We have our Google Alerts enabled here at Be the Change, and we tend to run into really cool ideas and thinkers. Today, we found a post on an amateur radio blog about ServiceNation! Unexpected - but very interesting:

There’s already talk on the blogs that amateur radio operators could play a significant hole in some programs that ServiceNation plans to put in place. This, by providing volunteer communications for some of them. Some thoughts are that this type of involvement could breath new like into thousands of ham radio repeaters that currently lie dormant most hours of the day.

So, amateur radio enthusiasts out there - what are your ideas? How could ham radio be incorporated into a Disaster Relief Corps? Leave us a comment!

photo credit rtopalovich

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS, the government agency that manages AmeriCorps, etc.) has a new website full of tools and information - volunteeringinamerica.gov.

On the easily-navigable website, you can check out volunteering stats nationwide, by state, or by city. They’ve got profiles on volunteering with graphical breakdowns - I just learned that 25.4% of volunteers in DC go through religious organizations, while 25.3% focus on education. The site is just stuffed with data and charts - but not the boring kind. If you’re interested at all in how other people volunteer, or even just need some statistics, this site is definitely a great resource.

(I’m also pretty proud that the Midwest is the #1 region for volunteering. Not that I’m surprised!)

I’ve discussed National Public Lands Day before, but here’s some news! Public Lands Day Tour 2008 has started up, and Program Director Robb Hampton is traveling across the country distributing $1,000 grants.

He’s driving a Prius around (the tour is sponsored by Toyota; also, Priuses (what is the plural?!) are adorable), getting great mileage in his hybrid, and taking great pictures. Check out the blog here, and see if he’s headed anywhere near you with a large check.

A check for the Milwaukee Community Service Corps

Raise the Mileage Deduction for Volunteers!

If you travel for business, you probably know that you can deduct mileage from your taxes. But you can do the same for moving, medical - and volunteer mileage. That’s great - but the volunteer mileage deduction is pitiful, and hasn’t been increased to reflect, well, anything:
While the IRS has recently increased the deduction for business travel from 50.5 to 58.5 cents per mile, and for medical or moving expense from 19 to 27 cents per mile, the volunteer deduction amount is set in law at 14 cents per mile and requires congressional action for any change.

Contact your congresspeople through the link to let them know! It’s a small thing, but pennies add up.

After a few days of not acknowledging its existence (we’ve had great news stories to post about!), I went through my RSS feed. Little did I know that a lot of people were discussing volunteering - so here’s a blog round-up of the best I’ve found.

Janis Foster of Grassroots Grantmakers discusses the connotation of the word “volunteer” and “citizen”.
Chronicle of Philanthropy posted aboug Janis’ post, and asked, “Does the nonprofit world need to do a better job of talking about volunteerism, and connect it more closely to citizenship and self-interest?” If you have thoughts, leave them (or us!) a comment.

Social Capital has some thoughts on the CNCS volunteer report (see our June 6 post about it here), and talks about the other factors that may mean Miami is the “worst” city for volunteering (ie, has the lowest volunteer rate).

Guest blogger Rich D’Amato of the Case Foundation (Case is a ServiceNation partner and sponsor) asks if Millennials will work with the public sector to change things (in this instance, the Volunteer Mileage Deduction - more on that later today!).

My snarky side says nah, probably not. Unless, of course, writing their Congressman could enter them to win dinner for two at any given TGI Friday. Maybe that’s the ticket. Forget government policy. It’s time for government-sponsored gift certificates and prize giveaways!

TGI Friday’s? Not for this Millennial. Chipotle on the other hand, well…

More seriously, though, every attempt I’ve ever made to write my representative (although I live in DC right now, I am still registered in Illinois) has been met with a form letter. One letter I wrote in 8th grade against a policy prompted a basic form letter that thanked me for the support of the policy (cue buzzer noise). I don’t view calling or writing my specific representative as efficacious, since it’s never met with any positive (or real response). It might be because I am of a different party; it might be because I live in a large district; it might be for a billion reasons. But am I willing to write to my rep? Yes. But they also need to start listening.
I certainly believe the public sector can be great, but we need to make it so.

Thoughts on any of this? Leave us a note.

In Huffington Post, “Why Doing Good Is Sexy”:

Doing good has never been hotter. Everybody’s talking about their desire to make a difference, and volunteerism and civic participation are suddenly as high as they were in the 1960s. This fact is not lost on the two U.S. presidential candidates, who have made public service a centerpiece of their platforms.

If Alan Khazei is right, it’s about to get even more exciting. We’re about to see a renaissance of altruism across the United States and around the world.

The article’s all about Be the Change, and our goals that created ServiceNation. The author’s got a challenge, though:

And here’s a special offer. I will send a free copy of my book — WE ARE THE NEW RADICALS: A Manifesto for Reinventing Yourself and Saving the World (McGraw-Hill, New York) — to the first person who shares a true story of someone using the question, “Where do you serve?” as a pick-up line. Because then we’ll know for sure that this movement is red hot.

Anyone got a story?

ServiceNation friend and partner John Bridgeland has a great op-ed on Town Hall titled, “Service to Country is Presidential”.

Alexis de Tocqueville once observed that to prevent America from becoming a “dim and dubious shape in the eyes of the citizens,” its people must “take a zealous interest in the affairs of township, country, and of the whole state.” That is precisely the meaning of citizen service.

From military service to traditional volunteers in neighborhoods, from full-time national service in AmeriCorps programs like Habitat for Humanity, City Year and Teach for America to Peace Corps volunteers and Volunteers for Prosperity who tackle HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa, from Citizen Corps emergency responders and medical reserve corps professionals to veterans who return home and continue their service to disadvantaged children, America can empower citizens rather than bureaucracies to address our nation’s toughest problems.

Bridge’s writing is compelling and clear - definitely an article worth forwarding.

If you missed it, here’s another recent editorial by Bridge!

Well, it’s not really a heat wave; it’s just DC weather. But here’s some summery songs to finish up your week. First, the Islands’ “Rough Gem” (no, I don’t understand the video either).

And Regina Spektor’s “Better”:

Have a great weekend!

Yesterday, we talked about the misconceptions and misinformation we saw in blog posts. After a conversation with Tim, our director of communications, the Volokh Conspiracy has posted a clarification. ServiceNation does not support mandatory service, the base assumption of the previous posts; we are glad to have this correction posted.

Our founder, Alan Khazei, also has a statement in response:

I am happy that the Volokh Conspiracy blog has issued a correction regarding the goals of ServiceNation, clarifying that ServiceNation does not seek mandatory service, and is instead working hard to increase voluntary service opportunities for all Americans. However, the correction itself still contains errors about my record and my views on service. To be absolutely clear, in my 20 years of work in the service field I have NEVER advocated mandatory service requirements. I absolutely support comprehensive and voluntary service opportunities for all Americans, and believe deeply that if more Americans choose to serve their communities and country, we will be a more united and prosperous society. And I would like service to become a rite of passage for all young Americans, not as a mandatory requirement, but because they have been inspired by the idea that service is both an act of patriotism and an ideal of citizenship. I have never deviated from these views and to suggest otherwise is simply wrong.
If you’d like to find out more about ServiceNation, please visit our website.

We asked for your young leader nominations (due today!), but we know of a few awesome young people who are already leaders.

Meet Hives for Lives. Two sisters - Molly and Carly - started the organization after their grandfather died suddenly from throat cancer. They now harvest, jar, and sell honey
- with all proceeds going to “BEE-T CANCER”. (best. slogan. ever!) They’ve been honored by the White House, the TA Barron Prize, and Spirit of the Community Award; they’ve donated over $45,000!

Here’s a video. It’s a little outdated (they’re now in 6 Whole Foods regions and have raised more money!) but it’s really good anyhow.

And this is Relight NY.  Founded by 16-year-old Avery Hairson, RelightNY works to inform people about the benefits of CFL bulbs, supply low-income families with CFLs, and encourage more New Yorkers to make the switch.  The bulbs make a huge environmental difference and last longer; each bulb saves a family about $30 in comparison to a regular incandescent!  Great ideas come from all ages.