"The core of Together for Lincoln has
always been its volunteers," said Dustin Fulton, preaching minister
at Jefferson Street Christian Church and public relations
coordinator for Together for Lincoln. "This year we are committed to
creating a better environment for them," he said.
Fulton says that after trying Saturday
last year, they are moving the project day back to a Sunday because
it seems to fit the community better. Organizers are also investing
more efforts in communication and team building.
"A day with so much happening will
always have a certain amount of chaos, but we think we will cut it
down dramatically this year. Especially if we can get volunteers to
sign up early in order to place them in projects that will fit their
abilities and desires," Fulton said.
During last year's Together for
Lincoln, about 500 volunteers invested a total of approximately
2,500 working hours in the community. In addition, more than $22,000
in locally purchased products was put into the nearly 100 service
projects.
This year's TFL will include two
main types of projects -- general projects and weatherization
projects. The general projects involve helping around the community
with interior painting, gutter cleaning, window washing, etc. Fulton
says one of the best aspects of these projects is that families are
able to serve together.
"It is a great picture of
intergenerational blessings really flowing in our community," Fulton
said.
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The second area of work will be
weatherization projects. This year, volunteers will focus on
replacing all windows in a few houses, rather than three to four
windows in several houses, like they did last year. The
weatherization projects are funded through donations that were
matched by a grant from the Woods Foundation of Lincoln and a grant
from the Energy Assistance Foundation of Decatur. Homeowners
applying for a weatherization project will go through an interview
process.
Applications for both types of
projects and volunteer applications are available at State Bank of
Lincoln's Wal-Mart branch, Oasis Senior Center and all partner
churches. The deadline to apply for weatherization projects is July
15. General project applications are due on Aug. 1. The volunteer
application deadline is Aug. 19.
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