I’m sure you’ve seen the bloodmobile around town, read about the Ernie Wallace Blood Bank, or viewed the ads on TV by the American Red Cross.  You know the need is there, but how many actually answer the call?

Well, one of our SPACE team members, Jessie, does.  She donates blood as often as she can.  She has a very personal reason for giving because of her mother’s health problems.  Since she’s now working in DC and is at the National Institutes of Health frequently, Jessie says it’ll be more convenient than ever to donate blood. 

According to Jessie, the process is quite simple.  There’s a short question and answer form to complete.  Then your blood pressure and iron levels are checked.  If you pass muster, you move on to the drawing station.  Jessie says it doesn’t hurt after the first poke.  After about 6 minutes a pint of blood is siphoned off and you’re good to go.   Jessie’s O negative, which can be used by any blood type.  However, if Jessie needs blood, she can receive only O negative.  She says, “It’s rewarding to save a life.  You can’t make blood so it takes people to save people.” 

If you’d like to give the gift of life, contact the Midland-Gladwin Red Cross.  it’s about 15 minutes out of your life that could add years to someone else’s life.  Don’t wait…donate!

You bet!  May 7th and 8th at the Midland County Fairgrounds, the Bureau of Land Management adoption of wild horses and burros takes place.  Volunteers are needed to help during bidding, mark off pen cards, and take money in the office.  You can check with the Volunteer Center of MIdland County for details or call the BLM directly at 866 4MUSTANGS.

I’ve worked this event for two years and it’s a far cry from the usual volunteer activity.   However, it’s one of the more rewarding programs I’ve been involved with because the end result is a happy animal and a pleased owner.  The process that adopters must go through is rigorous because no animal will be adopted out without proof of the proper facilities.  In addition, the animal doesn’t belong to the adopter until a veterinarian declares the animal healthy and secure a year after the adoption.  The government can take back an animal at any point during that time.

The animals come from western states where the population in the wild is about 37,000 horses and burros.  Since the population can double in 4 years and the land can’t sustain that population, the need to control the herds through adoption evolved.   The BLM has auctions throughout the US and has developed a program that solves the population issue while providing quality animals to riders, farmers, and ranchers.

Our own team member, Carolyn, has two adoptees on her farm:  Doc and Elvis.  Carolyn reports, “They are protective by nature and will keep coyotes and other predators away from the newborn calves.  They also make noise if strangers come into their territory.  Todd used them to break 4-H club calves for the fair.  If you tie a stubborn calf to a donkey, the donkey will win since they are more stubborn and the calf will learn that it has to be led.  It also learns not to fight the rope halter or head butt or kick because the donkey will kick back.”  (Clarification:  burro is Spanish for donkey.)

If you want to spend a morning doing something unique, volunteer to help at this event.  The horses and burros aren’t the sleek, clean equines you may be used to seeing.  They’re desert and mountain meadow dwellers that haven’t known a curry comb.  They’re rambunctious and you’ll hear a lot of neighing and snorting.

Watch the wranglers gently separate animals from the herd by wiggling a plastic shopping bag tied to a stick.  Who knew?   Then the animals are bid on and put into holding pens.  The final step is loading the animal(s) into the trailers of the buyers.  This is the end of one journey and the beginning of another for these wild horses and burros.  You can be part of it!

Standing in line in the supermarket, Robin overheard a grandmother and granddaughter talking in the next line over.  The grandmother was excited about the chicken dinner she was going to prepare with the rotisserie chicken and other food items she was purchasing.  The grandmother shared the special recipe with her granddaughter as they moved up to check out. 

When the checkout clerk had scanned all the items, the grandmother handed her a “bridge” card (food stamps) to pay for the items.  The grandmother was getting ready to leave when the clerk said, “That will be $5.60.”  The grandmother looked confused and asked why there was a charge.  The clerk informed her that her bridge card didn’t cover the chicken because it was pre-prepared and, thus, considered a restaurant purchase and not eligible. 

The grandmother looked in her wallet and sadly told her granddaughter that the chicken would have to go back because she had no money to pay for it.  Robin noticed that the granddaughter looked stricken that the delicious meal her grandmother had been describing wouldn’t be on their plates that night.  The grandmother continued to look in her purse for money, knowing that she wouldn’t find any.

Robin stepped out of her line and flagged the clerk, saying that she’d cover the cost of the chicken.  The grandmother was so amazed and thankful, she said, “I’m going to have to hug you!”  Robin accepted the hug and went back to her own line, noting that both grandmother and granddaughter left the store smiling.

Now that’s what I call living SPACE’s core value of giving back to the community.  The beauty of this is that not only were the recipients happy, but the knowledge of her action gladdened Robin’s heart, too.  That’s the caliber of people we work with.

Here in Michigan we’re used to seeing deer on the road, sometimes even a cow.  This time of year, we also see a lot of road kill as animals come out of hibernation and begin to move.  But a rocking chair!  Really???

Julia was on her way into work, cruising along on US-10 as usual.  She rounded a curve and was faced by a free-range rocking chair in her path!  She couldn’t swerve into the next lane because of traffic, so she had to hit it.   After the impact, she pulled to the side of the road to assess the damage and call the police. 

Car after car sped by her without stopping to see if she was all right.  Then, along came John.  He didn’t even realize it was Julia until he got out of his vehicle and approached the scene.  Julia was shaken up and her vehicle was damaged, but driveable.  John waited with Julia until the police arrived and then followed her into work. 

It’s gratifying that SPACE has such selfless and considerate team members like John.  He exemplifies our core values. 

Meanwhile, Julia has the distinction of having the most unique police and insurance reports of the day!

April 18-24 marks this year’s National Volunteer Week.  It’s an opportunity that “celebrates ordinary people doing extraordinary things to improve communities” according to the Points of Light Institute.  In our community it means recognizing those people, businesses, and agency advocates who work tirelessly to make it better in Midland County.

SPACE, Inc. has a community service core value that encourages employee involvement.  The United Way of Midland County Volunteer Center provides several opportunities throughout the year for SPACE employees to make an impact and we take advantage of it!  Day of Caring, Rake a Difference, Season of Caring, Sharing Tree, and many more events see SPACE employees and trucks helping out.

This year’s Volunteer Week will see a new event called “Spirit of the Community” that will bring together all the recognition events usually held during the week and add a couple of new ones.  Several awards will be given, including Heart of the Community, Shining Star, and the Torch Bearer Award.  Volunteens will also be recognized for their contributions and service.   The evening event will take place on April 20th at the Great Hall.

We don’t know who the winners of all the awards will be, but that’s not why we volunteer anyway.  SPACE employees give of their time and talents regardless of any recognition.  It’s nice to know, though, that there’s a whole week devoted to demonstrating how volunteers are appreciated and valued.

I bet you’re wondering what to do with yourself on Saturday, May 22d.  As luck would have it, there’s a community event just waiting for your participation:  Midland Blooms!

Yes, soon it will be time to dig out the trowels and put on your gardening gloves and join us for the annual planting of the petunias along Eastman Road.  Several SPACE team members belong to civic groups and service clubs already assigned a block or two along the 2.5 miles of the route to be planted.   Rotary Club, Leadership Midland, and the Zonta Club of Midland are just three of the many organizations who return year after year to beautify Midland.  SPACE team members may either join with a member of one of these clubs or band together and develop a stand-alone SPACE team and register for a block. 

Each year Eastman Road is reduced to two lanes to allow hundreds of volunteers to plant petunias.  Starting at 7:30, block captains begin laying out flats of flowers for their block.  The captains are responsible for rounding up volunteers, providing trash bags, rakes, and brooms for cleanup, and assuring that the flowers are planted to guarantee beautiful blooms throughout the summer.  Volunteers show up at 8 and the entire 2.5 miles of both sides of Eastman Road are filled with color within 2 hours. 

So, stop wondering how you’re going to fill that Saturday morning and get digging!

The weather’s warming up, the sun is shining, and you’re anxious to get outside and do something.  Well, here are a couple of upcoming events that take care of the “do something” part.

The MS Walk is Saturday, May 1, starting at Central Middle School.  The official Walk begins at 10 am with registration at 9.  If you’re interested in being on the Spacewalkers’ team, a signup sheet will be available next week on the refrigerator in the kitchen.  I will be happy to register you or you can log on to the link here and set up your own participant page to record pledges and payments. 

The Walk is a gentle 3-mile hike that winds through tree-lined neighborhoods and culminates in a group brunch after the event.  Load up the kids, tie on your tennies, and hit the road to raise money to fight MS!  If you are unable to make the event, please support another team member by making a pledge.  Last year the Midland event raised over $50,000 to provide research, medical supplies, and services to people with MS. 

On May 19th you can find the SPACE team cleaning roadsides surrounding the Chippewa Nature Center.  This has become our annual Spring and Fall Day of Caring event as we’ve worked at the Nature Center for the past 7 years or so.  As usual, the Center will provide pizza and beverages following our labors.  Last Fall we cleaned the entire Wetlands perimeter as well as Pine River Road from Patterson to Huber.  So far this year we’ve already got 12 team members signed up so we should be done in record time.  Way to go, Team!

Is your current seating telling you and your customers it has seen better days?  If you have been thinking about upgrading your chair and have been waiting for a good time, now is the time.  Haworth has just announced a seating trade-in promotion.  Receive up to $50 for your old chair and SPACE Inc will take your old chair away to be recycled.  The details are listed below.  Click on the picture twice to make it readable. 

Now’s the time to help others create their own memories.  Next weekend, March 18-21, “Share the Memories” will set up shop at the Midland Community Center.  The North Midland Family Center and the Midland Newcomers coordinate the event that redistributes gently-worn prom dresses to relieve the financial stress for young women who may not otherwise be able to attend their prom.

According to an article in the Midland Daily News, last year 100 girls selected from 500 gowns.  This year the goal is to have over 800 dresses for the students so they can find that one perfect gown that makes the prom so special.  The girls can browse the racks of dresses, select accessories to complete an ensemble, and win prizes of makeup and flowers. 

You can help by checking your closets and donating your well-kept formals, shoes, jewelry, etc.  The drop-off point is at the Midland Community Center, or you can bring the items into SPACE and Colette will deliver them for you.  You can also volunteer to work the event as a greeter, shopping assistant, or attendant.  SPACE team members who are also members of Zonta are well-aware of this event as Zonta provides volunteers again this year.

A few weeks ago four intrepid SPACE team members joined together to form a dynamic bowling team to raise funds for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Flint.  The 31st Annual Bowling Challenge at Galaxy Lanes in Grand Blanc was the venue.  This year’s team was lead by Captain Diane and included Liz, John, and Stacy.  They solicited sponsorships from other SPACE employees, so most of the SPACE team actually participated.  This is the second year SPACE has “alleyed” a team. 

According to Stacy, the fun part was bowling in the lane next to the Flint Generals, the local hockey team that’s a member of the International Hockey League.  The Flint Generals’ mascot, General Rally, provided entertainment throughout the event.  He was a big hit with the children, especially when he signed autographs for them. 

This year’s event had over 600 teams and raised about $160,000 to support mentoring programs.  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Flint provides mentors (Bigs) for 1000 kids each year.  Currently, there are 300 “littles” waiting to be matched with a big brother or sister. 

The SPACE team raised $385 and is planning on participating again next year.  In fact, the plan for next year is to not only raise pledges and bowl, but to volunteer before and after the event.  Congrats to our bowling foursome and the team members who supported them to make the Bowling Challenge a very successful fundraiser!