Exciting announcements!

SOWSA would like to invite you to our next meeting which will take place on Tuesday, October 5^th at 7PM in room SO 285 (FAU Boca). We will have a guest speaker from Family Promise, and we be discussing our “Adopt an Agency” initiative and planning related events. We look forward to seeing you there.

Please see the following related announcements and information on upcoming events and community service opportunities:

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During our first meeting on September 9, members voted on a community organization to “adopt.” Through this initiative, our goal is to support a local social service agency throughout the 2010-2011 academic year. Based on the needs of the selected agency, SOWSA will arrange a number of activities to benefit the agency, including food and clothing drives, holiday toy drives, and volunteer events. The organization that the members selected was Family Promise of South Palm Beach County.

Family Promise is an organization that assists homeless families. They work with local churches that provide facilities in which to feed and house the guests. Family Promise works daily with the families, the faith community network, and social service agencies to transition the families back into the community on a self sufficient basis. The supporting congregations also provide volunteer and fundraising support, as well.

We are excited to announce that Family Promise has accepted our offer and the Network Director, Kokie Dinnan, will be attending our next meeting on Tuesday, October 5 at 7 PM in SO 285. Kokie will introduce the agency to SOWSA and explain the organization’s needs. This is an exciting partnership for SOWSA and we hope that you join us in welcoming Family Promise at our next meeting. With your input, we can work together to plan appropriate activities and events that best fit the needs of Family Promise. 

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SOWSA is excited to announce a new partnership with a national philanthropic organization. The Office Depot Foundation will provide SOWSA with volunteer opportunities to support them in impacting the community through their initiatives listed below:  

Office Depot is known throughout the world as a company with a heart. They have distinguished themselves through consistent support of charitable organizations and worthy causes on a local and national scale. Today, the independent Office Depot Foundation is continuing this tradition. The Office Depot Foundation is focusing on the following five strategic priorities for a period of five years:

• Helping children get ready for life and work.
  The Foundation will seek to help 50,000 at-risk children in 50 states to get the tools and support they need to graduate high school and either get an advanced education or find a meaningful job.
• Helping non-profit (civil society) organizations become more professional and productive.
  The Foundation will endeavor to help 5,000 non-profit (civil society) organizations to get tools and support to increase their capacity to fulfill their missions.
• Enhancing disaster relief and recovery.
  The Foundation will assist local communities in the wake of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes and the like – and will continue to be involved through the rebuilding process
• Strengthening local communities.
  The Foundation will endeavor to enhance the quality of life and provide opportunities to deserving children and families at a local level.
• Promoting global development
  The Foundation will seek to promote entrepreneurship, economic and community development programs to help improve economic and social conditions around the world.

The Office Depot Foundation has also launched a website to help connect volunteers to opportunities they would be interested in pursuing. This website is called Caring Connection – check it out! http://caringconnection.volunteermatch.org/.

Please continue to check our blog and Facebook page for more information on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities through this exciting new partnership.