Despite the backlash against the commercialization of Christmas, the holiday shopping season is alive and well. And with an economy on the upswing and a robust boom in local manufacturing, tech and retail jobs, 2015 is looking to be a banner year for Metro Lansing, its residents, kiddos and special someones. I mean, have you
seen that self-balancing hoverboard scooter thingy yet? Marty McFly’s future never looked so good.
But there are the things you can buy and the things that you just can’t put a price on. And while that sentiment may sound sappy, there are organizations right here in your mid-Michigan backyard that would benefit from a little of your valuable time — and there’s a good chance that commitment would make more of a difference than a monetary contribution to Ye Olde Big Box Store.
“Volunteers are absolutely vital to our annual program,” says Alice Brinkman, founder of the REO Town-based nonprofit
REACH Studio Art Center. “Our teachers excel at delivering quality art education, but we rely on volunteers to help shy or frustrated students. We couldn’t exist without volunteers.”
Brinkman founded REACH in 2003 as part of an effort to connect with local students hurt by a lack of elementary arts education that resulted from shrinking public school budgets. REACH fills a vital creative gap, bringing art appreciation and creation into a neighborhood setting through after-school programs, about half of which are free.
“We contract teachers for most of programs, but if it was just teacher and kids, they wouldn’t get as good an experience as they do with volunteers,” Brinkman says. We have students from all walks of life, plenty of whom need some extra encouragement or help.”
REACH utilizes between 50 and 80 volunteers each year, including one-time events, such as its annual fundraising gala, A Not So Silent Night, held earlier this month. In any given week during the year, Brinkman says the studio needs up to 25 volunteers who do everything from setting up the rooms to washing paintbrushes at the end of the day. She says beside a basic background check, volunteers get a brief orientation, and are asked to commit to at least a semester of work to give kids the benefit of consistency.
“The most important thing we look for in a volunteer is that they enjoy working with kids,” she says. “And we emphasize that no particular art skills are required. We believe everyone has art inside.”
Although things are pretty quiet around REACH during the holiday season, Brinkman says this is a perfect time for people looking to make a New Year’s resolution to do more community service to commit to providing some one-on-one time with an aspiring Rembrandt or prepping “splatter tents” (basically, walk-in Pollock paintings). She says there may also be some upcoming opportunities for volunteers to help out with facility preparations as REACH prepares to expand into its adjacent new space, which is undergoing renovation work right now.
“We’re going to need all hands on deck very soon,” Brinkman says. “We’ve got a lot of exciting opportunities coming up for people looking to get involved with REACH. This a great time to get started.”
If your expertise lies more with chainsaws than pottery wheels, then some time with
Fenner Nature Center may be more to your speed. Jenny Mensch, Fenner’s program manager and volunteer coordinator, says the South Lansing conservancy is always looking for outdoorsy types who don’t mind a good tromp through the native underbrush — and the non-native underbrush, too.
“[The beginning of winter] is traditionally very slow for us, but the
MLK Day of Service next month has been growing in popularity every year,” Mensch says. “Service consists of cutting down invasive plants and using that to make habitats for wildlife, which is pretty fun.”
In Ingham County, the invasive honeysuckle and buckthorn plants crowd out vegetation that provide a vital food source for deer, birds and small mammals. Fenner teaches volunteers how to recognize invasive species, and sends them out with saws, loppers and other tools. Their work gives native wildlife a chance to thrive, and also makes for a good day out in the fresh air.
“The only real requirement is that you dress for the weather,” Mensch says. “This time of year, we could get anything — rain, wind, snow. A good volunteer is someone who’s ready for anything. It’s good if you’re flexible.”
Regular monthly service days start in February for folks looking to make a long-term commitment to helping out on Fenner’s trails. In fact, a good volunteer could quickly move up the ranks to becoming an indispensible part of the system.
“We have volunteers who come out throughout the year, walking the trails, and do mapping that really helps us,” Mensch says. “Some of them get to know Fenner as well as we do.”
But not all volunteer work is a (literal or figurative) walk in the park.
The Firecracker Foundation, started by Tashmica Torok, helps children who have survived sexual trauma. The nonprofit, based in REO Town, depends on volunteers to provide this unique, invaluable support for victims who have few other places to turn.
“The work we do can be intense, but it can also be very heartwarming when you make a connection,” Torok says. “It’s not an easy topic, but as volunteers work and collaborate to help these children, this community of helpers continues to grow. It’s incredible to watch that happen.”
Volunteers who work with victims undergo an time-consuming screening process, so Torok says potential volunteers looking to be part of the next big training in March should get started now with the application process. That training will be for the foundation’s mission to build a pediatric medical advocacy team, which involves meeting victims and their families at the hospital and connecting them with resources. Firecracker also needs general help, including accepting donations, putting up fliers and answering phones.
“Proactive people who work independently make good volunteers,” Torok says. “When it’s possible, I let people take work with them. Some of this is really easy work, but it’s time-consuming, and volunteers are so, so important to us for that reason. If you’re looking to make a difference and make real, positive change, then this is a great opportunity for a volunteer.”
While there aren’t Lansing-specific statistics, the
Corporation for National and Community Service reported that about 1.9 million Michiganders volunteered 200 million hours of service last year. Much of that involved charities that help homeless people, and locally, the
City Rescue Mission of Lansing is one of the oldest groups to provide assistance for needy local families. Last year the group celebrated its 100
th anniversary of providing food and temporary shelter.
Gina Malcangi, the volunteer coordinator for the City Rescue Mission, said that volunteers are needed every day, year round; in 2014, she helped coordinate over 16,000 hours of volunteer service.
“We have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities all throughout the year, including cleaning, meal service, infant care, assisting shelter staff, and opportunities at our thrift store,” Malcangi says. “Volunteers are often surprised at how great of an impact (they can make), whether volunteering one time or every week.”
Malcangi says City Rescue Mission provides volunteer orientation, which provides a background about the nonprofit, what it does, and what opportunities are available at any given time. And like some of the other local groups, that time is a resource every bit as valuable as blankets and warm clothes.
“Volunteers are crucial to the City Rescue Mission,” Malcangi says. “This is a great impact on our ministry and the amount of services we are able to provide.”
So yeah, maybe you do have a few extra bucks this year burning a hole in your pocket to get out there (or online) looking for that perfect gift, but remember: That time you spend shopping is still time you spend shopping — and that’s time you’ll never get back. Maybe you missed
Giving Tuesday this year, but why let that stop you? There are 52 Tuesdays in a year, and the next one is coming right up.
For more information on volunteering:
REACH Art Studio
1804 S. Washington Ave., Lansing
(517) 999-3643 or info@reachstudioart.org
Fenner Nature Center
2020 E. Mt. Hope Ave., Lansing
(517) 483-4224 or volunteer@mynaturecenter.org
Firecracker Foundation
1146 S. Washington Ave. Ste. D, Lansing
(517) 242-5467 or
info@thefirecrackerfoundation.org
City Rescue Mission of Lansing
2216 S. Cedar St., Lansing
volunteers@bearescuer.com (you can also fill out the Volunteer Application at bearescuer.com)
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.