WFHB

Having a form of transportation is essential to making your city a home, but affording a car or even a bicycle can be a challenge for under-resourced individuals. At the Bloomington Community Bike Project you can buy one with sweat equity – volunteering in the shop instead of paying money. Hugh Farrell is on the board at the Community Bike Project. Hugh wants everyone to have their own bike, and he sees the bike project as a way to build community.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Caleb Robbins

The Foster Closet of Monroe County is a non-profit collecting donations of clothing and toys and redistributing them to foster families. They also help families living in shelters and “kinship guardians” – those are people raising a child they are related to but not the parent of. Retired IU professor Margie Hershey is the founder of the Foster Closet. She saw a need in our community and did something about it, and now she’s asking for YOUR help supporting local foster kids.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Luke Aardema

Women Writing for (a) Change Bloomington is a local non-profit hosting writing circles for people of all ages and genders. Their circles provide an opportunity for writers to share their work within a small group. Women Writing for (a) Change sees writing as a tool for personal growth and building community. That’s why some of their writing circles include local schools, and there’s even one for incarcerated individuals at the Monroe County Correctional Center. Creative Director Mary Beth O’Brien invites you to join a writing circle.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Alexis Carvajal

Sometimes Mother Nature needs a good lawyer. Conservation Law Center here in Bloomington is a non-profit law firm protecting Indiana’s natural resources. CLC lawyers work on land conservation, water quality, and biodiversity. Right now Conservation Law Center is suing the state of Indiana for allowing AES to release untreated wastewater into the West Fork of the White River upstream of the City of Martinsville’s municipal wells, which provides the city’s drinking water. CLC executive director Christian Freitag is here to ask you to support Indiana’s ONLY pro bono environmental law center.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Trevor Donley

Having a life-threatening medical condition is tough at any age, but it’s especially rough for children. A national organization called A Kid Again tries to lift some weight off the shoulders of these children and their families with adventures designed to just let them be kids. Yesterday in Indianapolis the Indiana chapter hosted a Mother’s Day event with fire trucks and a petting zoo! Here in Bloomington there’s an Indiana University student chapter of A Kid Again, and Naman Satsangi is the president. Naman says being part of A Kid Again is just as rewarding for the volunteers as it is for the kids. He’s calling on you to spread that joy.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Peter Miller

Radiant Ensembles is a local performance group of student musicians who give back to their community. They perform in schools, nursing homes and anyplace else that needs good vibes. Founder Jack Hammersley says the joy they take is equal to the joy they make. Jack worries that current threats to education at the state and national level will make music education more difficult, so he’s asking you to support Radiant Ensembles.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Luke Janke

Indiana University has a well-known theatre program, but it’s tough to get involved if you’re not a theatre major. Operating independently of that school is University Players, run entirely by undergraduate students from all career paths. Every year these students stage an entire season of productions, all free and open to everyone. The organization most recently put on “Ride the Cyclone,” a musical following six students as they navigate an unusual situation. Evan Anderson is Managing Director of University Players and he wants the Bloomington community to get involved.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Morgan Rusk

Every three minutes in the United States, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. With over 50,000 blood cancer related deaths annually, such a diagnosis can feel like a death sentence. Gift of Life is a national registry for donors of stem cells and bone marrow. If you match with a patient in need you can quite literally save their life. Aakash Parekh is president of the IU branch and he wants to sign you up.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Harley Babbitt

It’s been a tough school year for some students at IU Hillel, the Jewish culture center on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. In September Hillel hosted a memorial service mourning the deaths of six Israeli hostages in Gaza. Then last month the U.S. Department of Education included IU in its callout of sixty universities under investigation for antisemitism. Shayna Grossman is president of IU Hillel’s Student Executive Board. She wants Hillel to be a safe place for students missing the support of their Jewish community back home. Shayna says you don’t have to be Jewish to support Hillel and its mission.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org

This episode of Activate! was produced by Ian Plaskoff

Stages Bloomington is the only local theater company that fills all acting roles with youth. From building sets to the final performance, kids are in charge of every aspect of each production. Right now a troupe of local kids in grades 3 through 8 are hard at work prepping for a run of “Alice in Wonderland” with public performances April 17th through April 19th at The Warehouse at 1525 South Rogers Street. Managing Director Marc Tschida says the Stages Bloomington educational mission means that instead of actors serving the show, the show serves them.

Activate! is a partnership between WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, working together to build a strong, healthy and engaged community. You can learn more about volunteer opportunities in the WFHB listening area at bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org