Projects in 47 states and three Canadian provinces for the ninth national day of intergenerational partnership-building on May 3, 2008.
OAK BROOK, IL – This year’s JOIN HANDS DAY, May 3, 2008, was a great success thanks to the efforts of the fraternal benefit system. Created in 2000, JOIN HANDS DAY is a national day of service where youths and adults work as equal partners to plan and carry out local volunteer projects to benefit their communities.
In 47 states, plus the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, approximately 1,100 projects were registered for this year’s JOIN HANDS DAY. JOIN HANDS DAY is sponsored by America’s fraternal benefit societies and is held annually on the first Saturday in May. Details of this year’s many projects can be found on the JOIN HANDS DAY Web site (www.joinhandsday.org).
Fraternalists hold events throughout North America
In Baytown, Texas, more than 1,400 volunteers collected funds, food and hygiene, office and cleaning supplies for the Bay Area Homeless Services.
The Boissevain, Manitoba, chapter of United Commercial Travelers invited youth to help tidy up the grounds of the International Peace Garden on the American and Canadian border followed by a wiener and marshmallow roast.
Scavenger Hunt Bingo was held in Albany, Georgia. Youngsters paired up in teams with adults and went to neighborhood houses to ask for donations of canned goods shown on a bingo card. The team that completed the bingo card first and the team that collected the most food received prizes. The food was given to Neighbors in Need, a local non-profit organization that supplies food to the elderly and needy.
“JOIN HANDS DAY is just one example of how fraternal benefit societies make a difference in their communities,” said Join Hands Corporation President Joseph J. Annotti. “Volunteering and contributing in their own neighborhoods is a key part of fraternalists’ daily lives.”
JOIN HANDS DAY creates meaningful partnerships
This volunteer day brings diverse groups together to work for a common good. In Twin Falls, Idaho, Modern Woodmen of America, Red Hat Society, Magic Valley Builders Association, Sober Riders motorcycle club, the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, a homeschoolers association,
Boy Scouts of America, OWLS (Outstanding Women of Leadership), LDS Relief Society and Potato Growers of America joined forces to bring a “Christmas in Springtime” celebration to a large assisted living center. These groups reunited this year after doing a JHD project last year.
Youth involvement creates innovative projects
Having youths involved in the planning of the volunteer activities brings a fresh approach to helping others. Royal Neighbors in Rock Island, Ill., purchased Wii games for use at senior residences. On JOIN HANDS DAY, young people taught residents how to use these popular games, which are not only fun, but can help with rehabilitation, coordination and social skills.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans volunteers created a “Pizza Garden” on the grounds of the Eastern Star Nursing Home. After the ground is tilled, nursing home residents, community and 4-H youths and leaders plant “ingredients” needed for making pizzas: tomatoes, garlic, onions, wheat for crusts, corn and soybeans to feed the animals that provide the cheese and meat. The residents and community youths will continue meeting once a week throughout the summer to learn more about gardening, nutrition and weeding.
Other good works done on JOIN HANDS DAY continue to provide assistance throughout the rest of the year. Fraternalists planted 10,000 gladiola bulbs in Marg’s Glad Garden in Grafton, Nova Scotia, a memorial for a cancer victim. Blooms are harvested and sold as a fundraiser for other cancer victims who need financial assistance for their treatments. Last year, the garden raised $12,000 for the Marg Salsman Cancer Care Patient Navigator Memorial Fund.
More than 1,000 volunteers collected collected funds for Casting Your Cares, Inc. and Devine Creations, a nonprofit mentoring group for low-income young women and girls from the Northeast side of Houston, Texas, that meets as a monthly club and holds workshops on self-esteem, self-image, problem solving, decision-making and communication.
“The NFCA appreciates the efforts made by its member-societies and state fraternal congresses on JOIN HANDS DAY,” said Join Hands Corporation Chairman of the Board Michael Stivoric. “While we, as fraternalists, join hands year-round, JOIN HANDS DAY gives us the opportunity to reach out to people we don’t know, connect with other generations and develop relationships that would never happen otherwise.”
Sponsors of the Day
Sponsored by America’s fraternal benefit societies, JOIN HANDS DAY is the fraternal national day of service when youths and adults work together to plan and implement projects that benefit their local communities.
About the NFCA
America’s fraternal benefit societies are members of the National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA), a trade association founded in 1886. The association’s 73 member-societies are not-for-profit membership organizations that represent 10 million people in 37,000 local chapters, making it one of America’s largest member volunteer networks. Fraternal benefit societies provide members with leadership, social, educational, spiritual, patriotic, financial and volunteer-service opportunities. In 2006, these societies and their members volunteered 95 million hours and contributed $410 million to charitable and fraternal programs. To learn more about fraternal benefit societies and the NFCA, visit the NFCA’s Web site at www.nfcanet.org.
To learn more about JOIN HANDS DAY, visit the Web site at www.joinhandsday.org or e-mail actioncenter@joinhandsday.org.
