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[No dialogue].
>> Rachel Fisher: So, hopefully,
you came because we're going to be talking about philanthropy
and community service and the difference between the two and
ways you can use both of them.
So, my name is Rachel and I'm the Director of Student
Community Service, so this is the stuff I love.
What brings you here madam?
\| female speaker: I'm actually here
because I have to finish
the last one for a pamphlet to go to an activity.
>> Rachel Fisher: Oh right, very cool.
Well, thank you for coming.
We'll be able to keep this short, brief and, hopefully,
maybe a little useful.
>> Rachel Fisher: So, the hope is
that we can kind of go through some
different things about different ways you can
help and the idea that money matters, but so does
your time and effort and some examples to try and get you
thinking because the big key is I want you to really embrace,
like, sometimes, we feel like I'm just one person, but really
it should be I AM one person.
Oh, the impact you can make!
Too often we start to feel like since I don't have 100,000
friends with me and we're not raising millions, so we can't
make an impact.
We want to show that we can.
So, pause dramatically while I go over and flip
the PowerPoint slide.
So, hang on.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
Yay.
So, we're going to talk about this.
So, one of the things I want to talk about a little bit is the
difference between the term community service
and philanthropy.
So, community service is really this broad term.
It's more just ways that you can serve the community.
Now, if you went to my third grade class, they would always
tell you that you can not define something with the words that
you use in the definition.
So, I attempted to try an action meant to benefit the community.
I'm still using the word community.
It's very hard to define community service without saying
the words service or community.
>> female speaker: An action meant to benefit others?
>> Rachel Fisher: Ooh, ooh!
Two points for Dana.
Very nice.
So, or, a selfless act of support to a community
of people.
This is me trying, but still doing it anyway, to describe
without saying, it's a service.
You're just doing something nice.
For today's purposes, we're going to say a community service
is a giant umbrella that within that comes
volunteering and philanthropy.
That's what we're going to talk about, the two differences and
how they compliment each other under the idea that everything
helps a community.
So, broad umbrella is that.
Then, we're going to go a little bit further and talk about
philanthropy, which, quite honestly, is just a big old word
for giving stuff, quite honestly.
Basic, basic thing.
Mostly money, because we always give money.
So you see the calls for money, certainly, during this time of
year and the holiday season.
A lot of opportunities come out, but they come year-round.
My grandmother turns and, she knows that I work in this job,
and she still calls when she gets the letters in the mail for
non-profit things.
She says, "Oh, the beggars.
The beggars are writing me again."
So, everyone is looking for monetary support.
But it's also commodities, it's also things.
I'm going to give you shirts.
That is philanthropy, because I'm giving you
something that is not just my time and me, which is
more in volunteering.
So, today, we're going to talk a little bit about the difference
between the two and what we're doing.
So, a little bit of info. for the idea that this a
popular thing, even though it should make sense
that it's popular.
In 2008, over 27% of the US population
volunteered in service.
2008, 27%.
That means 1 in 4 people were actively volunteering, which
works out to be an active volunteering, you have to
volunteer at least three hours per week.
So, that's a pretty good amount of people kicking around and
doing stuff.
What's really exciting is this next one.
66% of college students say that it's a good idea to volunteer.
I think the other 37% thought it and were just afraid to say it.
The idea of wanting to help someone, yes!
It's the reason that why you would go and open the door for
someone, because it feels good, right?
It's a nice thing.
It doesn't take a lot of effort, you made someone happy,
and then that day that you have so much in your hands,
hopefully, someone will open the door for you.
So, that is the volunteering.
So, we're poised.
This is the highest these numbers have
ever been in our history.
So, we really think that the numbers will go much larger,
and with that comes a real interest in philanthropy and how
other ways people can give.
I remember a lot of different organizations.
Some are very active-based.
So, they're all let's go out and do this, and build this,
and make this.
Others are what can we support with our money,
what can we help?
That's the difference between those two.
So, then, my call as always is will you be the one who's going
to do something to make an impact?
That becomes incredibly important because someone should
do something about, someone is no one until someone steps up.
So, that's my hallmark moment for the evening.
So, you have to be someone Rebecca, okay?
We're calling you out here on the TV and everything.
Rebecca, be someone!
The time to step up, own that responsibility.
Well, we talk about the economic challenges of stuff, and the
things that are going on.
We certainly know that our non-profit partners are affected
immensely, just as we are.
We know people in our lives that have lost their jobs or cut
hours or things like that.
It happens, too, to our non-profits.
So, there's a huge need for volunteers to fill these
staffing cuts we've had to make, if they can.
Programs have to be shifted.
We have one agency here in town that's lost
100% of their funding.
So, they rely on grants and volunteers and donations.
It's really hard.
Try to think in your life if you didn't have financial aid to
come here and they just said, "Oh, ask around, ask people."
That's really hard.
That's what's facing them.
What's most important or interesting about this is this
is in 2008.
They haven't surveyed again, because I think it would be
really stark numbers to find out, but, now, it's probably
a little bit worst.
So, we talked a little bit about volunteers and why it matters.
Volunteers are this great, great resource of new ideas,
and energy, and passion and everybody needs that.
If an organization kept doing the same things, they'd
never evolve.
That's why businesses kind of come and go.
There's things that were hot and exciting at one point, but, now,
not so much because we've evolved and they are like,
"Well, that was my thing.
I did this and now you don't need this anymore."
So, volunteers are an important way to connect to that.
I know, so it's certainly clear, if you volunteer and you feel
passionate, you probably will donate to that as well.
So, think about for yourself and organizations you might support
or families support.
It's probably organizations you have a real connection
to and a real tie.
You go, "Oh, yes.
We always help Habitat for Humanity because my cousin
had a house.
Oh, yay!"
Well, you've got such a connection to it much more than
a pamphlet will ever make.
As my grandma calls some of the beggars, but she thinks others
are like family friends, "Oh, Habitat.
I've been supporting them for years."
It's a major difference.
So, I want to share with you just some really fun ideas.
When we talk about philanthropy, too often, the challenge I hear
is, well, we can't raise thousands or
we can't raise millions.
But if you just could start off with something that's a strong,
solid plan, and this could be for life for that matter,
it just doesn't have to be for philanthropy,
it can make a tremendous impact.
So, one idea is one little stone thrown into the ocean makes
this tiny little ripple and then it disappears, but if everyone
threw those stones, you got bigger stones, suddenly,
you'd have a wave of change.
So, never doubt that the one thing you do.
You raise fifty cents, you raise it and you create so much
awareness, it could build.
So, here are some fun stories about what kids did.
I mean children, not adults like you and I.
I'm pretending we're the same age.
Thanks for humoring me, thank you.
So, this young lady starts something called
"The Care Bags Foundation".
What it is was is that she saw a lot of children in developing
countries in Africa were having to leave their home.
So, she stuffed these care bags, which was these care bears with
a zipper that she made, and put all these different supplies
they would need.
You see they've got the care bear, they've got games.
They also have toothpaste.
So, understated importance.
When we talk about helping people where they're at, we have
to recognize that it's not just about sustaining them, but it's
about enhancing just for ourselves.
If we just had enough to have food and clothes, that's
alright, but, we're guaranteed in the constitution the ability
to pursue happiness.
Happiness comes not from Crest, but from the care bears and the
games and the fun stuff.
So, it's important to remember that those things matter too.
So, she put all these together for different ages.
Now, she is a nationally recognized charity that she's
the director of.
So, just went up her whole life.
There she is in the middle all grown up.
A nine year old wrote to the President about the environment.
She then worked with local agencies and businesses and said
will you put my letter up all over the state?
So, it goes up all over the states and, then, slowly
over America.
So, suddenly, her family, which was her membership, grew to
300,000.
She named herself and her organization FACE, Kids For A
Clean Environment.
They have literally planted over a million trees.
It's so cool because it's all these little ideas you have and
you go wouldn't it be neat if...
Then, you stop because it seems like a lot and it's a giant
ocean of all the steps that has happened.
In these cases, it was little ripples that they just threw out
there and suddenly, it's huge.
It's just--Look out for yourself sometimes.
Non-profits you really like, how many of them started
1950 or later?
These things haven't been around for a long time.
There's so much change that has to happen still.
So, that was them.
This young man was six years old when he heard about
the water issues.
He decided to do something.
It took him four months to raise $70, which is what he would have
to do to send over for a water treatment.
Then, I'm sorry, let's just highlight that one more time.
You got it, okay?
Six years old, Canadian, doesn't like that people
don't have water.
He got his brothers to help him.
So, again, he's reaching out to people but not getting hundreds,
not too many but getting his little group together.
Then, he has now created 201 wells in 10 countries over
300,000 people.
One simple, simple idea.
So, if you get nothing out of tonight, it is the idea that you
should go forward and make an impact.
Think about what can I do?
What piece can I provide?
If we all worked on our little piece, then everything would
be done.
Simple.
These ripples become huge waves of change.
Huge.
Okay.
So, again, are you going to be the one?
I won't say your name, because I know you know
I'm talking to you.
But I'll stand here and look into the camera.
Will you be the one?
Oh, she's saying no.
Well, luckily, there's 10 more PowerPoint slides to impress
upon you why you should!
Don't worry!
So, you want to think about some small simple things to make
a huge impact.
People and organizations in need are grateful for anything.
When someone opens the door, the fact they even opened it is a
great first step.
Then, if they say, "Hi, hello, have a nice day,"--
Oh, icing!
You don't know how much people appreciate just that you care.
And caring can be a letter, a card, it can be trying to get
the bus fare money for that person.
It doesn't have to be huge things because in the world to
the person you're helping, it is huge.
Absolutely huge.
Dramatic pause.
Okay.
So, we talked about philanthropy and starting simple things.
Now, I got to highlight a little bit of volunteering
business as well.
And try to recognize we're only talking about small
amounts of time.
Too often, when we think about volunteering or community
service, that big umbrella, I think you've got to be able to
have lots of time and lots of time.
Well, that would be great.
And if you have lots of time, don't worry.
We can put in 5 hours a day.
Oh, friend, we can make amazing things happen.
But even 15 minutes a week, just give me a little
hint of something.
That's all we need.
So, a couple of quick things to have you pondering.
In 15 minutes, we can do community service stuff, stuff
that will benefit people, as we talked about before.
So, donate your old cell phones.
Your cell phones can still, even if you're not on a plan, if you
dialed 9-1-1, it would work.
That's an FCC regulation for all phones.
So, any old phones you have, I have a few that are just kind of
sitting in my sock drawer there doing nothing, could
potentially save lives.
So, we take them every week.
We collect them in our office and, whenever we get a number of
them, we send them to different non-profits.
A lot of homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters
use them.
So, someone could at least have a way to call out for emergency
help if they needed it.
So a very cool thing.
When you go to switch your phone to a new phone, they'll say,
"Oh, can we have your old phone?"
It's because all of the major carriers collect them and send
them to national agencies that do the same sort of thing.
So, give up your phone!
Encourage reading.
Now, this is a good test, so you have to be honest with me.
Have you ever read as a small child The Adventures of Frog
and Toad?
Ah, I use this as my rod to decide when I'm old and
when I'm young.
I am not so young today, thank you.
Ask your grandmother.
It was a great book.
It was a great book.
>> female speaker: I don't remember that one.
>> Rachel Fisher: You don't remember The Adventures of Frog
and Toad?
>> female speaker: And I'm older than you.
>> Rachel Fisher: Ah, Fail!
I'm bringing it in to you.
If you want to stop by, I'll have the book in her office
because it's a good book.
How about Where's Waldo?
Remember Where's Waldo?
>> female speaker: Oh, I remember that.
>> Rachel Fisher: Yeah, okay.
Yeah, that's all right.
It's a little bit old for me but see, see, I'm coming back.
There is a mandate in the state of Illinois that says
kindergartners should read at a 2nd grade reading level.
That's great, we care about literacy.
We want everyone to know how to read.
The only way that's going to happen is if children are
excited about reading.
How excited are you about reading a chemistry book?
Unless you're a chemistry major, and that's great, but even then,
it's kind of dry.
So, we need good fun books to get people excited about.
So, the old books, you have the Where's Waldo, The Frog and
Toad, which is quite good, are good books.
So, think about encouraging that.
And finally, junk mail.
I enjoy it, because I like to see all the random stuff I
could potentially get.
When I was in college, I felt very popular because I got all
these credit card applications.
I said people want me, oh!
But, in the end, it's a lot of junk and a lot of trees.
Why mess with it?
So, go online and have your address removed from those
mailing lists.
You can choose which address.
So you live here, but you also have a summer home you go to.
You can choose which address so that way you can still get this
little fun.
I love catalogs, I can't lie.
They're kind of fun.
So, that's 15 minutes.
But what if you had like an hour?
So, then, we could talk about tutoring at a local agency,
which we've talked about before, the need of the literacy and
improving of the reading level.
Well, now, you can knock this out.
Prairie restoration and conservation.
I'm from Los Angeles.
I don't understand green stuff.
I see something and I say couldn't you put a road there or
a mall or a parking lot.
So, this was all brand new to me, this prairie restoration.
Turns out it's kind of helpful.
You should keep the prairie.
Here, we have so many great volunteer efforts
that work on it.
It's really cool because once you go, you will never again
look at grass the same way.
You'll be like that's this kind of grass, not this kind.
This was planted.
They tell you all kinds of great information, so oh, knowledge!
In our community, we have a number of nursing homes.
This is a group of folks that went to play bingo
at a nursing home.
Simple things make a huge impact.
We have some seniors that we go and play bingo with every week
and they've got to look forward to us by name.
They'll ask you how are you and how are things and there's a lot
to make an impact.
This isn't just a moment that you're in and out of
people's lives.
You can really have an impact on them.
We do encourage the idea of donating blood.
I donate blood because you get cookies.
It's the only reason I do it.
Forget about helping people, I don't care.
I get cookies, juice, and sometimes, a t-shirt.
Winning, that's what you want.
So, but think about it, there are two places to donate blood:
Community Blood Services and American Red Cross.
We donate to American Red Cross and the blood goes to regional
help in St. Louis.
So, if there's a national or regional disaster, there's
something big and catastrophic, all that blood in St. Louis
could get shipped to wherever it needs to go.
So like we the had tornadoes in Kansas and
Missouri area, that's where all the blood
came from, was St. Louis.
Community Blood Services is a group where the blood stays here
in our own local community with Sarah Bush Hospital.
We have about 100,000 pints of blood we need to use every year.
That's assuming nothing major happens; it's just
a regular day.
When you donate blood, you give a pint.
So, we need 100,000 donations every year just to keep
everybody going.
So, I try to alternate between the two of them.
You can donate every 60 days, every 2 months roughly.
So, I try to go to one and then go to the other.
So, I help on the big scale but I also make sure if you or Dana
or somebody comes, I know you're going to go to Community Blood
Services first.
So, I got to help you there.
And Big Brothers/Big Sisters, have you heard of it?
Yes, so fun and just cool.
Best part about it is you only have to make a year commitment
but when you're not here in the summer, that's okay.
You just send a letter or a postcard, which how cool is that
to get a postcard?
I still gave postcards or mail or something like that.
The nice thing is you, otherwise, in the regular school
year, you just have to make a commitment of being with your
Little for one hour a week, just one hour.
So, you go to the movie and go hang out together.
We coordinate, once a month, different events for the Littles
and Bigs to do that are Eastern founded.
So, that means go to the football game, go to the
tailgate, go to the basketball game.
What a cool thing?
You're just spending time with someone and saying they matter.
They also have a really nice program that's in the school, so
if you prefer not to have a Little where you've got to try
and think of stuff and then hang out and transportation, you can
actually go to the school.
I had a friend who did it who, every Thursday, went
and had lunch.
So, she had chicken nuggets every Thursday
and it was just fun.
She just sat with her Little and had conversation.
You get paired just like a matchmaking service.
They really meet with you privately and talk to you about
what would you like, what are you interested in, the age and
the gender of the person.
They meet with the kid and they very much are there to be an
advocate for you.
It takes very little time to make a huge impact.
Maybe you have a little more time, and that would be lovely,
and you can give me five hours.
We're all about community beautification, that's a nice
way of saying trash bash or trash pick-up.
It really does work.
Look at these happy people.
You, too, could be smiling like this.
Just grab a bag and gloves and off you go.
It's a fun way to see the neighborhood, take a break,
relax and enjoy the weather.
Soon, we won't offer this because it will start to get
cold and it won't be fun.
So, don't stress there.
Camp New Hope is actually the camp that I mentioned that's
lost all of their funding.
They're a camp that works with children and adults with
developmental and special disabilities.
So, typically, folks who participate in Special Olympics,
also go to Camp New Hope.
They offer weekend getaways for those clients.
It's just really fun.
You come in and you do arts and crafts, they have a beautiful
respite area, so in the summer when the weather is nice, you
can go fishing with them and boating and very cool.
It's about just 20 minutes or so away from here.
Habitat for Humanity, which you've probably heard of?
>> female speaker: No.
>> Rachel Fisher: No?
Excellent, well, I'm going to teach you something.
Habitat for Humanity is a very cool project.
What it is, and it's an international thing, what they
look for is folks who want to become new homeowners and, then,
they build a house for this family.
And the family has to commit to do about 120 hours of
volunteering while they're there.
So, it's not just giving you a house.
You're working on the house.
The house is built totally by volunteers, except for two
people get picked.
Those are the two foremen who make sure that things are wired
correctly and the house is leveled, those things that I
would not know.
What's nice about Habitat is you're the homeowner, you're
getting a new home, you're getting to meet people in the
community, you're getting to choose the color and style of
your house.
How exciting!
Then, on top of it, I, the volunteer who's helping, I get
to learn how to build.
Habitat is designed to help people volunteer that don't know
how to build.
Those two people they paid, their job is to teach me.
I have to tell you, they try to build two houses a year
in Coles County.
I helped at one of the houses in Charleston about maybe a year
and a half ago and I put up some siding.
Now, I want you to remember the house is big, alright,
it's got 2-3 bedrooms, and I put up a just little bit
of siding maybe half the size of one of these walls.
I drive by the house to this point today.
I say to people, "I built that house."
Yeah, I built it.
Because you feel such ownership.
You were out there in the mud, and the sun, and you did it.
So, Habitat is a very cool way where you win on a lot
of levels.
You get skills but you help a community member and then
they get this brand new home.
And then, part of their process is that they help at the next
house as well.
So, always paying it forward.
And then, hopefully, when you leave here,
things will start percolating.
You'll start thinking about what can I do, what difference does
it make, what impact?
Yes!
And then you're going to call me.
Yes!
And then we're going to hang out,
(we don't have to hang out), but at least,
we can brainstorm.
And then, we're going to make an event, because what's great
about what we do here is that all of these things are things
that exist.
They exist because one person one time said, "Wouldn't it be
great if...," whatever that is.
And that person was brave.
They said wouldn't it be great if we had a camp for kids, so
everyone could feel equal and special and it was really their
camp and their space?
And then this camp was created.
Wouldn't it be great if low-income families could have a
chance to have a real home and not just have to suffer with
kind of just making the ends meet, but a real
chance at stuff?
Habitat was created.
So, think about the kids and this and just think of things.
We want to brainstorm.
A lot of our time and effort is spent on new projects, not just
maintaining, but enhancing the community.
So, there's my pitch.
Thank you.
And then, let's see, let's see, let's see.
Why does it matter?
Oh my goodness, of course it matters!
And we could talk about the philanthropy side too, but a
really important one is it finds the unspoken needs.
When you're out there doing stuff and volunteering, like at
the homeless shelter, and you're serving food, you're going to
start to think about things and think we were talking about what
time clients have to get here for dinner and what times GED
classes are.
Maybe there are at the wrong times and maybe we need to
look at it.
Things that people don't even think about, that's where your
fresh perspective becomes so incredibly important.
So, we know that philanthropy raises money and it gives money
and commodities to people, which is incredibly important.
And volunteering gives time and creativity to it.
But they've done national and state surveys that say how much
is volunteering worth when it comes down to it?
That hour that you spent picking up trash or helping at the
house, these folks are at the homeless shelter or wherever
they might be, what does it come down to?
It comes up to $22 an hour.
That's a lot.
$22 an hour.
So, if you consider this volunteering your time, you are
giving $22 back to EIU.
Thank you, just for being here.
But it's amazing how quickly it adds up.
So, while philanthropy is a direct monetary support,
volunteering is an indirect monetary support.
You're giving $22 an hour every time you go out into the
community to make an impact and to do something.
So, I leave you with this call; that "If not me, then who?"
And I purposely leave the screen blank because that's how the
world is.
There is so much going on but unless you stop and look, you'll
never see it.
So, it comes fleeting like this, a fleeting discussion about
Ooh, you're going to make an impact and you should
do things.
Then, you're going to go on with your day.
But you could fill this page with change, and ideas, and new
energy, and a commitment!
No matter what your major is, give me that challenge.
You want to go into underwater basket-weaving and hula hoop
dancing with seniors, I guarantee you, I'll find
you some seniors.
It could be kind of fun, maybe a little scary actually, but it
could be a little dynamic.
So, we want to try some things and see.
So, a couple last things for you to think about as you're leaving
an going and thinking.
Once you decide to answer the call of service, some things
you should do:
You should research on the cause or issue that matters to you.
Really think about it some and brainstorm some with it.
Consider what you have to offer.
Give yourself an ego boost.
You're smart, you're independent, you learned how to
do this and maybe speak another language.
Maybe you know how to write in a foreign language.
Awesome!
Think outside the box, think about partnering with groups.
When you think about you really want to be a detective and you
want to help people at the same time, there might be some
interesting opportunities with different nonprofits.
Don't just look at the ones that immediately fit your field,
because a lot of the fields we talk about here on campus all
are nonprofits.
Absolutely.
There's no need to wait to be asked.
If you're looking online at a website that doesn't glaringly
say volunteer, call them.
It probably just hasn't been updated, they haven't had a
chance or maybe they have a new link that they just talked
about and they haven't put it up online yet or haven't
put a call up for.
Don't give up.
If they don't answer and they don't call, just leave messages
and then call me.
And if there's not that in our community, then we'll
just make it.
Why not?
Right?
It's our ripple into the waves.
So, a couple last things for you to do:
I will give you my card, no pressure, but if you're going to
brainstorm or hear about some different options, we work with
40 different agencies in this little community alone.
There's a lot of impact.
We do encourage, if you're going to think about donating to
anyone, look at www.charitynavigator.org.
It's a great place and they use a wonderful 10 point system
through the government and some others.
They really let you see what's a good charity to give to because,
unfortunately, there are some folks that try to get creative
and say, oh, it's a charity- it really isn't.
So, double check on that stuff.
And then, of course, look at our website for lots of information
and knowledge to plan and service events.
So, I leave you, though, with some colorful image.
Go!
So, that, in a very brief discussion, so as not to bore
you or have anyone fall asleep, that is philanthropy, community
service and volunteering.
Thank you so much for coming.
[No dialogue].