Posted on 1/21/2007 6:56:28 PM Author: Happy New Year!
It's January and you know what that means -- time for New Year's resolutions! So, as you head back to the gym, start that new diet, or take a class to learn a new skill, why not think about community improvement as well as self improvement?
Clean out your closets, your offices, or toy rooms and donate items you no longer need to charity. Did you get a new computer for Christmas? Donate your used computer to someone less fortunate. You can find a 'home' for all of your gently used items by clicking HERE.
Since encouraging philanthropy is just one of the many goals of Make a Difference Michiana we wanted to bring you stories of local businesses that are "getting it right" by giving back to the communities where they reside.
We'll start our Good Corporate Citizen series by telling you about our friends at Indiana Michigan Power.
Marsha Ryan, President and CEO of I&M, believes in “playing an active, positive role in the areas where we live and work. I&M supports the Indiana and Michigan communities across our service area.” And they do that in many ways – supporting United Way campaigns, Habitat for Humanity projects and much more.
One of the ways they directly impact our community is through the donation of their used computers to local nonprofit organizations. Over the last several years, I&M has contributed more that 1,100 computers to educational and nonprofit organizations in its service territory.
I&M maintains a database that tracks available computers and matches them with requests. Before donating the computers, the hard drives must be scrubbed of all data and operating systems reinstalled. Dave Switzer, Community Relations Manager, oversees the program in Michiana. If your nonprofit organization is in need of computers, you can contact Dave at daswitzer@aep.com.
Was your New Year's resolution to become more involved in the community?
Volunteer opportunities abound. You can search for them at our web site, or find them listed every Monday in the South Bend Tribune.
One of the most profound ways you can offer your services to a nonprofit organization is to serve on its Board of Directors. Serving as a board member involves attending regular meetings, being an advocate for the agency and its mission, helping to form policy and programs, serving on a committee, and assisting with fundraising.
There are many local nonprofit organizations that currently have openings on their Boards of Directors and are looking for professionals to fill the positions. You can see a complete list of Board positions available by clicking on the link below. Please consider giving the gift of your time to one of these worthy agencies.
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