Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Clothing Donation Helps Keep Wisconsinites Warm this Winter



The Volunteer Center of Racine County, Inc, a nonprofit organization located in Racine County, Wisconsin, recently received and distributed 91 boxes of donated clothing  to Wisconsin residents in need this winter. The clothes were donated from the Red Cliff community, thanks to the efforts of a group of 15 teenagers, who “had seen families on the street with signs asking for money to buy clothing and food” and wanted to help.  (Lee B. Roberts, Racine Journal Times, Donation collaboration: Items collected by Red Cliff teens will help people here


Several local agencies, including Bethany, St. Vincent DePaul, Family Literacy and Love, Inc. of Burlington were able to pick up these boxes from the Volunteer Center of Racine County to distribute throughout their community. The donation, transportation and distribution were all processed on the Wisconsin portal of the National Donation Management Network, powered by the Aidmatrix Network. “The agencies picking up clothing were most appreciative. Thank you to all that helped make this a success,” stated David Voss, Outreach Coordinator for the Volunteer Center of Racine County, Inc. The Volunteer Center of Racine County serves children, youth, adults, and seniors who are keenly interested in service and volunteering.


>Read the story from the Racine Journal Times

Dave Voss of the Volunteer Center of Racine County Inc. photo courtesy of Gregory Shaver gregory.shaver@journaltimes.com 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

HelpBridge enables you to get help and give help during a natural disaster



When a natural disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane occurs, the first thing people want to do is reach friends and family who are impacted.  Beyond standard emergency kits for home and cars, people increasingly turn to their smartphones to serve as a lifeline in situations of need.

Because of this critical need, we want to help spread the word about a new mobile app called HelpBridge that launched today by Microsoft and is designed to help you connect with the people that matter to you during a large scale natural disaster. It also enables you to give your money, time and resources to support relief and rebuilding efforts.

HelpBridge is available as a free download on Windows Phone, Android now, and iOS devices.

Get Help with HelpBridge
HelpBridge enables you to build a list of people who you would want to contact in an emergency.  With one swipe you can let all those people know if you’re OK or if you need help via SMS, email and/or Facebook.  The alert can also optionally provide your exact location via your phone’s GPS capabilities.

Give Help with HelpBridge
Helpbridge provides three easy ways to support relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

·         Donate money
You can use the application to easily donate funds to Aidmatrix and other relief agencies assisting victims of a disaster

·         Donate goods
You can discover what goods and resources we need on the ground and the application makes it easy for you to get the right goods to the right place.

·         Volunteer your time
With HelpBridge, you will also have quick access to a list of real-time volunteering opportunities with relief agencies, enabling you to directly or indirectly support relief efforts with your time.

Download the app today and make disaster preparedness part of your plan.

Watch a video on how to use HelpBridge to Get Help & Give Help in a Natural Disaster