Activism

Give Blood and the Week of Action

Hey friends! I’m back with another inspirational tale of the people out there, hitting the streets and doing good stuff for their communities. So take a cyber walk with me, out past the skeptic forums, beyond the YouTube videos and far, far past the last remains of the Reddit comment threads. Forget, for just a moment, all about the horrible people on the internet, and focus on the few, the proud, the people doing better!

Last week, I mentioned The Week of Action which is an event co-organized by Foundation Beyond Belief and that is, in my opinion, a simply wonderful idea.

The week of Action is the last week in April. And the idea is, whether you think or pray or lay in the sun eating cheesy-puffs during the first few weeks of April, spend the last week of the month actually doing something to help your community. That’s right, share yourself and those cheesy-puffs with the world.

You can find more info and a list of great suggestions on how you can get involved in this project by going to the Week of Action website.

In my last post on this topic, I introduced you to a wonderful group of people in Austin who are going to spend that final week in April, helping the homeless, and this week I want to introduce you to someone who is organizing a blood drive.

Sharon Moss is Coordinator for the Humanist Community of Central Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. Sharon has over 10 years of experience organizing local nontheist communities– both as a student and off campus leader. I asked Sharon a few questions about her planned involvement in the Week of Action.

And I did a little painting of Sharon!

sharon sm


Why did you decide to do this project?
We have a long history of participating in service projects in our community– from hosting Red Cross Blood Drives to working alongside religious folks in soup kitchens to non-perishable food collections for the local food pantry. Participating in the Week of Action seemed like a natural fit for us.

Some people will argue that atheists should not work with religious folks. This project seems like a prefect example of why, when encouraging good will and positive action, that we can take the lead from religious groups to get things done. Were you hesitant because of the religious association when getting involved? Not at all. When we choose to work directly with religious groups on service projects, we do look carefully at the event and are open with both the religious organizers and our members. I’ve seen interactions from these kinds of events help raise awareness about nontheists and change how some religious folks see us. I hope the Week of Action can help do this on a larger scale.

What specifically do you plan on doing for the last week of April?
We are hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive on Thursday, April 24th, from 2-8pm, EDIT Date Change: Wednesday the 23rd from 2-8pm at our office building, 1550 Old Henderson Rd. We are also participating in a Bowling Party & Food Drive, benefiting the Mid Ohio Food Bank, that is being organized by Central Ohio United Non Theists (COUNT).

How can other people get involved with this project? We still have a few details to work out. Please keep an eye on our Meetup or email me, [email protected] for more information.

Thanks Sharon! You and your fabulous group have definitely met my Do Better Challenge!

Red cross logo

For those of you in the USA, who are not in Ohio but you feel inspired to save a life by simply donating some blood, you can go to the American Red Cross website to find a donation site near you! If you are not in the USA just google “give blood” to find out how you can save a life in your city.

Please consider it, and have a great week everyone!

 

Painting of Sharon by me. © Amy Davis Roth

Amy Roth

Amy Davis Roth (aka Surly Amy) is a multimedia, science-loving artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. She makes Surly-Ramics and is currently in love with pottery. Daily maker of art and leader of Mad Art Lab. Support her on Patreon. Tip Jar is here.

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