SAVE THE DATE 9th of May
Every year on the 2nd Saturday in May, Serve the City International organizes a Global Volunteer Day. This year is no different, even in the middle of a pandemic, we can find small things to do, even if not as big or organized as we would like, because kindness will not be cancelled.
Join our Serve the City volunteers from around the world in a day to celebrate volunteering and to make a difference in someone’s life. On Saturday the 9th of May, Serve the City Kraków (and anyone else in Poland) is invited to take some small actions to #SpreadKindness and do small or big things for others around them.
Two ways you can volunteer on Global Volunteer Day (do both!):
Kindness Starts With Me BINGO
On Saturday, the 9th of May Serve the City Polska is challenging people all across Poland to help people in small ways, by playing a game of BINGO! The idea is to do the small actions on the bingo card, which are small things you can do easily around your home or neighborhood. Post the tasks on social media, tagging STC Polska and the hashtag #KindnessStartsWithMe, the first five people to get five items in a row win a 15 zł gift card to Empik, the first person to complete the whole card gets a 75zł gift card to Empik!
By participating you agree and understand the standard rules and terms of the contest (in Polish).
Serve the City International Volunteer Zoom Call
Join volunteers from around the world with our founder, Carlton Deal, based in Brussels and hear inspiring stories, learn what other volunteers are doing, and maybe learn a cool way to complete more tasks on your BINGO card!
The Zoom call will be at 18:00 Central European Time on the 9th of May. Just click the button below at that time.
Kindness will not be cancelled
All over the world meetings are cancelled. Events are cancelled. Trips are cancelled.
But a virus, even a pandemic, cannot cancel the most important stuff of life.
Kindness is open for business and the shelves are stocked floor to ceiling in abundant supply. Kindness will not be cancelled.
HERE ARE SOME WAYS SERVE THE CITY VOLUNTEERS AROUND THE WORLD ARE SHOWING KINDNESS IN PERSONAL WAYS TO PEOPLE IN NEED:
- Make phone calls to check in on the health and well-being of elderly people you know.
- Send hope-filled cards and notes to people that you hear about who are socially or medically isolated.
- Let your nearest neighbours know you are available to help if they need something.
- Create a near-neighbours emergency contact list if one doesn’t already exist.
- Organise online gatherings of friends via Skype or Zoom so people can sing, pray, and share.
- Ask grocery stores if there is food that could be made available and delivered to people in need.
- Order food, flowers, or essential items that can be delivered to people in need, or to friends as a surprise.
- Share accurate information graphics written through the lens of hope to help people stay safe and calm.
- Join or arrange times for near neighbours to all look out their windows and sing, clap, smile, and wave.
- Initiate conversation on social media community forums to stimulate kindness ideas and action.
- Offer to teach others something you know through Facebook Live: how to play a musical instrument, a language, simple home repairs, etc.
- Find out and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events for near neighbours, refugees, people who are ill, children, and others.
- Take care of the common spaces where you live: cleaning, sterilising, picking up trash, etc.
- Offer childcare to friends with children at home by reading a book or playing a game with their children online.
- Share any good news you hear, as quickly and as broadly as possible!
With that said read more about Serve the City International’s COVID-19 response, and you are invited to connect with STCi every Monday at 18:00 CET (+1 GMT) for STCi’s All City Connect zoom video conference. Stay up to date with STCi’s COVID-19 Kindness series of podcasts, posts, and more.