Week 4 Activities

Week Four – Being Positive About Community!

Social responsibility is the focus for Week Four. This theme includes both corporate charity work and individual giving back. This week organizations can take on a corporate social responsibility such as sponsoring a day at Habitat at Humanity or promoting the concept of volunteerism as a business learning opportunity (volunteer for a board of a community association, not for profit entity, food bank, etc.) Activities could include: food bank drives; blood donation drive; sponsorship of a little league team; leaf raking to help seniors; signing organ donation cards; United Way initiatives or hundreds of other 'giving back' activities.

When choosing from Activities, see Related Resources for helpful information.

Group Activities

HEALTHY MIND:

Run a Volunteer Fair – Many community organizations would love to receive a staff volunteer for small projects or for larger ones. See how your organization can help out.
Related Resources:
Volunteer activities at Environment Canada
Volunteer Canada

Organize a Business Learning Opportunity – Not for Profit organizations are usually very desirous of skilled individuals who can help with the budgeting or the strategic planning or the project management of certain initiatives. The United Way organization in your community looks to the business community each year to have them contribute a coordinator / manager for the yearly initiatives. Staff who are looking to broaden their professional development into the not-for-profit sector would welcome this opportunity. Board members for these not-for-profits are often hard to come by.

Organize a Book Collection Drive With the growing influx of children who have English or French as a second language, the school libraries are looking for assistance in collecting reading materials for these children trying to learn. Check with the local school boards to see if there is an opportunity for your organization to help out.

Schedule a Town Hall Meeting - Open it up for discussion about what the organization should be doing with respect to corporate citizenship and giving back to the communities that are impacted by or impact your employees. You will be pleasantly surprised with the thoughtful discussion and great ideas generated.
Related Resources:
Citizens and society

Celebrate Workers Who Give Back - Give kudos to the employees at your organization who are making a difference in the community, by featuring them on your company Intranet. Dedicate a webpage to them that highlights their contributions, and spotlight one employee each month in a special story that's also e-mailed to the entire organization. Idea adapted from an activity submitted by Interior Health

Hold a Fundraising Flea Market - Ask employees to bring in "gently loved" items that they are willing to part with. Donate all of the funds raised to a charity of your choice. Ask employees to bring in "gently loved" items that they are willing to part with. Donate all of the funds raised to a charity of your choice

HEALTHY BODY:

Organize an Organ Donor Card Signing Event – Send an explanation out about the need and have someone come from the local public health department to provide more information. Get the cards out and the pens ready to have everyone sign up.

Organize a Highway Cleanup Crew - Adopt a section of roadway by contacting your provincial transportation ministry. Get the guidelines, and then get the volunteers!
Related Resources:
Take action for the environment

Serve a Meal at a Local Street Kids Foundation Location Any of the local initiatives servicing the street kids in your community usually involves feeding the needy. Organize an evening or weekend when your organization can get involved.

Sign up for a Day with Habitat for Humanity – The building of a home takes hundreds of person-hours and your organization can promote this healthy activity and the giving back by getting involved. Contact Habitat for Humanity for a build in your area.

Organize a Blood Donor Clinic – Depending upon the number of employees and the potential for donations, the Canadian Blood Services will either run a clinic in your location or connect you to a Blood Drive happening in your neighbourhood. Can’t or don’t want to give blood? Volunteers are needed to run these clinics.

Do an Extra Chore – perform a chore for an elderly neighbour, like shovelling the snow, or cutting their grass.

HEALTHY WORK:

United Way Initiatives – People who get involved with the United Way-Centraide in Canada play a powerful role in enhancing the well-being of their communities. Whether as a donor, a volunteer or an employee, you can contribute to building better communities

Lend Your Skills – Give another organization assistance for a day or donate your skills to a project or for an ongoing initiative that fits your organization’s skill sets. Organizational support is ‘going the extra mile’ in community care and corporate citizenship

Nominate a Colleague - Nominate a colleague who gives back to the community. Put all of the names of the nominees into a hat, and pick a winner. Ask all of the employees to donate a dollar, and then donate the money to the charity of the winner’s choice.

Have a Running Shoe Drive - Have the employees donate all of their old pairs of running shoes and send them to a local clothing drive.

Spring Cleaning or Anytime Cleaning! - Ask employees to go through their homes and ask them to get rid of things that they haven’t used or worn in over a year! Donate these items to your local clothing drive.
Related Resources:
Clothesline®

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES

HEALTHY MIND:

Volunteer at a Community Organization - For an hour, a day, an hour a week, or a day a week, choose the level of commitment that fits your schedule.
Related Resources:
Benefits to the community – and you

Make Choices - Learn to choose which social, community and volunteer obligations are the most fulfilling for you and learn to say ‘no’ to the rest.

Manage Expectations - Designate a certain amount of time or support you can contribute to community organizations, and learn to stick to that time frame to ensure you have time for other things.

HEALTHY BODY:

Feed the Hunger – Work at a food bank or community hot meal provider or church that provides meals on a regular basis. The demand for volunteers is on a nightly basis and usually the commitment time is short – about 4 hours.

Sign Your Organ Donation Card – The card comes with your driver’s licence or you can obtain one online. Keep one copy with you and give a loved one another copy. It’s life giving.

Give Blood - Find a local blood donor clinic by contacting the Canadian Blood Services and help give the gift of life.
Related Resources:
Canadian Blood Services

HEALTHY WORK:

Volunteer at a Not-for-Profit – If you are skilled at math or writing, if you are an amazing project manager, an electrician, a computer whiz or great with children, the work skills that you have honed at work can be used elsewhere in your community. Check with your local community centre to see where you can help pitch in with your skills.

Volunteer at Work – Offer to help a colleague who is swamped, and you’ll both benefit.

Organize a Healthy Workplace Initiative – Check out how you can assist your workplace to be healthier and happier. Offer to start an initiative and be its champion!