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Dear 5th Bridge Pledgers,

School is out and summer is finally here, yahoo! Looking for some "utterly joyful" ways to spend your time? Here are some great ideas:

  • Host a dog wash and donate the proceeds to the Humane Society (sell homemade dog biscuits too).
  • Love to garden? Take a look around our community – in parking lots, around municipal buildings, on school grounds, in parks and along boulevards – there are garden patches of different sizes in need of a little tender loving care. Pick one and pull a few weeds. Imagine how much more beautiful our community would be if all these garden patches were given a little extra attention. Here's how easily it could work ... If you are dropping your child off at one of the schools or parks for an hour-long activity, instead of driving all the way home only to turn around and return soon after, bring your garden gloves, a couple of grocery bags, and pull some weeds. Recruit a few more parents, and before you know it, the grounds look great! You did a good deed, you saved money, got some exercise, made some friends, set an example for others, and taught your kids, in the best way possible (by example), the value of service.
  • Summer is vacation time! Check with your neighbors. Can you help feed their animals, water their plants, collect their newspaper or mow their grass while they are on vacation?
  • Take advantage of the beautiful weather and take walks often. Always bring a trash bag and pick up trash along the way.
  • Pick flowers from your garden and take them to seniors in local retirement homes. Take the time to visit, ask them to tell you stories about summers long ago.
  • Organize a group service activity for your sports team, friends, book club or neighbors. 5th Bridge can help with project ideas; check out our website.
  • Save gas and be good to the environment and your health, walk or ride your bike instead of taking the car.
  • Have a garage sale or lemonade stand and donate the proceeds to your favorite charity.
  • Host a car wash and donate the money you make to your favorite charity.
  • If a neighbor you know has young children, give the parents a break and volunteer to play with the children for a while. This is a great way for "baby sitters in training" to get some good experience while supervised.
  • Write a story about someone who volunteers and helps others in our community, then post it on the 5th Bridge website. It's easy, but if you need help call me (507-581-3017) and I will walk you through the simple process.
  • Need more ideas? Check out the "300+ Ways to Volunteer" on our website, www.5thbridge.org.

We need your help to spread the "utter joy" that comes from sharing your gifts and talents to make a difference. Please use your positive influence to encourage one additional person to visit www.5thbridge.org and take the 5th Bridge Pledge. If they already volunteer on a regular basis, still encourage them to take the pledge to continue volunteering and to add their name to the ever-growing list. If they don't currently volunteer, encourage them to take the pledge and offer to help them get started – it's always more fun with a friend!

Thank you so much for all the good you do!

Sincerely,

Candy Taylor

Candy Taylor and your friends at 5th Bridge

P.S. Mark your calendars and start gathering fund-raising ideas ... 5th Bridge is hosting its Third Annual Feed My Starving Children food packing challenge November 13–15. Our goal is to recruit 1,000 volunteers to pack 250,000 meals for starving children around the world, and our community will need to collectively raise $42,500 to cover the costs of the food packed. Individuals, families, clubs, teams, church groups, student groups, businesses or neighborhoods interested in participating should e-mail candy@5thbridge.org and we will make sure you receive information about this fun-filled event.

Attention Garage Sale Lovers: Mark your calendars – June 18–20 Healthfinders will host a garage sale to raise money to fund healthcare for uninsured people in Rice County. Check out the full posting on our website under "events."