Today and Wednesday, MLGW, NCC Donate Space Heaters, Blankets

MLGW is teaming up with the Neighborhood Christian Center to assist qualified low-income seniors and physically challenged residents of Shelby County through the Power of Warmth Program. The program provides space heaters and electric blankets to eligible MLGW customers.

The Neighborhood Christian Center will be accepting applications and screening eligible households for heaters or blankets at 785 Jackson Ave. on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, through Wednesday, January 8, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

To qualify for the Power of Warmth Program, applicants must be a resident of Shelby County as well as disabled and/or a low-income senior, age 60 or older.

To apply applicants will need the following credentials on hand:

• Tennessee State ID or Drivers License to verify age and address.
• The most recent pay stub or Social Security Income statement to verify income.
• If you have a physical disability but do not meet the age requirement, you must bring the proper certification information.

Customers may contact the Neighborhood Christian Center's hotline number at (901) 881-6013 for a pre-recorded message detailing the necessary qualifications and credentials for eligibility.

We Can Help: Shelby Farms Park Conservancy

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help. To have your organization featured, email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

Shelby Farms Park Conservancy (SFPC) is the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that manages and operates Shelby Farms Park + Shelby Farms Greenline. SFPC is responsible for privately fundraising more than $2 million (more than 75% of the operating budget) to keep the Park + Greenline clean, green and safe. It’s a big job!

Rebecca Dailey got involved with SFPC as an intern in 2011. She worked in the Education + Outreach department, where she helped design the Park’s first summer camp – the Woodland Discovery Summer Challenge. She spent the summer coordinating the camp, which focused on connecting Memphis youth to their Park, to their food system, to their city and to each other through innovative programming.

After camp was over, she was hired to work in the communications department. Now she spends her days finding new and creative ways to tell the Park’s story.

She says a fun way to support Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is to become a Park Member. Your annual membership fee is used to operate the Park + Greenline (a win for them) and we give you Park Perks (a win for you), including discounts at dozens of local businesses, free entry for select events hosted by the Park, a few members-only events, VIP parking at events and more! You can join as an individual or as a family.

Did you know that SFPC logs over 20,000 hours of volunteer service each year? At 4,500 acres, Shelby Farms Park is the largest urban park of its kind in America, and it takes a lot of hands to keep it clean, green + safe. Whether you’re interested in planting trees (They plan to plant one million. Yes, they’re serious.),  pulling privet (they have a lot to get rid of) , directing traffic at special events or answering phones, they have a place for you! They can use volunteers for one-time projects as well as long-term, regular placement. They only ask that volunteers be at least 16 years old and that they sign up to volunteer in advance. You can fill out a volunteer application form on the website (www.shelbyfarmspark.org/volunteer) or contact Irene Montanez (imontanez@shelbyfarmspark.org) for more information.

We Can Help: The Exceptional Foundation

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help. To have your organization featured, email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

Jo Anne Fusco (left) is the Executive Director of The Exceptional Foundation of West Tennessee. This organization enriches the lives of the intellectually challenged by meeting their social, recreational and continued educational needs.

They are a 501c3  nonprofit organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities ages 5 years and up in the greater Memphis area.  They provide services for the  school-age exceptional population after school and during our 8 week summer camp and weekend events.   They also offer services for the 21 and older population during their day program, summer camp and weekend events.  Their overall goal is to enhance their lives.

Jo Anne's personal experience at the EFWT started as a volunteer through her pet therapy reading program and then she was asked to serve as the Executive Director.  She has been aware of the foundation from the very beginning , 3 years ago.

The organization would love any kind of help from volunteering, making donations , or bringing special events to them.   They are always looking for individuals that have special talents that can come do demonstrations, or who are interested in being part of a field trip.   They also sponsor a Chili Cook-Off the first weekend of October for which they need sponsorships for and teams to participate in and make chili to be judged!   They never turn down help! 

For more information, visit www.exceptionalfoundationwesttn.org

We Can Help: MIFA

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help. To have your organization featured, email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

Thanks to Linda McNeil, MIFA’s vice president of development, for answering a few questions about MIFA. 

What is MIFA?

Founded in 1968, MIFA is one of Memphis’ leading nonprofit social service organizations.  Assisting nearly 55,000 people annually, MIFA works to unite the community through service. Our mission is to support the independence of vulnerable senior and families in crisis through high-impact programs.  Through our Emergency Services, we proudly partner with MLGW in the Plus-1 program, which provides utility assistance to individuals who have suffered a sudden loss of income due to illness, catastrophe or unemployment. MIFA is about promoting independence.  We have a total of ten effective programs, including the well-know MIFA Meals on Wheels and a college readiness program called COOL (College Offers Opportunities for Life).  We also serve as the central intake location for the Memphis and Shelby County Emergency Housing Partnership, which has proven successful in helping individuals and families avoid homelessness and find stable housing.

How did you get involved?

I’m a newcomer to MIFA, having joined the staff in November as vice president of development.  I’ve long admired the work MIFA does in the community.  The mission is great, the programs are strong, and everyone I’ve met here has been really amazing.  It’s a good feeling to be able to contribute each day to such an outstanding organization.

How can readers of this blog help?

We have a diverse array of volunteer opportunities, which are described on our website MIFA.org. Also on the website, you can sign up for Plus-1, an easy way to contribute and help our neighbors in need by contributing $1 or more to your monthly utility bill.

We Can Help: GrowMemphis

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help. To have your organization featured, email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

GrowMemphis is a small non-profit that empowers neighborhoods to create and sustain community gardens that produce fresh, healthy food. But that doesnʼt even begin to explain everything GrowMemphis does and is. They are charging to foster a healthy, sustainable and just local food culture in Memphis by providing locals the tools for success in these endeavors. In 2013, look for GrowMemphis to offer trainings such as Community Gardening 101, Urban Agriculture Entrepreneur Program, and Master Soil Builders training. These programs will offer the tools for success.

In addition to their community gardening work, they also convene the Food Advisory Council for Memphis and Shelby County. This collaborative of local food systems stakeholders seeks to ensure that Memphis and Shelby County have policies and practices that eliminate food insecurity and build up the local food economy.

Anna Saffer wanted to be a part of the solution to the food problem we have in Memphis, so she
joined the board of directors to help communicate the message of GrowMemphis. She wants people to know that we have been led astray from real food, and as a consequence, our health and lives are being threatened. "We are a disease ridden country and itʼs because of our food culture. The phrase 'we are what we eat' is fatally true," she says. "I heard once that 'food has been replaced with food-like substances.' Our
bodies are inevitably paying the diseased price."

Saffer wants others to get involved in the local food scene! Get educated about the food system, support local and organic farmers, shop at the farmers markets. Support GrowMemphis by volunteering in the gardens - there is no better way to learn than by digging in the dirt with a Garden Leader. They always need money for tools and equipment to support the local gardens. And they always hope that others are spreading
our message by telling their friends and family about the good stuff they are doing in Memphis.

Anna Saffer is a wife, mother to a one-year-old, English degree graduate of the University of Memphis, Account Executive at Splash Creative, garden lover, foodie, former waitress, humble Memphian by choice, local enthusiast. Follow her @Memphisbanana on Twitter and Instagram as she chronicles real food in Memphis.

We Can Help: Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help.

Kyle Wagenschutz first came to Revolutions in 2006 because he was in need of a bicycle. He went through the membership program, built his first bicycle, and stuck around long enough to eventually be put in charge of the whole program. 

Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop is a ministry of First Congregational Church that provides affordable and reliable bicycles to all Memphians.  Members repair their own bicycles with the assistance of volunteer mechanics that have received training and experience in professional bicycle shops.

To access the parts, tools and mechanics at Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop you must be a member of the shop. A basic Annual Membership requires 10 hours of volunteer service at Revolutions during their open shop hours. Volunteer time is spent learning how to use wrenches, improving the shop facilities, and organizing inventory. After completing 10 hours of service at the bike shop, membership candidates make a $40 donation. 10 hours of service and a $40 donation are the only two requirements for an Annual Membership.  
A membership at Revolutions features the following benefits:

• Members can select a basic bike frame from the inventory of used  bikes.
• Members will assemble their bicycle at Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop with the help of a trained and experienced bicycle mechanic.
• Membership provides three initial appointments for work stand time. Most bicycles can be constructed during three sessions.
• All the recycled bike parts required to assemble one bicycle come along with the annual membership. Any replacement parts for one bicycle are covered by the annual membership.
• Membership covers the cost of shop materials including cables and housing, lubricants and degreasers, recycled replacement parts, and work stand time (by appointment) for a period of one year.
• Members are entitled to make any additional appointments to repair their bicycles on any of the open shop days for the duration of their annual membership.

Aside from becoming members of Revolutions, readers can donate old bikes, bike parts, tools, and anything else that might be useful in a bike shop. Drop off your donations during open shop hours, or contact Revolutions to schedule a time that works for you (revolutionsbikeshop@gmail.com). They accept all types of cycling materials, but if you have a question about your donation, please don’t hesitate to contact them. All donations are tax deductible.

Want to tell us about how we can help your organization? Email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

We Can Help: Church Health Center

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help.

 

Jeff Hulett, seen above playing drums, started working at the Church Health Center in 2007 as a communications intern and then was hired on full-time in the spring of 2008. His title is communications coordinator and he is in charge of getting the word out about all things Church Health Center. Anything from writing to editing to going on television. If it's related to communications, he does it. He's also one of the organizers of Rock for Love, one of the Center's largest fundraisers. He shared some great information with us and gave us some ideas for helping out.

Since 1987 the Church Health Center has been the health care home to more than 55,000 patients of record. They also log more than 120,000 member visits to Church Health Center Wellness, their 80,000 square-foot comprehensive wellness center. They believe healthcare is more than just prescribing pills. They are in the business of helping people reach their highest level of wellness.

The Church Health Center is the largest faith-based healthcare organization of its type in the country serving uninsured working people and their families. They are a national model others are following. There are more than 25 clinics across the country that have been founded on their model.

Fees at the clinic are charged on a sliding scale based on income. Average visit costs $25. The Center doesn’t rely on government funding and has a $16 million annual budget. Medical services include primary care, dental care, eye-care, counseling, social work and physical therapy. Patients have continuity of care and can be hospitalized. The Center also has a walk-in clinic for those sick today with no health insurance.

The MEMPHIS Plan, the Center’s employer-sponsored plan for small business, covers 3,100 workers and 1,300 of their dependents. More than 1,300 area businesses participate. The plan brings in about $2 million of annual revenue to the Center, which is reinvested in our wellness programming.

The Center’s Faith Community Outreach staff has trained more than 1,000 congregational health promoters to serve as lay health advisers in congregations.

The Church Health Center does not proselytize. They draw support from a broad base of religious groups and the community at large. 

They are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary and have a Christmas card fundraiser.

Church Health Center Christmas cards can be sent in honor or memory of loved ones, friends, clients or co-workers. Those honored will receive a personalized, hand-inscribed card acknowledging the gift. Christmas cards recognizing a memorial gift will be sent to the person specified by the donor. A tax-deductible minimum gift of $10 per honoree is suggested.

To request a Christmas card packet, send an email to info@churchhealthcenter.org or call (901) 272-7170. 

 

For more information, please visit ChurchHealthCenter.org.

Want to tell us about how we can help your organization? Email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

We Can Help: Child Advocacy Center

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help.

Virginia Stallworth became involved with the Memphis Child Advocacy Center as a graduate student. In 1997, she had to interview an agency that she might want to work at someday and very deliberately chose the Child Advocacy Center. The reputation of the CAC as a well-run organization was one of several reasons. Through that process, she was introduced to the center--and the center was introduced to her. Today she is the Associate Director.

Virginia tells us the CAC supports safety for children through informed prevention, community collaboration, and a team approach to healing and justice for victims of child sexual and severe physical abuse. 
 

The team of professionals who take action following a report of suspected child sexual abuse is headquartered at the Child Advocacy Center. The Memphis Police Child Abuse Unit; several specialized units of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services; prosecutors from the District Attorney's Special Victims Unit;, and the CAC staff share office space at their location. All other law enforcement jurisdictions in Shelby County are also part of their team.

When victimized children and their non-offending parents walk into the Child Advocacy Center, the healing begins with a friendly greeting, a playroom waiting room, and a wall of teddy bears. At the center, kids receive all the specialized services which are widely recognized as the most effective approach to intervention in child sexual abuse.

They also have a very exciting and growing prevention program that features their powerful Stewards of Children prevention training for parents and adults who work with kids. Their most recent supporter, Coach Josh Pastner, has worked with them in creating a series of PSA's to promote the program. They're also going to be training his staff at U of M.

Virginia says there are several ways for people to help the CAC. One way is to support their fundraising efforts. For the holidays, you can consider sending their Bear Hug cards to your friends and family.

In February, their annual Works of Heart valentine auction is a fun way to have a great time shopping for a one of a kind valentine gift.

You can also help by becoming a volunteer ambassador for the CAC.

Visit them at MemphisCAC.org to learn more, or to connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Want to tell us about how we can help your organization? Email sgreenberg@mlgw.org.

We Can Help: Give 365

We Can Help is a feature here at Bird on a Wire where we spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help.

Meagan Moody is a member of GIVE 365, an organization that is designed to make community giving possible for anyone! Every member pledges $1 a day -$365 a year- and all of the money is combined to create one big fund.

Here's the fun part. The GIVE 365 members then vote on a theme for the year and non-profit groups around Memphis submit grant proposals. The grant review teams choose the top proposals and the entire GIVE 365 group listens to presentations by the non-profit groups. We vote for our top proposals and have a party to announce the grant recipients for the year! GIVE 365 is a great opportunity for Memphians to hear about the wonderful organiZations that are working so hard to improve the city of Memphis and to play an active role in choosing where their monetary gifts go.

Meagan got involved when a good friend told her about the organization. All it took was a quick visit to the website at www.give365memphis.org. "Membership is just a few clicks away!" she says.

You can help by joining! Not only will you feel like you're making your city a better place, but you will meet great people and have a lot of fun in the process. Just visit the website or email Ashley Harper (ashley.harper@cfgm.org) for more information.

We Can Help: Project Green Fork

We Can Help is a new feature here at Bird on a Wire. Each week we will spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help.

Margot McNeeley started Project Green Fork in 2008 to reduce restaurant trash going to the landfill and to help promote the locally owned establishments that are making our city more sustainable.

Restaurants earning the PGF certification must complete the following 6 steps to the satisfaction of PGF:

1. For all disposable products, Project Green Fork restaurants are to use products that are one of the following: compostable, biodegradable, recyclable, or made from recycled content. No polystyrene, aka styrofoam, can be used anywhere.

2. To prevent materials from ending up in the trash (and eventually a landfill), certified restaurants are required to recycle all items that are recognized as recyclable by Project Green Fork.

3. Project Green Fork will help restaurants develop a composting process to collect pre-consumed fruit, vegetable, coffee grounds, and eggshell scraps and other compostable waste.

4. Toxic cleaning products release harmful chemicals like phosphates and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the sewers, eventually making their way into rivers, oceans, rainwater, and eventually back into our drinking water. These chemicals pollute and harm any wildlife they come in contact with—including us. Project Green Fork establishments must reduce the usage of toxic cleaners wherever possible with plant-based and/or other biodegradable cleaners.

5. After completing an energy audit, Project Green Fork will help restaurants take steps to reduce and conserve vital energy and water. MLGW offers web-based tools designed to help you identify energy waste and find ways to save.

6. Properly maintained grease traps and kitchen hoods prevent overflows and emissions to sewer and storm drain systems. Restaurants should ensure kitchen, front of house, and outside areas are clean and free of debris at all times including cigarette butts and other outside trash.

There are many ways we can help Project Green Fork with its mission. Here are a few:

*Consider a tax-deductible donation

*Contact them about PGF Volunteer opportunities

*Attend one of their regular events or seasonal dinners

*Support PGF restaurants, and tell them you appreciate their green efforts

*Encourage your favorite restaurants to get onboard with PGF certification

*Add a Project Green Fork link on your website or blog

*Visit our site often for news and our constantly growing list of PGF restaurants

*Forward PGF information to friends, family and colleagues

*Follow PGF on Facebook and Twitter!

To see a list of PGF certified restaurants, click here.

For more information, contact:

Margot McNeeley, Executive Director
Project Green Fork
901.292.1700
www.projectgreenfork.org
Facebook: Project Green Fork
Twitter handle: @projgreenfork

We Can Help: Soles4Souls

We Can Help is a new feature here at Bird on a Wire. Each week we will spotlight a community organization and tell you how you can help.

Our first participant is Stacey Reed from Souls4Souls. We first met Stacey at our Neighborhood Leaders Conference, where she served as a presenter. We decided to help Stacey collect shoes by encouraging attendees to donate a pair of shoes instead of paying the $5 registration fee.

Soles4Souls is a Nashville based charity that facilitates the delivery of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Soles4Souls distributes shoes in over 127 countries on 5 continents, including the U.S., Honduras,Guatemala, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Swaziland, Uganda, Iraq, Peru, Thailand, and Nepal. It is so easy for anyone to help give hope, simply by giving a pair of shoes, It is also a great way to recycle used shoes and keep them out of the landfills.

Stacey got involved with Soles4Souls originally, because her cousin who battles Huntington's Disease was having her own Shoe Drive in Franklin, Tn. She wanted to be her feet and wheels and decided she would help her collect. They collected over 1000 pairs of shoes that year. It was by helping her to help others that Stacey learned what great things Soles4Souls was doing to help people in need all over the world. She knew than that she wanted to collect as many shoes as she could, but she also wanted to inform others how they could help too.

Readers can help by hosting their own shoe drives at schools, offices, place of worship. You can just about host a shoe drive anywhere! They can also assist Stacey with her collecting, by helping her pick up, sort and count donations. She has been hosting a year long shoe drive to try and collect 30,000 pairs of shoes. Since she has had to start back to work, her efforts have had to slow down. So far, she has collected about 8,000 pairs of shoes. The donation of a warehouse where people could drop off their shoe donations at any time, would also be beneficial in helping Soles4Souls achieve the goal of changing the world one pair at a time.

To learn more about Soles4Souls you can visit their website: www.giveshoes.org. Contact Stacey via email: stacey21r@gmail.com.