As many of you know, AWG has set up a "service bank" whereby a member in need of a service can reach out for the help of a "Flamingo Friend".
This service was designed as both a fundraiser and a means of developing links among our members. The Flamingo Friend may be solicited by a member to drive to the airport or the train station, the hospital for a pick up or a drop off, to translate, to haul, to do childcare, pet care, plant care....The person requesting the help will make an appropriate donation to the AWG fundraising kitty to "thank" the volunteer.
The fee for a Flamingo Friend's service can be determined by the two people involved, but should remain less costly than a taxi ride, a professional translator, baby sitter, dog walker, etc. It is also appropriate to offer to pay for the helper's gas.
Among the types of services which have been used so far : picking up travelers at the airport, giving a college counseling session to a member's high school-aged child, cooking a contribution to a potluck for a member who had no time, setting up for an event at the house of a member who needed a second pair of hands.
In its first year, the Service Bank raised 150 euros for charity. It has proven to be a productive way of "being there" for one another.
Please give this a thought. If you are willing to participate in the service bank, please contact us.
06/2013
