Definitely! We heard about it through a friend of a friend and just jumped right into it! It is a really efficient way of fundraising and doing something fun together!
Karyn: Yes! I personally found that it was a good outreach and fundraising event. You have the chance to meet and work alongside new people. Even though I volunteered from 5am to 1pm, it didn’t feel long at all for me because it was really fun!
Where there any lowlights? Any suggestion for people who may want to do this activity in future?
Suzie: The 5am start was a bit hard for us, but it was alright once you get into volunteering.
Karyn: The early start was the only hard bit ... although it was amazing seeing people there before 5am to warm up for running 42km!
Well Lighthouse, you've done it again! Not only did you contribute 50 hours to the 500 hours campaign, you raised $270 towards building another house for the Watoto Village!
If you are keen to find out how you and your group of friends can volunteer at the next Brisbane Marathon event, go to www.brisbanemarathon.com.
Let's say it upfront for those who won't last until the end of this post - you don't have to run 10km, 21km or even 42km to raise funds for your favourite charity (or for Unidus for that matter!)
Each person receives $30 for volunteering at the Brisbane Marathon. While it was a very early start (5am!), it was an easy fundraising effort. The 9 individuals from Lighthouse raised $270 that went towards Watoto. It was a local effort with a global impact! To find out more, we talk to Suzie and Karyn - two of the volunteers!
What did you guys do?
Suzie: Some of us helped out at the Runners' Registration Desk. Our jobs were easy - tick participants off the list as they register, hand them their runner packs, and give basic directions (we might have sent some of them in the wrong directions because it was too early in the morning for some of us!)
Karyn: The rest of us helped out as road marshalls. My role was to make sure people are running the right way and to cheer the runners on! Although we could have kept the $30 for ourselves, we chose to give it towards Watoto.
What were the highlights for you? Suzie: The experience of going behind the scenes of a large scale community event, getting a glimpse of things that needs to be considered.. like how to best communicate information to so many people, how to lay out the registration area in a way that is conducive to human traffic flow! It was pretty educational for us too!
And you get some freebies like food, a drink and a free T-shirt! Not a bad deal!
Karyn: There were lots of amazing runners there... but I was most inspired by the runner ones who struggle to put one foot in front of the other with aching knees, pounding heart and sweating away through the slowly advancing distance. Regardless of whether a marathoner finishes the race or not, it was really encouraging to see that he or she had done their best!
Another highlight was meeting new people! I was partnered with another girl who was also volunteering. She was suppose to run on the day but had to withdraw due to an ankle injury. We had an awesome time of chatting while waiting for the runners to run by! It was a great outreach opportunity!
Would you recommend this activity to others? Suzie: Definitely! We heard about it through a friend of a friend and just jumped right into it! It is a really efficient way of fundraising and doing something fun together!
Karyn: Yes! I personally found that it was a good outreach and fundraising event. You have the chance to meet and work alongside new people. Even though I volunteered from 5am to 1pm, it didn’t feel long at all for me because it was really fun!
Where there any lowlights? Any suggestion for people who may want to do this activity in future?
Suzie: The 5am start was a bit hard for us, but it was alright once you get into volunteering.
Karyn: The early start was the only hard bit ... although it was amazing seeing people there before 5am to warm up for running 42km!
Well Lighthouse, you've done it again! Not only did you contribute 50 hours to the 500 hours campaign, you raised $270 towards building another house for the Watoto Village!
If you are keen to find out how you and your group of friends can volunteer at the next Brisbane Marathon event, go to www.brisbanemarathon.com.
Keeping folks warm in winter!
In July this year, a group of young adults helped beat the winter blues for folks living on the streets of Brisbane. We talk to Becky Lee (from Ablaze Lighthouse) who was in charge of the project.
What did you guys do?
We basically organised an appeal within the Ablaze working adults group to collect winter clothing, blankets and other daily necessities for people in need who live right in our very own backyards!
We worked with CityCare Brisbane who provide direct services to these people, many who are homeless.
The Family Group heard we were doing this and generously donated HEAPS of things!
Sounds like an easy and effective project to organise! What were the highlights?
I was blessed by the genuine interest of my friends in church for those who are in lack and their generosity to do what they can to donate generously!
Also it was a bonus to meet people with kingdom-minded perspective who've been faithful to what God has called them to by taking care and meeting real needs of people who are on the fringe of the society.
I think we all learnt from this simple activity how blessed we are and we can all make a difference in our community just by paying attention to the immediate needs of people and playing our part in supporting them.
If someone wants to do similar things in future, what would you advise them?
This is so easy and effective - it is just a matter of doing some research on the charities you want to work with. And give plenty of notice and friendly reminders to people whom you are collecting from!!
If you don't know where to start, CityCare Brisbane is a good place to start! They already do a lot of good community work so its just a matter of jumping on board and seeing how we can add value!
Thanks again Lighthouse and Family Group! Through all your blanket and winter clothing collecting, sorting, and donating.. you have contributed over 50 hours towards the 500 hours campaign!
What did you guys do?
We basically organised an appeal within the Ablaze working adults group to collect winter clothing, blankets and other daily necessities for people in need who live right in our very own backyards!
We worked with CityCare Brisbane who provide direct services to these people, many who are homeless.
The Family Group heard we were doing this and generously donated HEAPS of things!
Sounds like an easy and effective project to organise! What were the highlights?
I was blessed by the genuine interest of my friends in church for those who are in lack and their generosity to do what they can to donate generously!
Also it was a bonus to meet people with kingdom-minded perspective who've been faithful to what God has called them to by taking care and meeting real needs of people who are on the fringe of the society.
I think we all learnt from this simple activity how blessed we are and we can all make a difference in our community just by paying attention to the immediate needs of people and playing our part in supporting them.
If someone wants to do similar things in future, what would you advise them?
This is so easy and effective - it is just a matter of doing some research on the charities you want to work with. And give plenty of notice and friendly reminders to people whom you are collecting from!!
If you don't know where to start, CityCare Brisbane is a good place to start! They already do a lot of good community work so its just a matter of jumping on board and seeing how we can add value!
Thanks again Lighthouse and Family Group! Through all your blanket and winter clothing collecting, sorting, and donating.. you have contributed over 50 hours towards the 500 hours campaign!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Support Keep Australia Beautiful Week
Whilst around 90% of households have access to kerbside recycling and 99% of people say they are participating in some form of re‑use or recycling at home, we continue to produce waste at unsustainable levels.
A major challenge for us all is to find ways that we can recycle more when we are away from home. By recycling more when we are out and about, it means our rubbish can instead be recycled into new products. This reduces our use of natural resources and means less rubbish in landfill.
Many councils, venues and businesses are introducing public place recycling bins, so it’s up to us all to do our bit and start recycling our empty drink bottles and cans, rather than throwing them in the rubbish bin. And, if you can’t find a public recycling bin nearby, then make the small but valuable effort to take your empty containers home for recycling.
As part of their involvement in Keep Australia Beautiful Week, Principal Sponsor Hungry Jack’s will be launching a three-month beverage container recycling trial with the support of Coca- Cola. Look out for the brightly coloured recycling bins in selected Hungry Jack’s stores, as well as other public place recycling bins in your local area.
Check out the KAB Week website pages to download a wide range of tips and resources to help ensure you are recycling right, and to find out what your rubbish is being ‘reincarnated’ into.
A major challenge for us all is to find ways that we can recycle more when we are away from home. By recycling more when we are out and about, it means our rubbish can instead be recycled into new products. This reduces our use of natural resources and means less rubbish in landfill.
Many councils, venues and businesses are introducing public place recycling bins, so it’s up to us all to do our bit and start recycling our empty drink bottles and cans, rather than throwing them in the rubbish bin. And, if you can’t find a public recycling bin nearby, then make the small but valuable effort to take your empty containers home for recycling.
As part of their involvement in Keep Australia Beautiful Week, Principal Sponsor Hungry Jack’s will be launching a three-month beverage container recycling trial with the support of Coca- Cola. Look out for the brightly coloured recycling bins in selected Hungry Jack’s stores, as well as other public place recycling bins in your local area.
Check out the KAB Week website pages to download a wide range of tips and resources to help ensure you are recycling right, and to find out what your rubbish is being ‘reincarnated’ into.
You can also be a get involved by organising a litter count in your neighbourhood and organise a Tidy up. Click here to see how.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Dynamic Duo Makes a Difference!
Homeless Connect Brisbane has helped over 4,200 people by coordinating businesses and community groups twice annually, providing free services to individuals who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or do not have secure accommodation. Around 700 people attend each Homeless Connect event and goods and services provided by generous partners, sponsors and volunteers include medical care, legal advice, accommodation, personal grooming and clothes.
Kevin and Neru - the dynamic duo - have been volunteering at Homeless Connect and now tells their story of how they have been serving Brisbane!
Tell us, what did you do?
Neru & I take part in Homeless Connect every 6 months. On 11 May, we took part again, and this was our third contribution. Being a dentist, Neru provides free dental consultation while I assist her in the administrative and coordination work.
What were some of the highlights for you?
Seeing people who are homeless who do not usually receive any positive attention really appreciating the work we are doing. We've been seeing some of them in church too which has been a great spin off. Its nice for them to be in a community that really cares for them and love them.
What valuable lessons did you learn?
We were able to understand the homeless better and see the benefits of this experience in enabling us to build UNIDUS community service in future. We would definitely recommend this to other groups when it comes up in the future.
Just go to www.homelessconnect.com.au to find out when the next event is!
Kevin and Neru - you have both contributed 12 hours towards 500 hours of serving Brisbane!
Lighthouse Acting Local + Global
Lighthouse - the young adults group of the Ablaze Service have been rolling up their sleeves to put their actions where their mouths are - by serving Brisbane. But their cause is two-pronged - serving Brisbane in a really practical way, and fundraising for a Global Cause. Find out more as Melissa Ke, one of Lighthouse's community service coordinator tells us the story.
What did you guys do?
Essentially, we had a two-pronged approach - contributing towards both a local and global cause.
We cleaned up a park in Inala (which included scrubbing the dirty BBQ pit until it was squeaking clean!). After the clean up, we cooked a up simple BBQ and played some games as our well-earned treats!! So it was good for bonding and fellowship too!
People contributed $5 towards the event. Half of that went towards costs of the BBQ, and half went towards building a house in the Watoto Village to help build homes for orphans in Uganda.
What were some of the highlights of the day?
Getting together to focus on others - to serve our community and impacting a community overseas. We had a lot of fun having a small competition to see which group would collect the most trash and there were bags full! We got to get rid of sharp objects, broken beer bottles - just to name a few dangerous items in a family park!
Would you recommend this activity for another group?
YES! It is simple to organise, creates awareness about both global and local issues. It is something groups can keep doing in different local parks. It was relatively cheap to execute. Administration wise, it was also quite easy! All in all a great activity to bring the group together!
Any low-lights of the day?
The day was so fun and rewarding we wish more people would have come! Especially more friends of our members. (We had 20 attend on the day).
Congratulations Lighthouse! You've contributed 80 hours towards 500 hours of serving Brisbane!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Little people, not litter people!
They may be young, but they're unstoppable! Justin Chan from Voltage (Ablaze) tells the story of enthusiastic highschool students hitting the streets of Sunnybank... no, not for chinese food... but to clean up its streets! They did this in March as part of Clean Up Australia Day.
So what did you guys do?
We gathered the youth in high school to participate in Clean Up Australia Day. We chose to clean up Sunnypark Shopping Centre. We walked around in groups of 3 and 4, walked around picking up bottles, cans, cardboard boxes, chip packets and anything not organic lying on ground. After we cleaned up we took a well deserved break with some ice-blocks and took our bags of rubbish to the collection point at granadilla park.
Tell us some highlights of the day?
- Competing with other groups for who could fill up the most bags of rubbish...
- Hanging out with others and doing some good for the community...
- Seeing people stare at us like we're crazy haha...
- Young people getting involved in something besides playing computer games or hanging out in a shopping centre
- We also had some other youth join us who are not apart of our life groups
Definitely! Be prepared to pick up a lot of rubbish! Its not usual to see people pick up rubbish (esp if you're a bunch of young people!)... so you will get quite a few odd looks from people! But hey... its a good deed so it doesn't matter!
One tip though... wear thick, water proof gloves! We were given material gloves which is not good when it has just rained and all the rubbish is wet (yuk!)
Guess you guys learnt the hard way... thanks for the tip! It looks like they had a ball! And they were each rewarded with an ice-block! What a great way to end end a day of hard yakka! :)
Well done guys! You've contributed 75 hours towards 500 hours!
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