Fact, Fiction, You?

This fall, through the collective reach of the entertainment industry in an unprecedented cooperative effort led by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), Americans will be asked to give their time and talents to a cause they care about. The entertainment industry will also shine a spotlight on the great service and volunteer heroes who are changing our world for the better, both at home and abroad. The effort will begin with TV programming and will expand to other media later on.

We expect that virtually every American will hear this rallying message multiple times. PSA’s will point the public to a powerful web-based tool where they can find opportunities to serve with nonprofit organizations or through neighborhood projects. They will find “Do It Yourself” projects they can do on their own or with a group, family, or friends. Everyone will be able to find a way to make a meaningful contribution that fits his or her unique preferences.

This campaign will highlight five areas identified by President and Mrs. Obama as priorities for the country where needs in our communities are great and where volunteers can play a vital part in solving problems and lifting up communities:

1. Education and youth
2. Environmental conservation and reduced energy consumption
3. Health and well-being of all generations
4. Economic development and financial security
5. Supporting our troops and keeping America safe

To make this campaign successful, the entertainment industry needs our help. They need organizations to offer service opportunities, as well as “DIY” projects that people can do on their own. But first, they need stories to highlight the impact of service.

As a first step, EIF is looking for real-life stories that can be fictionalized for use in television episodes. If you have any such stories, please submit them by June 18. Stories can be submitted through the ServiceNation website at www.servicenation.org/stories.

Thank you to Alan Khazei (akhazei@bethechangeinc.org) for sharing this opportunity.

National Declaration of Service Coalition Partner

Neighbors Helping Neighbors is proud to be the newest coalition partner with ServiceNation.

ServiceNation is a national campaign to increase service opportunities, solve chronic social problems through service, and promote a culture of service in America. ServiceNation is a vision of a new America, an America where citizens unite to take responsibility for strengthening communities and building a better future, and where service is a core ideal of citizenship. The ultimate vision of ServiceNation is an America in which, by 2020, 100 million citizens will volunteer time in schools, workplaces, and faith-based and community institutions each and every year (up from 61 million today), and that increasing numbers of Americans annually will commit a year of their lives to national service.

Sign the pledge and participate in a Day of Action on September 27, 2008.

Ready.gov Launches National Preparedness Month Blog

Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a partner in National Preparedness Month, was pleased to provide the following suggestion to Ready.gov and the Ad Council.

Thank you to the Ad Council and Ready.gov, it has definitely had an impact on many people.

For example, every mall we go to, you see the Ready.gov campaign. An excellent job has been done on awareness.

The real question is how do we reach all of the people who are too busy with soccer and band practice, picking up at religious school, meetings, etc.?

How do we reach those that are too busy to notice that sign in the mall?

As part of Ready.gov 2009 we need greater reach into the schools. A year long campaign that is focused on the PTAs, getting the message out through school newsletters.

Take it a step further and get the students active in preparedness.

If we look back at the stop smoking or drinking campaigns, was it not the youth of America that had some of the greatest impact on their parents?

Thanks again.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

http://citizencorps.blogspot.com

Comment Source: http://www.ready.gov/journal/2008/09/making-strides-in-preparedness.html#comment-form