Altrusa International Service Projects
A database of Service projects from throughout our Altrusa organization
Rummage Sale: members donate gently used items to be sold locally with the proceeds going to the club for project funding.
Membership drive: a table will be set up at the site with our display board & Altrusa information.
Altrusa members & community members donate gently used children’s books & stuffed animals to be sold at AWARE’s Annual Christmas at the Farm fund raiser. Site locations to place donation boxes will be located by Altrusa members. Altrusa member will volunteer their time to share their vocation with any educational institution to educate young people about their vocation why reading skills are so important to do their job
Several years ago, our city library was forced to move into our local mall when the roof to their long time building collapsed during a rain storm. In 2014, our club painted a large mural of Jack in the Bean Stalk on wall inside the entrance to the mall that leads to the library entrance. Each year since painting the mural, we hold an art contest open to all school aged children in the county. We have a list of 100 classic literary works. The children are required to paint a scene from one of the books on the list and submit it to the judging team. The club gives cash awards for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entries and the winning paintings are hung by the mural for one year. The project encourages children to read the book in order to paint a scene from the book.
Each summer we team with many other service organizations to participate in the United Way Kids Fair. Each year there is a different theme for the kids fair. Each participating organization is asked to come up with an activity that fits the theme and have a booth where that activity is performed. We always try to have a literacy or art project that fits the theme.
Our club teams with many other service organizations, churches and business annually to participate in the United Way food packaging program. Working together, teams package either enriched macaroni and cheese or enriched bean soup. The program keeps growing, and this year we were able to package over 20,000 meals. The meals are distributed throughout the county to help feed impoverished families.
Our club members collect and sort manufacturer’s coupons and bring them to monthly meetings to be forwarded on to Support Our Troops. Support Our Troops forwards the coupons to commissaries on military bases around the world for use by the military personnel and their families. To date, our club has sent over $12,000 in coupons this year.
Our club routinely packages kindness bags with toiletries, change and non-perishable food items. Some of the bags are donated to the local Meals-On-Wheels program to be delivered with meals to the home bound participants of the program. Other bags are sent to military personnel serving overseas.
Our club members donated and packed supplies for 103 shoe boxes for Samaritan’s Purse. The boxes are delivered throughout the US and overseas for a program named Operation Christmas Child. The boxes contain toys, socks, underwear and some hygiene items for children. Our club plans to continue to participate in this program annually.
The club provides four $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors to help with their college expenses. Scholarship applications are accepted from any graduating senior from any of the 8 area high schools or home school program. The scholarships can be used for tuition, books or dorm room fees.