WFHB

Shay Upadhyay has been volunteering at WonderLab Museum since she was in the 7th grade, and has been a dedicated volunteer ever since. In her four years at WonderLab, Shay has donated over 600 hours of her time and talent, working in development, membership, and the volunteer department, the birthday program, outreach events, summer enrichment camps, and more! In recent years, Shay’s expanded her volunteerism to include service on the Monroe County Youth Council and the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Youth Council. On this week’s Activate! listen as Shay describes the impact that being a volunteer has had on her life and her community.

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Ellen Jacquart has dedicated her life, professionally and now as a volunteer, to the restoration of natural plant communities in the Midwest. In this week’s Activate! Ellen discusses the groups has created, led, and joined dedicated to the education of the public and of plant retailers. She has taught others for many years about the impacts of invasive plants, as well as how to identify and replace invasive species with species native to the region. Her positive impact over the years has been monumental, and inspires others to apply themselves with similar passion and vigor.

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This week’s Activate! features Janet Schell, a volunteer with the Teacher’s Warehouse. The Teacher’s Warehouse accepts donated school supplies and books that teachers can then “shop” in order to stock their classrooms for their students. If the Teachers Warehouse is open for business, Janet is there with a smiling face to assist customers. When the Warehouse is closed, Janet is there singlehandedly organizing donations. Because of Janet’s hard work, 525 teachers and 7,000 students or more benefited last school year from the resources available at the Teacher’s Warehouse, and the impact will be even higher at the end of this school year.

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Wonderlab

The Chamber’s Franklin Initiative

Stanley Njuguna isn’t afraid to make his voice heard. Only a Sophomore, Stanley has made his presence known through his work to push Indiana University to be more responsive to issues related to climate change and to declare itself a Sanctuary Campus. Stanley was also one of the leading organizers of Inaugurate the Revolution, held last January in Bloomington. Listen as Stanley discusses why students need to take a leading role in shaping policy at a local, national, and global level, and why it’s particularly important that students of color contribute their voice to campus protests and policy initiatives. Student activism at Indiana University, on this week’s Activate!

Keith Bobay serves the Community Kitchen and countless other organizations in countless other capacities. In this week’s Activate! Keith discusses his passion for community service and describes how these services help people get through challenging times in their lives.

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This week on Activate!

Opportunity House is a non-profit resale shop that has been serving Monroe County since 1968. This volunteer-run store provides recycled household goods and clothing at great prices, and work in partnership with other Monroe County non-profits to ensure people in the greatest need can shop even if they have no money. In this week’s Activate, Jill Argenbreight shares her passion for working with the “Opps House.” Shoppers and volunteers alike can find more information at the Opportunity House’s website.

That’s this week on Activate! Our weekly segment featuring people working for positive change in the community.

The National Organization for Women: Monroe County Chapter, is an organization devoted to achieving full equality for women through education and litigation. NOW focuses on a broad range of women’s rights issues, including economic justice, pay equity, racial discrimination, women’s health and body image, women with disabilities, reproductive rights and justice, family law, marriage and family formation rights of same-sex couples, representation of women in the media, and global feminist issues. The recently formed Monroe County chapter of NOW is holding a Call-Out for those interested in continuing the fight for women’s issues and rights.

That’s this week on Activate – your weekly segment spotlighting people working for positive change in our community.

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On January 21, 2017 an estimated 200,000 people will convene in Washington to march in assertion that women’s rights are human rights. The March, convened in the wake of the election of President-elect Trump, is providing an outlet for many that view Trump’s election as an assault on human rights. Case in point, McKenzie Goodrich, a local business owner who resolved on the evening of Trump’s election to do something positive, Listen as McKenzie describes her role helping to coordinate buses and resources for women in Indiana to travel to D.C. to attend the March, and how she’s navigating her blossoming role as activist.

Women’s March website

Gary Wiggins volunteers with Compassion & Choices, of Indiana a group that encourages individuals to think about end of life care options. Through education and outreach, Compassion & Choices offers people resources to easily create a living will or advance directive order so that you can have a say in your care in the event of a medical emergency. Gary shares personally about some of the experiences in his own familythat inspired him to work for this cause, and describes activities volunteers may participate in. All that, in this week’s Activate; your weekly segment spotlighting people working for positive change in our community.

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Don Westerhaus previously volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Iowa, and after retiring to Bloomington became active in Habitate for Humanity of Monroe County. In this week’s Activate! – listen as Don describes how impactful Habitat’s work is with family’s in need, and describes his own growth and satisfaction gained from the many roles he has fulfilled as a Habitat volunteer.

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