How to create a community service day
Many cities and towns around America are becoming more and more environmental-minded. They host weekly, monthly, and annual recycling drives and sponsor big trash pickup days. They are starting our kids off on the right foot in elementary school and encouraging the teens to continue the things they learn when it comes to recycling, like hosting community service days.
Those days are when the various community and school organizations gather together to clean up the areas around their home with community service days. It may be pulling weeds and mowing private and/or public properties using eco-friendly ways. Helping the elderly with their lawns or taking care of the church lawn, a public park, etc.
These community service days are either planned and volunteers signed up at community carnivals, fairs, Founder’s Day, etc. At these functions, there are booths to buy handmade products where the proceeds go to the general fund for the beautification efforts. And there are games like dunking booths, horseshoes, Rollors, and a host of other outdoor games. Participants pay to play these games and the winner gets a prize. Many prize winners will donate their prize back to the booth.
Does your neighborhood or town have any such activity like these? If not, spearhead the group to get something started! Here, we offer a few suggestions to help you get started.
A Concept
Determine a concept for your proposed community service day. Do the local parks need cleaning up? Are the main thoroughfares littered? Maybe playgrounds need repairs. Or go with a recycling themed day.
Have a community fair-type day with the booths as we mentioned above. Advertise the date of the planned community service day and set up lawn games and outdoor games that can lend to the theme. The idea is to relate with as many of the residents as possible with things that can be enjoyed and include all ages.
Join Multiple Forces
Call a meeting of all public existing groups that offer a service aspect to the community. The local churches and synagogues, the Scouts, the Y, and of course the schools. Companies are often eager to be a part of these events too, so ask around.
Meticulous Planning
Once you have your groups interested, create a committee that will think through the concept of the event and plan the details. Delegate duties to individuals for the many different aspects involved such as advertising the event, schedule volunteers, set up crews, cleanup crews, etc. You’ll need sign-up sheets for each of these things and you can find some great ones online. Making it all accessible online for members of the committee is the best way to keep everyone up-to-date with things.
Get The Word Out
Today, you can get the word out about events easily! There isFacebook! Even people that don’t have a Facebook account will hear about it from those who do! And of course, you can send out ‘Evites’ and create a hashtag campaign on Twitter.
You also want to use old fashion ways that are tried and true as well like handing out flyers, posting flyers on local business’ windows. Have it posted in the church programs, local, and school newspapers.
Success Means Repeat
If the event proves to be successful, keep your momentum up and get next year’s “annual” in the planning stage. If it wasn’t as successful as you hoped, try to determine what would have helped. May be a different day of the week? A different time of the year? Learn from your first one and tweak where needed.