I am delighted that our new Director to join the Council Team, Neal Stirk is helping me lead on our latest community projects.  There are so many different options for getting involved and on so many different levels, that its so easy for you to help our community to be better!

In summary:

• 2014 Challenge for SAFE@LAST
• Bucket collecting for The Cathedral Archer Project
• Volunteer Ambassador project
• Shade Aid
• Don't forget to log your ACE volunteering hours!

2014 Challenge for SAFE@LAST

Our target is to donate 1007 volunteering hours and raise at least £1007 for SAFE@LAST to support their work with vulnerable children and young people at risk through running away in Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

Volunteer hours donated so far: 230 hours

Money raised so far: £411 donate here

Volunteering opportunities to help at SAFE@LAST events:

• Sunday 8^th June - Sponsored Horse Ride at The Osberton Estate in Worksop.  Volunteers are needed from 9am and ideally to stay until approx 4pm or on a shift basis if needed.  Volunteer roles would include stewarding.

• Saturday 28^th June - Sheffield Pride. We will have an awareness raising and fundraising stall in Sheffield City Centre. Times approx 10:30am - 6pm, again can be done on a shift basis.

• Sunday 13^th July - Emergency Services Day at Niagra Police ground in Hillsborough Sheffield. We will have an information stall and would like volunteers to assist with this. One of our members of staff will be dressing up as the SAFE@LAST mascot!

• Saturday 19^th July - (Not So) Strictly Come Dancing event - this is held at Magna (near Meadowhall). Volunteers needed from approx 6:45pm until 11:30pm to help count fundraising etc.  JCI Barnsley President Ben Hawley and Yorkshire Regional Group Chair/JCI UK National Community Director Katie Ogley are putting their dancing shoes on and competing!

• Wednesday 23^rd July - Community Gala Day at Dinnington Resource Centre to celebrate 10 years since the SAFE@LAST childrens helpline was launched! Happy helpers needed with a variety of tasks and stalls on the day. Event runs from 2pm until 6pm.

• Sunday 24^th & Monday 25^th August - Sheffield Fayre at Norfolk Heritage Park in Sheffield - approx. 10am - 6pm

• The BIG Sleepouts - we would like volunteers to sign up to do our sponsored rough sleep and/or volunteer as stewards on the night.  The events run from 8pm until 6am the following morning.  Volunteers would be needed from approx 7:30pm and again can be on shifts for a few hours if they cant stay for the whole event:

Friday 26^th September - Lakeside Village in Doncaster

Friday 3^rd October - Crystal Peaks in Sheffield

Friday 10^th October - Barnsley (venue TBC)

Friday 17^th October - Parkgate Shopping in Rotherham

 

The Cathedral ArcherProject (CAP) really appreciate all the support we give them, especially all the shoeboxes at Christmas and wondered if we would help them out again through bucket collecting.

Handsworth & Hallam Theatre Company (which Council Team members Gareth and Mark are part of) are generously supporting CAP through their production of The King and I.

They need some help collecting at kick out time, and seeing as JCI people may well be out and about socialising or networking, they would really appreciate it if you could help at the following times:

• 11th June FILLED
• 12th June arrive 9.45 pm - finish about 10.15 pm
• 13th June FILLED
• 14th June arrive 4.30 pm - finish about 5.15 pm time TBC
• 14th June arrive 9.45 pm - finish about 10.15 pm

Please can you contact Tracy Viner (Honorary JCI Sheffield Member and Past President) if you can help.

Volunteer Ambassador Project

Having volunteered in many different roles for years now, its sometimes very hard to imagine that there are lots of people out there who have never considered volunteering before.  Volunteering literally has changed my life and given me tonnes of experiences, learn amazing new skills and meet some brilliant people including friends for life!  So we are calling on members to help us raise the profile of volunteering in the City and encourage others to think about volunteering by working on this project that we are running with The Sheffield Volunteer Centre.  Find out how you can help here.

Shade Aid

We are supporting the JCI UK latest community project and are calling on everyone to donate their sunglasses to us for the Shade Aid to help people in developing countries including Africa.  Please donate sunglasses by bringing them to any JCI Sheffield event.  Find out more about the national project here.

Log your ACE Volunteering Hours!

JCI UK are encourage members to log their volunteering hours both within and outside of JCI with the Active Citizen Experience (ACE)!  You could achieve a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze award depending on the number of volunteering hours you log!

Find out more!

If you would like any more information about any of the above, if you can offer your help or if you have an idea for a new community project, we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with Mark Smith or Neal Stirk.

By Mark Smith

2014 Deputy President