<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class="">Hi All:</span></font><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> </span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> Probably the largest goal of the Community Service Division is to involve Blind people as a whole and FEderationests in general in community service that impacts the community/world around us. probably the most impactful, transformative and all around educational is “direct service”. </span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> below is an article I found on the matter and I wanted your thoughts on it.</span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> Is impact service as described in this article possible for blind people? do you think it’s possible, but not for yourself? </span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> what other thoughts might you have?</span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> </span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> Darian </span></font></div><div class=""><font color="#0080cc" size="5" class=""><span style="line-height: 28px;" class=""> </span><br class=""></font><h1 class="wikiTitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8) 0px 1px 1px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); line-height: 1.2; font-weight: 500; float: left; width: 655.1875px;">Direct service volunteering</h1><div id="contentGroupA" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1em; margin: 0px; float: left; width: 655.1875px; background-color: white; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0745098) 0px 0px 0px 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0745098) 0px 0px 0px 1px; clear: left;" class=""><div id="wikiContent" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 1em 1em 0px; margin: 0px;" class=""><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class="">When people picture volunteering in our communities, direct service is typically what comes to mind. </div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; list-style: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class=""><a href="http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer/Direct#what" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">What's direct service?</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class=""><br class=""></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class=""><a href="http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer/Direct#why" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Why choose direct service volunteering?</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class=""><a href="http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer/Direct#skill" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Direct service roles take skill</a></li></ul><a name="what" rel="dropAnchor" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""></span><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 2.25em 0px 0.75em; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8) 0px 1px 1px; color: rgb(122, 187, 62); font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1.33333em; font-weight: 500; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" class="">What's direct service?</h2><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class="">Direct-service volunteers are the most visible — delivering food boxes, shelving books in a library, building playgrounds. Whether it's in an office or somewhere out in the woods, direct service volunteer roles are all about getting involved in hands-on, tangible ways.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class="">For many people, direct service is an ideal way to volunteer. <br style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class=""></div><a name="why" rel="dropAnchor" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""></span><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 2.25em 0px 0.75em; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8) 0px 1px 1px; color: rgb(122, 187, 62); font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1.33333em; font-weight: 500; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" class="">Why choose direct service volunteering?</h2><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; list-style: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">You can serve at the core of an organization's mission; for example, if you're thinking of volunteering for a homeless shelter, one of the direct service projects that might immediately come to mind is serving meals or making beds.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">You can jump in to lend a hand and to get to know an organization, issue, cause, or population served — an entry point that can help you determine what you might want to do next, either as a volunteer or with your <a href="http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer/Career" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">career</a>. </li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">You can quickly see the results of your labors (an example: if you spend your day job doing more behind-the-scenes or capacity building types of work, it can be incredibly rewarding to finish painting a wall or to walk a dog at a shelter).<br style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class=""><a name="skill" rel="dropAnchor" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class=""></a></li></ul><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 2.25em 0px 0.75em; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8) 0px 1px 1px; color: rgb(122, 187, 62); font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1.33333em; font-weight: 500; font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" class="">Direct service roles take skill</h2><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class="">While there will likely always be a need for folks to take on such general-skills tasks like cleaning up parks and taking tickets at events, direct service volunteer positions also include skilled activities like:</div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; list-style: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class=""><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">Teaching workshops at a community center</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">Leading tours at a museum</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">Collecting data as part of a wildlife census</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">Serving as a translator for recent immigrants at a social services agency</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 32px; list-style-image: url(http://www.idealist.org/css/i4/images//bullet01.gif);" class="">Remember that homeless shelter we mentioned before? In addition to assisting with providing meals and a place to sleep, direct service volunteer roles might include creating or joining a team of adult literacy tutors to partner with and provide support to local residents.</li></ul><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class="">While direct service volunteer activities will vary in difficulty—including whether you'll need any training before getting started—and time commitment, many of the volunteer gigs that you can sign up for <a href="http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer/How" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">one-time only</a> or to show up <a href="http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer/Hot" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 128, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">episodically</a> will likely fall in this category. </div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Ideal Sans SSm A', 'Ideal Sans SSm B', 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" class="">So if you've been looking for a way to lend a hand and get some dirt under your fingernails (either literally or figuratively), consider direct service opportunities. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></body></html>