Fill Those Buckets!

My dad, who’s a pretty cool guy and a top-notch Library Media Director, has an awesome idea. He’s begun the process of uniting educators across Wisconsin, especially those who deal with the younger grades, in the “One Book One Community” campaign. Here’s the initial release below:

I started work on my “One Book One Community” for the 2013-14 school year and I thought how cool it would be if Wisconsin came alive with the book Have You Filled A Bucket Today.  I’ve used the book for several years and have seen the impact the concept of being a bucket filler can have on students and adults, too!  Wisconsin has always been a shining star in our great nation and if we became a “Bucket Filling State” we would only continue that grand tradition of the “Wisconsin Idea.”

So why not consider joining us and other school districts, public libraries, municipalities, etc., around the state and help us to be the “bucket filling” state!  I doesn’t need to be a school-wide or district-wide event, it can be just your library or classroom.

I have created a website, collaborative wiki, Facebook page, and Twitter feed to help build support and interest for the event.  Please consider joining!  Feel free to contact me, like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and help us get the word out!  Please share this with colleagues or with other listservs or organizations you are a part of.

Keith D. Schroeder
Library Media Director
School District of Marinette

For more info, and to follow the campaign’s progress, visit the One Book One Community: Wisconsin website, follow OBOC Wisconsin on Twitter, and like OBOC Wisconsin on Facebook.

Merry Christmas!

This year, my girlfriend and I decided to make homemade gifts for our various gift exchanges. One of the items we made was a gourmet hot chocolate set (pictured above) with creamy powdered hot cocoa, peppermint mini marshmallows, a candy cane, and a Bailey’s Irish Cream mini. The gift tags are also handmade, and are available for purchase from my Etsy store.

Enjoy this wonderful holiday time with your family and friends! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Volunteer Here! VISTA Project Featured

As a quasi-follow-up to my earlier VISTA-related post, “All Hands On Deck For Technology Literacy,” this post focuses on another large part of my VISTA work.

Volunteer Here! is a website for connecting potential volunteers to relevant area non-profit agencies. Over my one-year VISTA term, I was project manager for the site, which is built around OrgSync.

In December 2012, a local paper—The Leader-Telegram—wrote an article titled “Website a resource for volunteers,” highlighting the site’s success and building community awareness of its potential community impact.

A new website hosted by UW-Stout is designed to become a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities around the region, including for the school’s more than 9,200 students.

“It’s one-stop shopping for volunteers,” said Mary McManus, assistant director of the Memorial Student Center.

Volunteer Here! offers a central, cyber location for nonprofit organizations to post detailed descriptions of needs and for the public and UW-Stout students to sign up.

The site streamlines the process of publicizing opportunities and matching volunteers with organizations, a process that historically has been done by word of mouth.

To date, 18 local nonprofit organizations have registered with the Volunteer Here!, including such organizations as the United Way of Dunn County, Dunn County Humane Society, Literacy Volunteers-Chippewa Valley, Bridge to Hope and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Wisconsin.

The site was developed during the past year by UW-Stout’s Ally Initiatives for Civil Rights and Civic Responsibility. Tyler Schroeder, a 2011-12 AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at UW-Stout, was the lead developer. Leadership Menomonie, a Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce program, provided support.

A new AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at UW-Stout, Michael Schiel, is managing the site.

“This is the hub. It’s an easy way to volunteer,” he said. “Agencies can manage their volunteers from anyplace they have Web access.”

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