CYCD Success!

The 6th Annual Clear Your Clutter Day was a huge success!  We received thousands of items that will be for sale at our Garage Sale in November! This year's event was held at Bethany United Methodist Church on January 28.

The event ran like a well oiled machine. Members of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) know how to put on an event.  They kept everything running smoothly, fed volunteers and helped anywhere they could.

From bikes to shoes, rugs to holiday decorations and everything in between, CYCD brought in a tremendous amount of donations. The response from the community was overwhelming! Hundreds of cars came through the parking lot to donate items to us and several other great non-profits, shred items, recycle things and toss their junk into the Junk Busters' trucks. This event was also a way for us to spread the word about the mission of The Settlement Home for Children.

Just to illustrate how many donations we received - we completely filled a 26' UHaul truck and large enclosed trailer. We filled the back of a pickup truck with furniture. We filled a car and SUV trunk. We were so excited to get these great donations!

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers, everyone who helped organize this event and the community for stopping by to make a donation!

All the Buzz

Can you tell we're excited about Clear Your Clutter Day? Maybe it's the nice weather or maybe we are all just feeling compelled to get organized for the new year, but something tells me that this year's event is going to be great!

The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) is hosting their 6th Annual Clear Your Clutter Day this Saturday, January 28 from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church, 10010 Anderson Mill Road.

If you missed us, check us out on the KVUE mid-day show today:
Click here to watch the interview.

Or read about us in today's edition of The Austin American-Statesman:
Click here to read the story.

We'll see you and your stuff on Saturday!

On the Air

We were excited to show KUT radio reporter Nathan Bernier around our Independent Living apartments last week.  Nathan came out to see the facility and interview Crimson Holland, our program director, along with a resident.

His story shed an important light on the struggles kids face as they grow up and age out of foster care.  It also showcased what efforts are being done to help these young adults become independent and successful.  As productive adults, they can better serve themselves and the community.

As a non-profit, we are always striving to educate the public about our mission and open their eyes to the struggles others may be facing.  The Settlement Home is not alone in this fight to stop the abuse, educate people and help heal troubled children.

To read or hear the KUT story, click here.
http://kut.org/2012/01/help-grows-for-kids-aging-out-of-foster-care/

Volunteering - A How to Guide

So you want to volunteer, but you are not sure how to get started.  Volunteermatch.org provides this insightful guide to becoming a volunteer:

6 steps to getting started as a volunteer



Getting involved in volunteering can be a little overwhelming at first. Here are six key steps to make sure you have a great volunteer experience: 


1. Time To Give? -- First, determine how much time you have available. You don't want to over commit and leave the organization in a lurch, and you don't want to get yourself into situation where you're not enjoying the work you're doing.

2. Setting the Stage -- Next, determine what kind of environment you want to work in as a volunteer. Outdoors? Indoors? At a desk? In front of an audience? Not every organization can offer all these environments.




3. Does Cause Matter? -- Cause refers to the  specific mission of an organization: the goals they are working for. Do you find yourself energized and inspired to change the world in one specific fashion?



4. Now You Can Start -- Once you’ve thought about availability, environment and cause, you're ready to search. But where do you start? We recommend  VolunteerMatch.org, of course! Don’t forget our  virtual opportunities, which you can do from anywhere. That means even though you're based in Ohio, you can help a Florida organization save manatees.




5. Getting Social -- Use our  advanced search page to search for opportunities that are good for groups and kids and anyone else you want to bring with you to volunteer.




6. Give Back and Get Ahead -- Finally, don't be afraid to look for opportunities that can help you professionally or academically. Lots of projects will look great on your resume or your college application. The more you can find something that aligns your needs with the needs of a nonprofit organization, the more likely you are to have a great experience.

For more tips on volunteering and connecting to a non-profit in your area, visit Volunteer Match at http://www.volunteermatch.org/index.jsp

Going Green

For the past month, we've been the beneficiary of a wonderful gift - organic produce!

Johnson's Backyard Garden, an organic garden in Austin, has been delivering boxes of seasonal produce weekly.  The produce is made available to us through generous donations from JBG members.  Click here to check out their dynamic website!

This weekly donations is so meaningful to us because it provides quality, organic food for our children.  It also exposes them to new vegetables.  Most of the children who live here have never eaten fennel, rutabaga, turnips or kohlrabi.  It encourages conversation about organic produce, how vegetables are grown and healthy eating.  The produce will help our children develop healthy eating habits that they can benefit from their entire life. 

Take a look at this beautiful produce!

The great thing is that you too can enjoy the wonderful produce from JBG. Visit their website here!

Carrots
Spinach
Scallions
Cabbage
Rutabaga
Fennel
Dill
Brussels Sprouts Greens or Collard Greens
Turnips
Kohlrabi

Carrots
Spinach
Scallions
Cabbage
Rutabaga
Fennel
Dill
Brussels Sprouts Greens or Collard Greens
Turnips
Kohlrabi

Clear Your Clutter, Help Others!

Get ready to get organized!  The countdown is on for the "Clear Your Clutter Day" so start collecting those clothes that don't fit, those books you've finished reading, the gift that just didn't quite fit in and bring them to the "Clear Your Clutter Day!"

CYCD is Saturday, January 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church (off Anderson Mill Road.)

The public is encouraged to bring items to donate, shred or recycle.  Your donated items will get a new home and will help those in need in the Austin area.

Read all about it here:
http://napoaustin.com/2012_Clear_Your_Clutter_Day.html

Clear Your Clutter, Help One Another

It's 2012, time to get organized and start the New Year off right!  After you've sorted through your garage, looked through your drawers and cabinets, and gone through each piece of clothing in your closet, odds are you are left with a mound of things.  Things you no longer need, but know that someone else does.

Imagine if that suit you love, but just doesn't quite fit anymore, could help someone get a job.  What if that bike your children have outgrown could have a new life with a child who has been abused or neglected?  Think about the wheelchair gathering dust in a closet in your house that could help an elderly person find mobility?

The answer is donating your items at the "Clear Your Clutter Day" on Saturday, January 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church (located at 10010 Anderson Mill Road, Austin, TX 78750.  This great event is put on by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO.) 

The public is invited to bring their items to donate to The Settlement Home for Children, Austin Groups for the Elderly (AGE), Dress for Success Austin and HeliOS Project.  In addition, Central Texas Secure Shredding, Ecobox and Junk Busters USA will be onsite for items to shred, trash and recycle.

The public is invited to drive by and drop off ONE CARLOAD PER HOUSEHOLD of any of the following items:

• Up to 3 boxes of paper to be shredded by Central Texas Secure Shredding
• Women's new or gently used career clothing and accessories for Dress for Success Austin
• New or gently used shoes (men's/women's/children's) for a NAPO-Austin Soles4Souls shoe drive
• Discarded flattened moving boxes accepted by Ecobox
• Mobility assistance devices (wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, shower chairs, etc.) for Austin Groups for the Elderly
• Used cell phones and discarded computers and electronics for the HeliOS Project
• Useable unwanted items (furniture, books, clothes, rugs, art, etc.) for Settlement Home
• Non-useable unwanted items (a/k/a JUNK) to be disposed of by Junk Busters USA
• Flammable, corrosive, toxic, poisonous, reactive, or explosive materials (including paint and batteries) CANNOT BE ACCEPTED.

More at  http://www.napoaustin.com/2012_Clear_Your_Clutter_Day.html

There's also a “Strangest Item Dropped off” Contest.

We hope to see you there!