Valentines for Glide
Many opportunities are being created to engage Burning Man Project volunteers in events that will have a positive community impact. We heard from many this past year that they are interested in participating in meaningful work. As part of the volunteer strategy we have developed a Volunteer Engagement Series that will encourage partnerships with like-minded community organizations that focus on areas of civic engagement, the arts, and education.
Share the Love, the first engagement event of 2013, is a collaborative effort between Burning Man Project and the Glide Foundation, and will take place on Thursday, February 14th. Project volunteers will participate in Glide’s meal service program by helping to serve a nourishing Valentine’s dinner to Glide’s guests. Leading up to the event, volunteers will gather their creative energies to craft 750 valentine cards to distribute to diners.
Project volunteers are excited to participate in Share the Love and the response has been incredible! Within one day of announcing the event, nearly all of the volunteer spots for the meal service had been filled while volunteers from throughout the Bay Area and all over the world – as far away as Idaho, Canada and Turkey have joined in to craft Valentine cards to share with the Glide guests. We love the regional, national and international support that has formed around this event and some people have even offered to organize crafting parties with their local burner community to create valentine cards.
Giving volunteers multiple ways to participate and partnering with a community organization has created a multi-faceted event that many want to be a part of. Burning Man Project is looking forward to the launch of the Volunteer Engagement Series and plans to make more of these opportunities available to volunteers throughout the year.