This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everbody was asked to do it.
But Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did.
Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
See our project page for the story that started it all at http://moreprojectinfo.blogspot.com/2009/03/project-19-extreme-yard-makeover.html
Well, one of the volunteers, Meri, was gracious enough to go out and survey and assess the yard we are working on. Let me tell you, Meri knows her stuff! Thanks, Meri!
What we need, is to get a big group together for a 2 day yard party, for cleanup and trimming, before we can get started on all of the building and planting. It should be a great time! Lots of fellow volunteers and some good, old fashioned work. We were hoping to schedule it for April 1st and 2nd (next Wed. and Thurs.). The sooner we can get plants/trees/shrubs in the ground, the better.
After the prep work has been done, then we can move onto the really fun stuff...planting! Like we said, this is a big job but it is going to be so worth it and this family is truly deserving!
What we need is a lot of volunteers (we were hoping for at least 12) that can volunteer for at least one of the 2 days (both days would be great!). Trucks would be a great help as we will probably make a yard debris run or two. This will be our first large scale work party and we would love to see everyone out there!
Please give Seth or Michelle a call at 503-953-6018 to sign up for this fun project. Thanks to all in advance!
We've Got Time to Help was contacted in February by a reporter for a magazine called The Chronicle of Philanthropy. This is a national bi-weekly magazine covering the nonprofit world. The reporter, Brennan Jensen, ran across our blog while researching a story about laid-off workers and jobless college grads turning to volunteerism. He contacted us to learn more about our efforts in Oregon. Seth did a phone interview with this reporter and it is now published. The article gives lots of examples of how others across the country are working toward a similar goal. It is great to see others similarly getting involved. You can read the article here: http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v21/i10/10002601.htm
We appreciate Mr Jensen for giving us this opportunity to get the word out about We've Got Time to Help.
We have had some donations of dog food, cat food, pet toys and miscellaneous pet supplies. We checked all of our regular contacts and no one had a need for these things so we went searching for someone new to help. We know we can donate them to any of the local shelters but we were more looking to donate them to people so they didn't have to take their pets to a shelter due to financial difficulties. We searched Craigslist this morning and hit the jackpot!!
We found ad for a Dog Food Bank. The program is called FIDO-Friends Involved in Dog Outreach. They work in association with Clackamas County Dog Services and offer a wide array of programs and services. On the 3rd Saturday of each month they have a Dog Food Bank. As they put it on their website, it is one way to help dog owners keep their dogs at home. The program is open to pet owners in need and is not restricted just to people who live in Clackamas county. Their main focus is dogs but they do help people with cats as well. Check out FIDO and see what a great service they offer. They also have a program called AniMeals. This program partners with Clackamas County Meals on Wheels and, once notified of pets in need, will deliver cat or dog food to the seniors receiving meals through the Meals on Wheels program. These are just the kind of causes we believe in! People helping People and Pets!!
Hi all, we just received a call from a woman who needs help moving. She has a 1-bedroom apartment with no appliances. A couch, dresser and bed are the largest items. She is unable to lift the heavy things and asked if we had people with trucks and any others are willing to help.
We are going to be at her apartment at 9am on Saturday the 4th. If we can get a few people on this one, it should be a nice quick move.
Who's Got Time to Move?
We received an email from the original person who contacted us. He indicated that the project is off for now. If circumstances change in the future and they would like our help, we will send out the call for people with Time to Help.
A heartfelt, warm thank you to all of you willing to help with this cause.
You are truly wonderful and we couldn't do what we do without each and every one of you!!
One of the first people who contacted us when we started this movement was Della Rae. She is the Founder/Director of Donorsresource.org. She heard us on KBOO and believed in us and our cause. She contacted us and offered all of her valuable resources. She has educated us on so many things. Who thought being a community organization could be so much work!!
Last week Della Rae was interviewed on KBOO and we just want everyone to know what a great asset she is to all of our communities!!
For anyone who is interested, please listen to the following interview with Della Rae. We would not be where we are without Della Rae and Donorsresource's knowledge. We thank both the person and the organization.
http://kboo.fm/node/12742
And, thanks once again, to Bridget. She volunteers her time in Portland at KBOO and for so many other great causes. Bridget-You do so much for others...What would we do without you??
We thank Della Rae, DonorsResource.org, KBOO and Bridget B for all of the wonderful things you do to bring people together and to bring hope.
It is time again for our monthly meet and greet. A time to meet one another, bring in new volunteers, share ideas and discuss how the last month of projects went.
We will be hosting an open house on March 18th from 11am-2pm. We are located in Northeast Portland. If you are interested, please call 503-953-6018 or email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com for the address. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
If you would like to attend but do not have transportation, please let us know and we will arrange transportation, if possible. If you know of anyone else that might be interested in attending, please bring them along with you!
All we need you to bring is your ideas on how we can help each of our communities.
Take care and see you soon!
Got time to help a family in need?
We just received an email from a wonderful couple whose close friends are going through some very rough times right now. Here is a recap of their email to us:
The woman just recently had a stroke and the husband has some rather severe heart issues and is on disability. They also have a teenage son. The woman would love to be able to come home to her family, but they have no wheelchair access (ramp) at their home and they might need some minor modifications to the inside so that she will be able to maneuver around.
Some or all of the materials can be purchased by the friends, but they can't afford to hire someone right now. This is exactly why we started We've Got Time to Help!
These are good people, they have worked hard all their lives and now they need a little help from us!
They live just about 5 miles outside Battleground Washington, so we were thinking we could pick a day for a group of us to go up there so that some of us could carpool. We would like to get this done as soon as possible so that she can come home! She will be in the hospital for the next month, so we have some time to get a group and plan together.
Please let us know if you will join us on this most worthwhile cause!
Call or email us is you can help! 503-953-6018 or wevegottimetohelp@q.com
First of all, thank you to all of the volunteers that showed up to help, especially on such short notice. Lynn, Aric and Jenn, Mel, Trevor, Seth and Michelle all showed up to help out a family business tear down their shop. Margena and Rodger from King's Embroidery also donated about a dozen shirts with We've Got Time to Help's new logo embroidered on them. Margena and Rodger worked late into the night on Friday, just to make sure that they could have our shirts ready for us. Thank so much to King's Embroidery!!
We wish we could have been there under different circumstances or for a happier occasion. But, unfortunately, Modern Color was one of the latest casualties in this economic downturn. They are a great group of people who deserved more than to have to shut their doors.
So, the volunteers started showing up around 9am and immediately got to work. Anything from talking loads of trash to the huge dumpster to dismantling equipment. Everyone was a great help! We didn't get all of it done, but we made a big dent. Seth is going back out there Monday, March 2nd (tomorrow), to help out some more. Anyone is more than welcome to give us a call at 503-953-6018 if you'd like to help out this week. There is more moving to be done and more breakdown of equipment that needs to happen. Just give us a call or email if you're interested.
The owners of Modern Color also said that they are going to try and open up a smaller shop ASAP. They are hoping to be operational in their new location within a week or so. Please keep them in mind if you need any signs or banners or you know of someone who could use their service.
Thanks again to everyone for helping out on this! You are much more appreciated than words can say.
Paws to Freedom was so impressed with We've Got Time to Help that they have requested our help again. Another kind person, who is closing their office, has donated some file cabinets and they have asked for our help picking them up near Barbur Blvd and Capital Highway and delivering them to Paws to Freedom in SE Portland.
Taking a break from helping dismantle the shop for project 8, Trevor and Michelle headed out to Beaverton to pick up the file cabinets. Upon arrival we realized the file cabinets were bigger than expected. There was a standard 4 drawer, a small two drawer and a behemoth 5 drawer lateral cabinet. Luckily, the person donating them had a hand cart to get them to the truck as we did not bring one. This thing was HUGE. The office was on the third floor but, thankfully, had an elevator. We wedged the large file cabinet in the elevator and thought we were good to go, but alas, the wheels of the hand cart were just sticking out enough to stop the inner door of the elevator from closing. It took a little pushing, pulling, maybe a little swearing, but we finally got the doors to close without us having to ride on top of the file cabinet.
When we arrived in SE Portland we stopped by the Safeway on Woodstock to see if they would let us borrow a hand truck to unload the file cabinets. They were completely agreeable but only had one that was currently being used to process their shipment. If we could wait until they were finished we could definitely borrow it. What a refreshing idea. There are still nice people out there.
Next we went to Bi-Mart with the same request. They stated they could not due to the liability issue. Enough said.
Our third attempt paid off.
We went to Ace Hardware on SE Woodstock in Portland. We spoke with Erin and after we explained who we were and what we were doing he offered to not charge for rental of the hand truck as long as we left a deposit that we could collect when the hand truck was returned.
That was great!! It made short work of unloading the truck. Honestly-we don't know what we would have done without Erin and Ace Hardware. Once again, it just goes to show that good people are out there. Thank you so much Erin. We couldn't have done it without your help. And thanks to Trevor who, once again, donated his truck, time and gas to help others.
One of our volunteers has a local sign and banner making business that is hurting because of the economy.
It is with a sad heart that we announce that this small local company has to close its doors. It is a small family run business that can no longer stay in business with the economy in its current state. What they need now is immediate help moving the equipment out of the building. They have a storage unit, a truck with a lift gate rented, pallets and pallet jacks. All they need is help getting everything out. Their entire family worked for this business and are now all unemployed.
The business is called Modern Color and is located at 6132 NE 114th. This is near Airport Way.
If anyone can help this Saturday, the 28th, please let us know immediately! Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com or call us at 503-953-6018. Or just show up!! Any time, no matter how, small will help this family in their time of need.
Does anyone have time to help this family?
Well, Michelle and Seth headed out to Troutdale this Saturday, looking forward to helping some neighbors in need. After arriving we saw quite a bit of damage and a large tree down. We spoke with the home owners and walked around the site. Luckily, a friend of theirs had taken down the part of the tree that was on the fence, so we didn't have to break out our chainsaw! Whew!
One lone volunteer, Randall, came out to help us in our endeavor! Thanks so much Randall! We couldn't have done it without you. Too big of a job for 2 people!
We walked around and formulated a plan and then just dug in (literally). We were a little apprehensive at first, but as we got going, it was a pretty straight forward job. We dug 8 new holes, all 2 feet deep and filled them with concrete. We then set the new posts and attached the support beams. It was a hard, dirty job, but after we finished, it was all worth it!
We didn't put up the actual fence slats. We are giving the concrete some time to set and besides, it was really, really, really (did I say really?) windy out there. If we had finished the fence with wet concrete, it would have come down again!
The first hole!
Part of the missing fence and you can see the huge downed tree on the right.
More of the missing fence. The missing part was basically a big "T". About 50 feet total needed to be repaired.
Seth, looking like he thinks it's a photo shoot! Get to work!
James and Seth went to pick up the TV that was donated to Paws to Freedom. They went out to Hillsboro to get the TV and then delivered it to Paws to Freedom in the Sellwood area of SE.
Paws to Freedom is an all volunteer, non profit organization that teaches disabled people to train their own service animals. The TV will be used to watch training videos and help the disabled learn how to care for their dogs. It's a great program and we wish them all the best!
After the delivery was made, James noticed that there was a drain backed up right by Paws to Freedom's front door. He went to his truck, grabbed a crowbar and pulled the drain cover up. He then proceeded to empty the drain of all the sludge and make sure that it was unclogged. Pretty awesome!
Mara Windstar is the founder, director, and trainer at Paws to Freedom. She was very excited to get the TV and she said that she will put a link to We've Got Time to Help on her website!
Here are James and Seth moving the large TV into Paws to Freedom
Paws to Freedom Banner out front of their building.
UPDATE: If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands today, and you would like to come out and help us, please call 503-953-6018 as we will be on site and not near our email. Thanks to all!
We have had a big call for help from some neighbors who live in Troutdale. They lost 5 sections of fencing, a gate and had a tree fall onto some of the fence.
They are buying all of the materials this week, but they need some good old-fashioned labor. Lots of hands on this project for sure. The more the better, we think. It would be great to get a couple of people who have done some wood working and concrete along for the ride!
We also need a (at least one) person with a chainsaw(s). We need to move some of the tree so that we can fix the fence.
We are hoping that we can get at least 15 people out there this Saturday, come rain or shine!
Who's coming with us? Call Seth at 503-953-6018 for the address and directions.
Also, anyone that can offer rides to a couple of our volunteers, that would be great! We can take a couple, but we don't have a big vehicle. Thanks to all!!
...just email us or call us (both our phone number and email address are on the right-hand side of this page and also at the bottom of the page). Let us know that you want to help. Let us know that you are ready to go out into our communities with other volunteers and start making a difference in the lives of those who need it. We will not accept payment from the people we help and we do not give money out. Most of us are unemployed and can't afford to give any of our money away. What we do give is time. Time and hard work. Time and dedication. Dedication to ourselves and our neighbors.
You can remain anonymous, or you can have your picture and name on our blog. You can help with every project or just one. You can choose to do physical labor or you could help with office/computer/phone work (we don't do fundraisers). You could volunteer to make food or drinks for project volunteers. We need everyone involved. No job is too small.
As for the projects themselves, again, no project is too small. We have helped people with simple things like fixing a leaky pipe under the kitchen sink or dropping off food to a needy family. We have some bigger projects, too. People who need major electrical and plumbing work done. Painting. Home repairs. Gutters installed. We will always do our best to help those who ask for it.
This is a horrible time economically for a lot of people. Too many people are being left behind while the economy worsens everyday. Jobs are being lost and lives are being harmed. We have all vowed to not let that happen anymore. Not on our watch. We will all do whatever we can, when we can, to make a positive and (hopefully) long lasting effect in people's lives.
Please join us. We (the volunteers) are having a get together this Wednesday the 11th of February and we would love to have as many volunteers come as possible. Most of the people coming are new to We've Got Time to Help and haven't been on a project yet. This will be a chance for most of us to share our ideas and experiences, to brainstorm about how we can best help those in need and to meet each other and see the excitement that we all share.
Not affiliated with any group other than Humanity.
Well, we are back from helping deliver furniture and household goods to a family in need. It was great! We had 3 volunteers show up, ready to help in any way they could! Thank you so much to Lynn, Hall and Trevor for all your help! A Big Thank You to all who donated items as well, including Margena, Aelinn, Lynn, Linda, Hall and Trevor!!
Just a few minutes ago, we received an email from the woman who called us for help. I could go on and on about what we did today and why we did it, but I think that I'll just let her letter speak for us all.
To see what started this all, just click on this link http://wevegottimetohelp.blogspot.com/2009/02/call-for-help.html and read the original posting.
Needless to say, this letter quickly brought us to tears. Here's the letter:
"Hi Seth, Michelle, et al.... I want to thank you ALL for the help, hard work, and loading/unloading/moving you did for my friend today!!!! It was amazing! I was overwhelmed with all the items donated including food, clothing, furniture, time, hard labor, vehicles, etc.
Thanks to you who wrestled with not one, but TWO sofa sleepers up a flight of stairs, into an extremely narrow entry and into place inside the apartment! Whew! Only Giving and Generous People could do that! Thanks for getting everything set up, cushions in place, table reassembled, chairs in place, baby clothes, tiny little shoes, and even the food brought in!!!!!! You all were fantastic!
Networking works! Community works! Love for your fellow "man" works! I saw it in action today!
My friend's doctor told her to go home and rest, no delivery today. She has another appointment at the hospital to deliver on Tuesday! The original due date was for Valentine's Day. But the kid wants "out" early I guess.
She got home around noon. She thought she was in the wrong apartment! For the first time since I've known her, she was speechless....and that's no small feat!
Like me, she could not stop saying thank you. The girls pulled her by the arm into their room and said, "Look! Our room is not empty anymore!" She called her mother and told her what happened and her mother told her to call me "MOM". She stated that her daughter has a mom in America now....Mom #2!
Again, thank you all for making this happen for her and her small, but growing family. The girls were delighted! The teenage boy was delighted! She and her SO were delighted! And all of you made it happen for them.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!
Count me in as a member of your "giving" community. I wanna be like you when I grow up!
Love to you all!
Lynn"
Here's a couple of photos from today. Please join us!!
Well, tomorrow morning (Saturday the 7th) is when we are making a delivery of household items to the family in need. We are very excited. If you plan to join us or you have other items to donate to this family, please let us know. We will be leaving our house (email for address) at about 8:30 am. If you can make it, we would love to have you!
As far as we know, the family is unaware of our efforts.
We have a sofa/love seat, dining table (no chairs, though), a coffee table, a stroller, food and some clothing for the family. All of these items were donated by people who just want to help. You guys and gals are great!
A BIG thank you to all that have donated time and items to this wonderful cause! Please join us.
Earlier this week, we were contacted by the KBOO radio station (FM 90.7) and asked if we could be interviewed on their Friday Night radio show. Of course, we shouted a resounding “Yes!” What an opportunity to get the word out about We’ve Got Time to Help. The show will start at 6pm on Friday the 6th and will be an interview/call-in lasting an hour.
If you are available, please tune into the show. Or even better, call into the show and ask any questions that you might have. Hopefully, this will garner us new opportunities to get the word out. Thank you to KBOO and to Bridget Sullivan (the Event Producer) for this chance to speak to so many people!
You can find links to the show at http://kboo.fm/node/11938 and at http://kboobreadandroses.blogspot.com/
Please take a few minutes to listen to the show and PLEASE tell us what you think! We would love to hear from you! You can also listen to it here: http://kboo.fm/node/12082
Also, please see the post below for an opportunity to help a family this Saturday! Thank you for your time.
Seth and Michelle
Update: A big thank you to all who have emailed us with your support! We are delivering some furniture and other items to this family on Saturday morning. Anyone that would like to come along, has any household items or if anyone has another truck, please email us and let us know. We will be leaving our home at about 8:30am. Thanks again!!
We've had our first Call for Help. It's a woman in her 20's and she's got custody of her 3 siblings (2 sisters and 1 brother). She is pregnant and just got laid off. She is in need of anything to do with a home. Household items, furniture, food or clothing. Is there anyone out there that can help? We are not asking for money or for anyone to go out and purchase any items, just asking if you have some extra items around your home that you don't use or need.
If you can help, just let us know. Email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com
We are a making a delivery on Sat. the 7th of Feb. A friend (of the woman) purchased a couch and love seat for her, and made the request for a truck to deliver the items. But, we would like to do more for her. We are looking for any other items that might be of use. Her baby is due next month and anything that you could contribute would be awesome!
Please email us at wevegottimetohelp@q.com or call us at 503-953-6018.
Hello to everyone! My name is Seth and my (long time) girlfriend is Michelle. We are a couple in our mid-30s and we live in NE Portland (Gateway Area). So, if you read the sidebar, you kind of get an idea of what we're about. We are not trying to organize the world. We are just trying to help others with nothing expected in return. This alone will give us an overall feeling that we did something that matters. Just getting out of our homes, away from the job searching for as little as an hour or two a week improves our outlook.
The thing that will join us together is desire to help. Nothing is too big or too small.
Why does it take a disaster to draw people out to help? Do we need a snow storm? Do we need a Hurricane Katrina? Why are we not able to do this on a daily or weekly basis? Every possible career path has been affected by the current economic times. There is no profession that has been unscathed. We are doctors, plumbers, electricians, cooks, homemakers, woodworkers, roofers, dentists, students and every other profession that you could fathom.
Let’s get this started. No matter how small it may appear it makes a difference in another person’s life. You do not have to join us in any of our projects or ideas. Thank you for visiting this blog. If you don’t want to join us in our endeavor to make our communities back into Communities this is fine. Maybe you would like to spend your time helping out your neighbor or volunteer at your child’s school. Every thing you do, every little step you take helping others can bring great personal rewards.
You may think you have no skills that would be useful. Bah humbug!! It could be helping the retired neighbor take in their groceries from their car. It could be someone to organize and maintain a phone list of others that are willing to help. Maybe you have a chainsaw in the garage that you can’t personally use but if a tree falls on someone else’s home you can lend it to another who can help cut the tree up. Everything large and small makes a difference. Maybe you speak more than one language and can translate for another who wants to help.
You could be an unemployed roofer or a person who has had their roof replaced in the past and has an extra bundle or two of shingles lying around the house. Put those two together and you just helped someone who had a roof that was leaking. This is a grass roots cause. There will be no monetary payment. Knowing you can and are helping others in your low time will show you that you are worthwhile and do have something to give this world and to your community.
We are just as new to this as some of the people visiting this site. We have done some volunteer work in the past but it was very minimal. We’ve Got Time to Help now, so we are going to give it our best.
Anyone and everyone has something to offer. Race, color, religion, sexual orientation, politics etc. etc. None of that matters here. People helping people is all that matters.
Thanks for stopping by. We are going to host a get together/meet and greet at our home on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 from 11 am-3pm. All potential volunteers are welcome to stop by, introduce themselves and let us know about any special skills or equipment that you have that we can use to make our community better. You don't need to bring anything (except a positive attitude!) and we will be making lunch for everyone. This will be very informal and will just give us a chance to plan our first "outing".
Please let us know that you stopped by or send us an email at wevegottimetohelp@q.com and let us know if you can make it to the gathering (it would be great to know in advance so we know how much food to make). Thanks again and we hope to see a lot of you on the 11th!
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