+ The New Day Prison Ministries is a newly formed sub-committee which is responding to the needs of women prisoners at Dwight Correctional Center in Northern Illinois. 
Co-chairs of this committee are:
      Lois H.
      Karen S.
Possible Volunteer activities: corresponding with inmates, donating supplies such as personal care items, books, children's books, art supplies or games for family visitations, providing blank audio tapes for the inmates to correspond with their children, unused Christmas cards, helping with the needs of the summer camp program for the children of the women inmates, or helping to plan a community program with an invited speaker on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform.   You may have ideas of your own.just give Lois or Karen a call at the Fellowship or talk to them on Sunday.

+  Our support and close bond with Ranchhod Hospice and Orphan Day Care in Kabwe, Zambia began in June of 2003 when Hospice of Southern Illinois became partnered with this HIV/AIDS program.   The program also works with "street kids", provides voluntary testing and counseling, goes to outpost clinics in remote villages, provides ARV's and other medications for opportunistic infections and MANY other services. 
Chairperson:  Carla Feldhamer    hospice88(at)aol.com
Phone: 457-8606 home      201-4947 cell
Ways to get involved: Helping to plan or participate in our major fundraiser/benefit concert/silent auction. (Advertising, sending out or posting notices, working on food for the reception, planning the concert, working on the silent auction by pricing items and approaching local artists for donations, delivering and monitoring donation jars in businesses around town, contacting newspapers, TV and radio stations.)

Ongoing volunteer activities: sewing nightgowns for the patients,.collecting medical supplies, researching clean water opportunities and wells, writing letters to staff, patients and children at Ranchhod, planning and/or participating in a spring fundraising yard sale, suggesting other fund-raising activities.  Asking Carla, Cheryl Schmitt, Debbie Czarnopys-White, or Pat York to speak about the partnership with other groups that you may be involved with.  Working with the Religious Education classes to educate and involve them in the Zambian project, planning a community candlelight memorial service as part of an international service held in May.
Funds are collected in the fall to pay school fees for the orphans.  The cost is $50.00 a year to support a child.
Sign-up to receive the newsletter from the new
National UU Global AIDS COALITION     e-mail apickar(at)cs.com.   
Use UUGAC in the title line

+   Other on-going social action projects needing volunteers:

-Sale of Fair Trade coffee---contact Janet Harris    jelizah1949(at)yahoo.com   687-2155
-Unitarian Universalist Service committee (UUSC)-contact Janneke Resnick   mjanneke(at)aol.com   529-1950   distribute Guest at Your Table Boxes, Help research and distribute information on UUSC Youth Camps and other projects.
-Carbondale Food Bank- bring donations of food items to the fellowship in November and/or volunteer to deliver the items to the Food Bank at the University Baptist church.
-UUA United Nations office---contact David Christensen  davechris(at)mchsi.com     529-2034
-Trick or Treat for Unicef---contact Sandy Charlson     457-2685
Accompany the children on the collection and/or assist with their Halloween party.
-The Carbondale Women's Center----Help the religious education children to bake and deliver bread to the Women's Center in November.   Help organize the Easter Baskets in March.
Contact:  Sandy Charlson  457-2685 or Amy Weber at 549-1393
-Spirit of Christmas Gift Giving Program       contact Anne or Steve Hammett    529-0119
-Hurricane Katrina Relief Drive- .   Contact Rev. Bill Sasso  529-2439.
-Environmental taskforce-leadership needed in this area
Involve and inform the fellowship of Carbondale Clean-up Activities.
Research ways that we can be more involved in contributing to "The Interdependent Web"  notify Carla Feldhamer if interested in this taskforce.
-Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois-leadership needed in this area
-Volunteers are needed to check into the possibility of the fellowship sponsoring a family that has had to relocate to Southern Illinois due Hurricane Katrina or Rita...this would require a commitment of a group of persons for several months but is very doable with enough volunteers.   Contact Rev. Sasso or Carla Feldhamer.
-How about volunteering to plan and or help with an all fellowship service auction to raise money for social action.  It has been several years since we have done this but it is so fun and rewarding.   Fellowship members auction off their talent, a meal, a getaway at their lake cabin, a piece of artwork, house cleaning, yard work, shopping, ironing, babysitting, etc...


AS YOU CAN SEE, WE NEED YOU ON THE SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE.   THERE IS MUCH TO BE DONE.
SOME JOBS ARE SMALL, SOME ARE A ONE TIME COMMITMENT, SOME TAKE MORE TIME.   HELP US TO LIVE OUT OUR PRINCIPLES AND MAKE THE CARBONDALE UNITARIAN FELLOWSHIP A BEACON OF SOCIAL JUSTICE!!!!

** last updated 04/11/08 ymp**