January 8, 2024
With 2024 being an election year and so much messaging around the importance of voting, I’d like to remind everyone that there are so many ways for Grundy residents to help design the community you want – in addition to voting.
Last year we launched http://www.VolunteerGrundy.com , a robust online volunteer portal. Nonprofits can list their volunteer needs, whether once or on-going, and residents, employees, and youth can sign up for those volunteer slots. Residents wanting to volunteer but not sure where can fill out a profile outlining what you are willing and not willing to do. For example, if you’ve spent a career as an accountant but want to do something different, bookkeeping for a nonprofit is a “no thank you.”
If you are a teen needing community service hours for school, please look at VolunteerGrundy.com. If you are a nonprofit who allows teens under age 18 to volunteer, please log in and list those opportunities.
We also want more nonprofits to list group volunteer needs so that area corporations can come volunteer as a group on their annual day of service.
By volunteering with a nonprofit that you care about, you are taking the steps to design the type of community you want to live in. Your volunteer hours assure that that nonprofit continues to exist and serve Grundy County.
No time to volunteer? Please donate. Every nonprofit across Grundy County will accept your gift of cash. Some of us also accept stock and other non-cash assets. Most of us have online donation portals, or you can mail a check. Regardless of which causes you believe are most important, by supporting those nonprofits with your donations, you assure that those nonprofits continue to exist and that they have the funding to work on the issue(s) you care about.
No money to donate? Donate blood. Morris Hospital has a blood drive coming up on February 15th. Sign up at http://www.versiti.org/IL. The City of Morris sponsors a blood drive for the American Red Cross – their next date is May 17th.
Blood make you queasy? Donate gently used household items. Animal shelters like blankets. Hands of Dignity and Hope helps PADS clients furnish their first apartments. St. Vincent DePaul and Goodwill in Morris both accept clothing and household items. AmVets accepts old clothing and sends it to a fabric recycling center.
Want a buddy system? Join 100+ Women Who Care of Grundy County. Each quarter, over 40 women gather, pitch in $100, and over the span of just one hour, select one charity to receive that day’s kitty. Can’t afford $100 on your own? Come with 1 or 3 friends and split it – whether $50 each or $25 each.
It’s such a joy to watch this team of women buddy up to grant around $5,000 to one charity in one day! Our next gathering has been bumped to Tuesday, January 16th, at noon at Alpine Coffee, with lunch graciously prepared and donated by Nan’s Catering (another person donating to what they care about!). Please RSVP to [email protected].
And speaking of voting, a group of women are joining me to form a Grundy County Chapter of the Illinois League of Women Voters. Please follow us on Facebook – look for “Grundy County Chapter – League of Women Voters.” We invite you to join us as we get voter information out there. No politics – just voter information!
As always, give what you can, with what you have, where you are – remember to #GiveGrundy!
Julianne Buck is the Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Grundy County, located in the historic Coleman Hardware Building at 520 W. Illinois Avenue in Morris. Their phone is 815-216-1025 and her email is [email protected].