100 Years Means Hundreds of Dish It Up Projects

In celebration of the Pioneers 100 years of service, volunteerism and philanthropy, Pioneers Dish It Up: Feeding Families Healthy Food projects are taking place all across North America from September 11th – 25th.

During this time, Pioneers across the United States and Canada have committed to numerous local volunteer efforts including collecting healthy, nutritious, non-perishable food donations, as well as transporting food to food banks, filling backpacks with healthy snacks or easy to prepare “weekend” food for children, and serving food at local shelters or soup kitchens, just to name a few.

The following states and provinces have committed to efforts which aim to feed one million people: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

Food security is defined as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” Food insecurity occurs when:

1. Sufficient quantities of food are not available on a consistent basis.

2. People don’t have the resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.

3. Knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation, are lacking.

Please help address this issue by volunteering your time, donating food, or donating money to the Pioneers Dish It Up project.

Join the Pioneers in Dish It Up: Feeding Families Healthy Food

In celebration of the Pioneers 100 years of service, volunteerism and philanthropy, Pioneers are joining together for one of the biggest volunteer efforts in our history. Pioneers Dish It Up aims to feed one million people across the U.S. and Canada who face the daily challenge of “food insecurity.”

Pioneers are volunteering in hundreds of cities across North America and we are inviting you to help make a difference.

Between September 11th and 25th, join Pioneers in addressing the hunger issue by participating in the Pioneers Dish It Up project, which includes a healthy food drive, as well as other service projects aimed at feeding the hungry. 

You can help by donating non-perishable, healthy, nutritious food for local food banks.  In partnership with Feeding America, and its network of member food banks, a list has been compiled of the most requested foods that also fall into the “healthy” category.  We ask that you donate one of the foods included on our food list. 

We hope that you will join us in this project.  By dropping your donated food in the Dish It Up collection receptacles or by making a cash contribution online you can help us succeed in our goal of feeding one million people. 

Volunteer efforts are occurring in almost every state and many provinces, so sign up today! To find a Dish It Up project in your area visit VolunteerNow!, enter your company preference (if any), your state, click search and look for Dish It Up under the Health and Human Services category.

Together, we can help make a difference!

Back to school means back to work for Pioneers

With the end of summer nearing, thoughts turn for many to heading back to school. “Back to School” means “Back to Work” for many of our volunteers who focus on helping students in the United States and Canada start off the school year on the right foot.

With education as a primary focus of our community service efforts, it has come to be expected that Pioneers will provide the support students need. Pioneers are making a difference inside and outside of the classroom, from pre-K on.

There are many organizations that provide for students in September, but what sets Pioneers apart is that we provide support throughout the year.  After filling backpacks with supplies, we develop relationships with schools and with teachers that lead to the introduction of programs such as Power Up To Read and Project Connect.

Pioneers serve as tutors and mentors, as teacher’s aids and classroom facilitators. We expand our reach beyond the classroom to paint playground maps, or, we go direct to students living in transitional housing to ensure educational materials are available at home.

These are just a few examples of how Pioneers enhance the education experience. Are you going back to school? If so, invite a co-worker, family member or friend to join you – so that they can learn what it means to be a Pioneer.

To help you out as you help others return to school, one lucky Pioneer will receive a canvas book bag. 

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post and answer the following question.

* What back to school project are you participating in this year?
* Deadline to enter is Tuesday, July 16th
* One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Wednesday

Good Luck!

2011 Beep Baseball World Series

In 1964, the first softball with an audio tone was designed by Mountain Bell employee Charlie Fairbanks.  Over the years, the design was improved, the Beep Ball game was born and in 1972 Pioneers began to manufacture the audio balls. 

In March of 1976, the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) was formed and the first World Series of Beep Baseball was planned.  Today, the NBBA manages the annual Beep Baseball World Series, which brings together blind athletes from all across the world to compete in the game.  Pioneers volunteer their time and talents to the local tournaments and the World Series and adopt beep balls.  The Qwest Pioneers manufacture and sell the beep balls and the ball chargers.  This year, the World Series is being held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 31- August 6th.  

Do you have a favorite beep baseball memory? Share it with us!

 

 

Moments in Pioneers' History: Blazing a Trail to the Olympic Games

Re-creating the spirit and challenge of their namesake forebears, members of the Pioneers blazed a trail westward across the country to help carry the Olympic flame from New York City to Los Angeles for the 1984 Summer Games.

Nearly 5,000 Pioneers worked with AT&T and the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to physically survey and map every inch of the 8,700-mile route that took the flame through 33 states and the District of Columbia.  Pioneers also obtained all necessary permits and clearances along the way, serving as a liaison with local and state authorities and law enforcement officials, and identified service and emergency facilities for the Olympic Torch Relay support caravan.

During the relay itself, which began on May 8 and took 82 days, 250 lucky Pioneers got to carry the torch on behalf of AT&T. Other Pioneers served as drivers for the 34-vehicle caravan, living onboard for the weeklong stints. Still others were responsible for marking off Youth Legacy Kilometers along the route, briefing and escorting the designated torchbearers, assisting handicapped runners, storing and distributing the propane-fueled Olympic

torches the runners carried, and helping to stage torch-arrival celebrations in communities along the route.

Looking Beyond the Centennial... 2012 Calendar Mails

Pioneers members who support the organization with charitable gifts will be mailed the annual Pioneers wall calendar this week.

This limited edition calendar — Forging Friendships and Sharing the Joy of Service — is filled with distinctive images that illustrate the fun and fellowship we experience as Pioneers — creating and nurturing friendships that can last a lifetime. As we reflect on all the projects and events that will bring us together in solidarity time and again, we celebrate the connectivity that is the heart of Pioneering.

If you've haven't supported a Pioneers with a charitable gift in the past, watch the Pioneers' website for an opportunity to do so and receive a 2012 calendar.  Remember, gifts made by U.S. Pioneers are fully tax-deductible and all Pioneers' charitable gifts go to work right away to support your local Pioneers' life-changing projects right in your area.

We hope recipients will display it with pride as a year-round reminder of how much we appreciate your support and everything you do to promote Pioneering!

Winners Announced in Quote for Funding Program

There are many ways to participate in Pioneers' Centennial for both Pioneers units and members.  The April 1, 2011 Pioneers Centennial Blog shared news about an opportunity presented by member benefit partner and proud Pioneers Centennial sponsor Liberty Mutual.  The "Quote for Funding Challenge" would award six $2,500 grants to the units across the country who had the most members request insurance quotes between April 1-May 31.  The response was great and the competition fierce as Pioneers across the United States participated in the challenge to help secure additional funding to be used during the Centennial year.

And now the winners of the Quote for Funding Challenge have been announced!  To learn which Pioneers' units will be awarded grants, read the current front page story on the Pioneers Headquarters website at http://www.pioneersvolunteer.org/