Holiday greetings to all 5th Bridge Pledgers,

Congratulations to the Northfield Raider Football Team on an amazing season! A special thank you to all of the coaches and parent volunteers who supported the team and helped them succeed.

Many people agree that volunteerism and philanthropy are important, that they benefit both the community and the giver, and yet some people do not engage in giving; why? The top three reasons are:

• People don’t feel they have enough time or money to give;
• People don’t know where their services or money is needed; and
• No one has asked them to participate.

Our role at 5th Bridge is to provide encouragement, education, easy access and an open invitation to all to engage and enjoy in this rewarding facet of community life. Encourage your friends to reflect on their individual gifts, talents, and interests, and ask them to visit our website at www.5thbridge.org to find the volunteer opportunity that uniquely fits them.

Need some help explaining the value of service to your friends? The new 5th Bridge Brochures are here!

5th Bridge has new brochures that explain our mission and the benefits to both individuals and the community when people serve. Also enclosed is a convenient volunteer pledge card. You will find the brochures at local schools and churches, the library, NCRC and many local businesses. A special thank you to Engage Print, Patsy Dew and Scott Davis for making this communication tool possible.

The holiday season is right around the corner. If you are looking for ways to make the season more meaningful, here are some ideas:

Have fun, burn off some of those Thanksgiving calories and help raise money for Thursday’s Table by participating in the 7th Annual Jingle Bell Run on Saturday, December 13. For more details, visit www.jinglebellrunwalk.org or call 507-645-8887.

Volunteer to help with the Pajama Project for the CAC's Christmas Sharing project. Volunteers are needed to help cut out the pajama kits and to sew the pajamas. To learn more about what you can do to help needy area children receive homemade pajamas at Christmas, see the posting on the 5th Bridge website.

Volunteer to help at the Community Christmas Dinner on December 25 at St. John’s Church from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed to bring salad and desserts, set up, serve, provide rides, and deliver meals to homebound people. See the complete posting on our website, www.5thbridge.org.

Offer to help an elderly neighbor shovel snow or get their home ready for winter.

Volunteer your childcare services to someone you know with small children to allow the parent(s) to run holiday errands.

Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers all year long; see their posting on our website.

Thank you for all that you do to make a difference! We hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Candy Taylor and your friends at 5th Bridge