NOTES: May 21, 2015 Field Trip to MS Museum of Natural Science

Special thanks to Ann Taylor and Karen at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science for this morning’s amazing and FUN behind-the-scenes tour of the aquariums at the Museum!  (We had planned a meditation walk in the garden, but wet weather and muddy, swampy grounds changed our plans a bit.)  Thanks, too, for the delicious breakfast!

NOTES:

  • Born Free update:  799 Flag Chapel Road (former site of Born Free’s residential program) is FOR SALE.  Contact Fran Baker at 601-278-4460 to inquire.
  • Good Samaritan Center’s annual fundraiser, a golf ball drop from a hot air balloon, is coming up on July 4!  To purchase a ball for charity, visit www.goodsamaritancenter.org
  • Center for Pregnancy Choices is holding its fundraiser, a Tri-athalon Sprint.  Visit www.iamathlete.com
  • On Sept. 9, Tougaloo College is holding its Community Service Fair from 10:00 – 11:30 AM.  The same day, Tougaloo is hosting a Community Service and Partnership Development Workshop. DOVIA is co-sponsoring this Workshop.
  • Mississippi Boychoir auditions begin August 1.  No previous singing experience required; just a love of singing and a willingness to learn. Open to boys aged 6-18. Sign up for a free audition here: www.mississippiboychoir.org
  • Department of Archives and History is offering Kids’ Camps in June – July. Sign up quick at http://mdah.state.ms.us/new/learn/students/kids-camps/
  • Kris Beatty, director of Volunteer Greater Jackson (http://volunteergreaterjackson.org/), is seeking stats on volunteering.  Get in touch!
  • “Wolf to Woof” opens May 30 at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science; also check out Snake Day on June 2!

Treasurer’s Report:  as of May 20, we have $2,637.37 in the bank

Remember the upcoming workshops sponsored by DOVIA:

  • Grant Writing Made Easy: Financing Your Vision (June 25-26, 2015) – $79 for members
  • Creative Visioning: A Road to Strategic Planning (July 10, 2015) – $49 for members
  • Fundraising 101 (July 17, 2015) – $49 for members
  • Attend all three for just $169!

Congratulations, Doris Bridgeman, on your GIVE Award!

Dear DOVIA Friends,

Doris_Bridgeman_DOVIA recently nominated Doris Griffith Bridgeman for a 2015 Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) Award.  Volunteer Mississippi is pleased to announce that its panel of judges has selected Doris to receive the Outstanding Achievement by a Volunteer Management Professional award at the annual GIVE Awards Ceremony.

All award recipients were honored at the GIVE Awards Luncheon Ceremony on April 13, 2015 at the Mississippi Museum of Art.  The luncheon also featured award recipients’ photos and stories in the program booklet, a poster and slide presentation, and speeches by the winners.

Congratulations, Doris, on this much-deserved achievement!

Volunteer Hattiesburg Seeking Ops Volunteers

Volunteer Opportunity Details:

Last updated on February 14, 2013

A Volunteer Response Center is being opened tomorrow, February 15th at 12:00 p.m. until further notice. Approximately 20 volunteers are needed to operate the center. Training will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 15th and end at noon. Immediately following the training session transition to the VRC will begin. Volunteers will handle agency requests for volunteers, volunteer matching and new volunteer registration.

The Volunteer Response Center will be located at 308 Newman Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 in the Community Room of the Hattiesburg Train Depot. Follow signage.

2013 Intensive Trainings… take the survey!

Dear Friends of DOVIA:

The 2013 officers are busy planning the 2013 calendar of events.  Last year’s “Grant Writing Made Easy: Financing Your Vision” was a huge success; we’ve heard from you that you want more in-depth trainings in addition to the regular monthly meetings.

Here’s your chance to make your voice heard!  We’ve developed a short survey (just 7 questions) to address this very issue.  Please take 30 seconds now to complete it:  2013 In-Depth Training Survey (Survey Monkey)

The survey will be open until December 15.

Thanks for your participation!

Calling all bloggers!

We’ve been handed a request for volunteer-related blog posts from any of you – please feel free to participate!

From Deirdra Glover, Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service (MCVS):

“[MCVS’s] new website will launch in December with a pretty ambitious campaign.  It would be fantastic if DOVIA members would be willing to write a blog entry or two (anything from a few paragraphs to a full-fledged article).  Since it’s the holidays, I’d love to see an article on tactics used to keep volunteers engaged year ’round, not just in crisis moments or the big events…  Pass the question around your circles and then I’ll compile it into a piece for the site.  We’ll also take volunteer profiles any time you/r members want to brag on someone, to boot.

We want a lot of diverse voices on the blog, so it’s not just tightly buttoned state employees.  [MCVS’s] goal is to reach as many types of people as possible, showing that anyone can be meaningfully engaged in their communities by doing things they love.”

Many thanks,

Deirdra Harris Glover
Public Affairs Specialist
Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service
769.798.1336
www.mcvs.org