RochesterCares

RochesterCares 10th Annual Meeting Hosts Author Peter Lovenheim at Max’s on 9/22/11 – 6:00 pm.

dsdarling — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:01:49 +0000

Come and join us in celebrating 10 years of service to the Rochester community at Max’s at High Falls on September 22nd. We are hosting speaker, Peter Lovenheim, author of “In The Neighborhood”, and will be selling his books at the event. Here’s the logistical information:

What: RochesterCares 10th Anniversary Celebration

When: September 22, 2011 – 6:00 pm

Where: Max’s at High Falls, 60 Browns Race, Rochester 14614 (Parking in Sister Cities Garage)

Who: Open to the Community

Please go to the RochesterCares website to RVSP HERE:

10th Anniversary

dsdarling — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:25:49 +0000

This fall marks the tenth anniversary of the conception of RochesterCares!

The whole idea of managed volunteer projects is such a good idea that it is not hard to believe that RochesterCares still marches on. In fact, the whole idea has spread farther and faster in the last ten years that in the previous ten. What is exciting about looking back on this time is the cadre of leadership that have made their mark since the beginning. It’s a pretty amazing list of people.

To celebrate 10 years of volunteer leadership in Rochester, we are hosting a special event on September 22nd. Activist Peter Lovenheim, Author of “In the Neighborhood”, will be speaking about how community connections are important. I think he is the perfect speaker for the event. Often we can get bogged down in the operational facets of running and organization, but it all started around some key philosophical ideas and concerns.

The main philosophical idea of RochesterCares was centered around civic engagement. Civic engagement has since garnered some media buzz and it is well justified. As we see it, civic engagement is the idea that community issues can more easily addressed, and in some cases prevented, when the citizenry is more connected.

What do I mean by “connected”? When someone volunteers, they get more connected to issues in the community. They get connected to the challenges being faced. They get connected to the people who are already working on those issues. They get connected to the other people who volunteered. This connectedness often spawns solutions or access to resources that weren’t previously available.

On the flip side, disconnection is often a source of many of the problems we see today in our community. People are much more isolated from each other as our communities expand. Some of the disconnection is structural. More people than ever work indoors at a computer. It seems harder these days to ask neighbors for help than it has in the past. We just don’t see each other. This structural disconnection is what Peter Lovenheim’s book is about. RochesterCares has always sought to be the solution to disconnection. We are looking forward to hearing what he has to say. Please read his fantastic book and come join us on September 22nd.

-Derek Darling (RochesterCares Founder)

Rochester gives back, ranks with the best

rochestercares — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:21:42 +0000

According to a recent survey, Rochester is one of the most volunteer driven cities in America. The recent D&C article cited Rochester’s short commute time and tradition of philanthropy and benevolence as reasons for continuing rising levels of volunteerism in our community. Baby Boomers in Rochester love community service: “Data released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service show that 41 percent of Rochester-area residents born between 1946 and 1964 are volunteers in some capacity, a tally that put Rochester on top of the 51-city survey. Rochester ranked fifth in total volunteer participation rates for all demographics as 33.8 percent give of their time.” It isn’t just Baby Boomers who are volunteering, it takes an entire community, young and old. And Rochester answers that call.

Click here to read the whole article.

Pat yourselves on the back! Way to go, Rochester!

I’ll give you 10 reasons

rochestercares — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:24:52 +0000

People often wonder, what drives people to volunteer? Don’t only people with heavy consciences or people with too much time on their hands volunteer? I already have a job, why volunteer too? Well naysayers, hopefully the following list will show you what our team at RochesterCares already knows: volunteering is super beneficial!

10. Volunteering is good for you! The physical and mental rewards of volunteering endless. When you focus on someone else, and not yourself, it can relieve stress. Less stress is a mood booster which in turns positively effects your immune system.

9. Volunteering saves resources! Money that would be spent hiring people to do jobs that volunteers can do can be returned and invested in community. It is estimated that a volunteer’s time is worth about $15 an hour!

8. Gain professional experience! Volunteering is a free way to fatten up your resume and learn valuable skills in many different areas.

7. Volunteering brings people together! Learn teamwork skills and unite people who may have been otherwise divided or strangers prior to service projects. Some think of volunteering as an interactive match.com or Facebook.

6. Volunteering promotes personal growth, worth and self-esteem! Understanding community needs helps foster empathy and self-efficacy. Don’t it just feel good?

5. Volunteering builds and builds communities! RochesterCares focuses on 8 different aspects of our community: animals, civic engagement, children/youth, disabled populations, the elderly, the environment and environmental projects, health, and hunger and food insecurity.

4. You learn a lot! Discover things about yourself and your community that you never knew before!

3. You get a chance to give back! Ya know, what goes around comes around.

2. Volunteering encourages civil responsiblity! As Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world.

1. You can make a huge difference!

Rochester Cares goes to the Fair!

rochestercares — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:11:42 +0000

A few weeks ago we received a call from a woman named Judy who works at the Monroe County Fair. She asked if we could volunteer to help run a Fruity Quencher stand. Naturally we said yes.

Over the course of 2 days, we passed out free samples of Fruity Quencher drinks. Parents and children really enjoyed the healthy alternative to soda and sugary juices.

We had a lot of fun blending the drinks and even more fun meeting people at the fair.

We even got some help from some super awesome 4-H kids from around the county!

The best part of all was the free passes into the fair and because our shifts were early in the day we got time to wander the fair after completing our project. We were also able to pass out some RochesterCares business cards and get our name out into our community even more.Hopefully Rochester Cares and the Monroe County Fair can team up again in the future.

Some say volunteering is the highest paying job

rochestercares — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 14:10:57 +0000

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill

Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something. ~Henry David Thoreau

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ~Kahlil Gibran

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. ~Maya Angelou

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. ~Seneca

Food for thought provided by the quote garden.

Inside and Out

rochestercares — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:50:17 +0000

This Saturday we didn’t work on the second level of the new building as planned, instead we spent the cool morning hacking through 3 feet high weeds in the abandoned back yard of 102 Webster Ave.

This image was taken midway through our weeding. There were weeds I’ve never seen before. They were long and tangled and covered in small prickly balls. One big tangled mess! Next was relaying new mulch in the flower beds on each side of the parking lot entrance. We trimmed the bushes, weeded, raked, did it all!

And of course, while volunteering, you can never discount the value of teamwork!

We’re taking a Dazzle break this weekend to enjoy the 4th of July, but we’ll be back in action on July 16th! Don’t forget to sign up!

A Word from the Doctor

rochestercares — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:32:53 +0000

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Dr. Seuss

With Love, RochesterCares

“The Best Kept Secret in Rochester!”

rochestercares — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:05:40 +0000

Boy am I tired! At 9 am, a crew of faithful RochesterCares volunteers met up with some of board Members from Dazzle School of Visual and Performing Arts on Webster Avenue to clean up a recently purchased, and long time trashed building on an adjecent lot. They plan to turn it into large, two-floor educational spaces to teach things like cooking, photography and art to their disabled students. They are such a great organization! It was truly a pleasure working with them.

When Anne, the Director of Dazzle, opened the door of the 102 Webster Avenue, I gasped. I thought “how are we ever going to clean this place up?”

The place used to be a paint and wallpaper store. It was littered with cans. The ceiling and walls were falling down. Surprisingly once we stared working as a team, the place was clear in 2 hours. The two main rooms, a bathroom and kitchen, the store’s office; everything.

By 11:30 we were done. It felt good when Anne referred to the awesome volunteer work from RochesterCares as the “best kept secret in Rochester.” Next week we tackle the upstairs apartments! Stay tuned for more images and progress. And don’t forget, it’s never too late to sign up!

I wonder how the building will look 6 months…

RochesterCares steps into the Blogosphere!

rochestercares — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:52:01 +0000

Hello Neighbors,

Welcome to RochesterCares. We are a Rochester, NY based nonprofit organization geared towards getting Rochestarians involved in and excited about volunteering. Feel free to volunteer with us because you want to be a good samaratian, for the health benefits of volunteerism, or simply because you’re bored or want to get to know people. All are welcome to Volunteer with us regardless of age, experience or ability!

Got an idea about a project? Tell us. Want to have a day of service for your agency or group? Let us plan if for you!

Join our network of over 1,000 volunteers. Make connections in your community.

Visit our official website to check out our calendar of service projects or to become a volunteer. And please visit our blog to find out fun news from RochesterCares, see pictures from projects, and to learn about the wonders of volunteerism!