Arkansans can Get Up and Give to help Methodist Family Health
03-05-2010Alyssa Anderson
For the Arkansas United Methodist
United Methodists in the Central and North Central Districts have a new opportunity to “Get Up and Give.”On April 11, Methodist Family Health and the Arkansas Conference are partnering in a new event called just that: Get Up and Give. The event, funded by an Impact Community Grant from United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tenn., will be a day of giving to the women and children served by Methodist Family Health, a nonprofit organization providing mental health services for at-risk families.
For this gathering, you can give your time, your money or new items for those in need.
“Many of the children who arrive at one of our programs come with nothing more than the clothes on their back,” said Ashley Coldiron, executive director of the Methodist Family Health Foundation.
“They depend on us to provide them with the basic necessities, and Get Up and Give is an opportunity for us to collect the items most needed by these children.”
But more than a day of giving, Get Up and Give will also be a day of service. From 1 to 4 p.m., individuals and groups, United Methodists and non-United Methodists, are invited to do one or more of the following:
- Drop off needed items (see list to the side) to either the Methodist Children’s Home in Little Rock or the Methodist Behavioral Hospital in Maumelle.
- Volunteer to help sort and pack collected items.
- Help plant flowers and shrubs, clean outdoor furniture, put down mulch and other outdoor tasks to make the outdoor space better for the kids and visitors.
- Help with a neighborhood cleanup in the area around the Children’s Home.
- Make a monetary donation to the Methodist Family Health Foundation.
The celebration will take place in the Methodist Children’s Home recreation center.
The inspiration behind this new day of giving and service came from a small group of women at Keo United Methodist Church. Led by Jean Landrum and Ila Chaney, the women started their own event several years ago called “Undie Sunday,” and four times a year, they collect underwear, socks and other necessity items for the children at Methodist Behavioral Hospital in Maumelle. Get Up and Give is a larger-scale version of their original event.
Everyone interested in participating in a day of service must register on our Web site at www.impactcommunityevent.org/Arkansas.
Projects will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Volunteers should plan to bring some of the following items: work gloves, shovels, wheelbarrows, trowels, post hole diggers, a Roto-tiller and rakes. Closed-toed shoes or work boots are a must— no flip-flops or sandals.
Invitatations will soon be arriving at United Methodist churches in the Central and North Central districts.
“Get Up & Give is a great opportunity for people in North Central and Central Arkansas to get involved in projects that have a direct and positive impact on children and families,” Martha Taylor, the Arkansas Conference’s director of communications, said. “It is what I hope will be the first of many Arkansas events that will involve the Methodist churches and those in their communities.”
She added that Impact Community Grant funds are available for any district or cluster of at least three churches and welcomes those interested to contact her about how to apply for a grant.
To learn more about Get Up and Give, contact Ashley Coldiron of the Methodist Family Health Foundation, at (501) 661-0720 ext. 7304, or Martha Taylor, Arkansas Conference communications director, at (501) 324-8005.
