Mark Luster chairs this project which recently won the Association Project Excellence Award along with the Region Award Chapter 30 also received a grant to provide more schools with books.
Pioneer Volunteers recognize that reading aloud helps improve the skills of older readers, and that reading to young children is a critical factor in getting them ready to read and to become good readers and successful students. As a result the Pioneers have funded a program to purchase books. The books are housed in school libraries and are available for students to check out for use at home. We also participate in the Readers for Life progam and I Like Me, both of which provide books for the children of their own. We also have volunteers who read aloud or just listen to young readers.
Contact your local club or council for more information on how you can help your local school.
Campbell's Soup Labels
Labels for schools. We are still collecting. Contact Gwen for the latest, gwen@olypen.com
Pull Tabs
We are still collecting pull tabs. Save them and give to your club or council president. For more information contact Sandy, scramer581@aol.com
Talking Books
The Telephone Pioneers have been actively involved in repairing Talking Books as a community service project for some 30 or 40 years. Repairing the playback tape decks for the Washington Talking Book and Braille library in Seattle is done at the museum. With the recent loss of technicians due to death and other pressing family matters, we are now down to one regular volunteer working on the repairs.
The repair tasks are usually not difficult and involve external surface cleaning the tape units, replacing drive belts and swapping out various plug-in components. Use of small tools and an occasional soldering iron is typical.
There are detailed instructions available and assistance to train new volunteers. Please solicit your members and encourage them to join in on this community service. The crew works each Tuesday however after initial training, access to the museum repair facility can be arranged any day of the week.
New volunteers can call Don Ostrand at 206-789-4761(H) or on Tuesdays at 206-767-3012 or just show up on any Tuesday.
Thanks, let’s keep this service alive.
Museum
We also would be glad to welcome any and all volunteers to serve as docents for the museum tour groups. A self-guided tour is under development using MP3 type players and pre-recorded messages. A visitor will check out one of the players and be able to hear descriptions of individual items. Items of interest are designated with a numbering scheme and as the visitor finds an item they key the number into the player and they will hear the pre-recorded message. With this program in full operations the job of the docent will become that of an observer.
The future of the museum depends on new volunteers. Please consider volunteering for this very worthwhile project..
Operation Shore Patrol
Ocean City State Park welcomes us each year. Telephone Pioneers join with thousands of other volunteers to clean the beaches and shores of Washington waterways. Washington Chapter 30 gathers at Ocean City State Park near Ocean Shores, Washington. The third full weekend in September each year is the time. This project will be held on September 19, 2009 and everyone is welcome.
Plan to join us, bring your family, friends and neighbors.
We gather on Friday night, sign in on Saturday morning at 8 a.m.;, clean the beach and then enjoy each others company and the out of doors. After the cleanup we have family activities including kite flying, sand castle building and a great potluck.
This event has been held for many years and all volunteers are welcome. If you wish to volunteer for this event please send a message to pioneer@scn.org and you will be added to the mailing list.
We do have great fun and leave a nice clean beach.
Easy Access
Easy Access
Washington Telephone Pioneers work with various national and state parks, and national forests, especially in the area of building and maintaining accessible trails. A recent project at Mt. Rainier National Park was to prepare a site for revegitation. Within the Randle Forest Service District, we have worked on campground restoration, trails and general cleanup.
Another trail improvement project in the Randle Forest District is being planned for late 2008. Please email Lois for more information.
Hug A Bears
When children are victims of automobile accidents or face other crisis situations, it can be a very scary time. That's why Pioneer Volunteers have sewn thousands of stuffed animals and donated them to law enforcement officials, fire departments and hospital personal, who keep them in their cars and offices ready to give to comfort young victims. These Bears have also been sent to areas hit by natural and man made disasters throughout the world. We have regulary scheduled work parties at locations around the state and you are welcome to join us as we sew and stuff.
Project Connect
Pioneers across the United States have been active in wiring schools and providing time and equipment so that our youth can learn to access and use the internet. Net Day explains more about this program and how you can get involved.
Playground Maps
Playground Maps
Currently Washington Telephone Pioneers are painting maps of the United States on local school playgrounds. These maps are used for educational and fun games. The maps and instructions for some games are provided to the school at no charge. Do you know of a school in your community that would be interested?
Habitat for Humanity
Recently the TelecomPioneers renewed their agreement with Habitat for Humanity in order to work on joint projects. Remember that these are now automatically authorized projects and turn in your hours to your participation chair.
