Local Service Project for General Assembly
2012 Service Projects
Naturalization/Citizenship Fair
Saturday, June 23, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
ASU Preparatory Academy, 735 East Fillmore Street
UU Volunteers will assist permanent residents who are eligible for citizenship in completing their final citizenship applications, while others will perform support tasks. Volunteers are required to have registered, and either received prior training or attended a special training at GA (Thursday, June 21 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.).
“Beat the Heat” Backpack Project
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Phoenix Convention Center - Hall BC
The “Beat the Heat” Backpack Project will provide the children of the Dysart Community Center with books, hats, water bottles, other necessities, and treats, packed into a backpack for each of them. Area children spend much time indoors during the summer heat, and the backpacks will help them through the summer.
Stop by, pack, write a note to tuck into a child’s backpack, and find out more about the center.
Dysart Community Center (El Mirage, AZ) is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization serving low-income families in West Valley communities in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Its mission is to provide educational and developmental opportunities for low-income children and adults in our local communities.
Phoenix area UUs have taught English as a Second Language to Dysart adults. Two of our human-rights partner organizations, Puente and Somos America, helped us connect with Dysart for this service project.
Donations
Donations from the Sunday morning service at GA will be shared between two Phoenix-area recipient organizations this year. The two organizations are: the Comités de Defensa del Barrio (CDBs) and Puente AZ.
Past Service Projects
The 2011 Service Project was In Our Own Back Yards youth summer camp. Over $32,000 was raised in donations.
In Our Own Back Yards is an interfaith, service-based summer camp experience designed to open the eyes of campers to the harsh reality of poverty in the Charlotte Mecklenburg community.
In Our Own Back Yards is a program of Mecklenburg Ministries, which promotes interfaith relationships, fosters racial and ethnic understanding, and inspires collaboration to address social issues. Founded in 1987, this non-profit organization envisions a community that lives by the highest values and core virtues of its rich faith traditions and respects the dignity of every person. Over ninety faith groups participate, including Baha’I, Center for Positive Living, Christian, Friends, Hindu, Jewish, Latter Day Saints, Muslim, and Unitarian Universalist congregations.
Our 2010 Service Project with nearby Hope Community offered opportunities for hands-on service as well as donations.
General Assembly attendees participated in a wide range of tasks including gardening, landscaping and painting. In addition, over $40,000 was raised in donations.
Hope Community has created and implemented a vision for a neighborhood where most had little hope. One building at a time, abandoned spaces have turned into homes for families. But buildings alone do not make community. People must build a community, and that understanding is at the core of Hope Community’s approach to neighborhood revitalization. Hope Community is a catalyst for change, growth and safety. Hope is building a sustainable neighborhood model through community organization, active education, leadership and affordable housing development.
The 2009 service project raised $30,000 for the Utah Pride Center. The Utah Pride Center provides support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, adults, and families through a variety of programs. With the money raised from Unitarian Universalists at General Assembly, the Utah Pride Center will expand their services for LGBT youth.
Hispanic Unity was selected as the 2008 service project; $23,000 was raised. The purpose of Hispanic Unity of Florida is to serve immigrants and their families from varying ethnicities, by empowering them to be successful in the United States.
In 2007, General Assembly raised $42,000 for Village Gardens, a sustainable urban agriculture program in Portland, OR.
For more information contact generalassembly@uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Friday, May 18, 2012.
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