(light uplifting music) (light uplifting music continues) - Welcome to "Almanac North", I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Tonight we're joined by volunteer organization experts and volunteers to discuss the state of volunteering in our region.

That's what's to come on tonight's episode.

But first, following up on our look into invasive species.

The 2024 Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference, or UMISC, has announced it is taking place November 12th to the 14th at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

As the largest invasive species conference in North America, UMISC is in its 18th year.

The goal of the conference is improving invasive species management, outreach, research, and policy.

Over three days, the conference will feature keynote sessions, topical sessions, posters, exhibits, workshops, and field trips.

Doug Jensen, conference co-chair and aquatic invasive species prevention planner, with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says this conference will showcase cutting-edge innovative technology and successes in invasive species prevention, management, and eradication.

UMISC 2024 will highlight foundations for improved invasive species management strategies across the upper Midwest and beyond.

Invasive species research, outreach, prevention and management have greatly improved over the years through the advancement of knowledge and networking opportunities.

This conference provides ample opportunities for people from a broad range of backgrounds, natural resource professionals, researchers, business representatives, land managers, nonprofits, lakeshore property owners, and landowners to connect, learn from one another, and inspire pathways for future success.

Visit umisc.net for more information and to register.

UMISC is co-hosted by the Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin, Midwest Invasive Plant Network, and Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council.

(light music) (light music continues) Now to the main topic of this episode, volunteering.

Our first guests joining us tonight are from the Boys & Girls Club of the Northland.

We have the Chief Development Officer, Tammy Sundbom, and director of Operations, Emily Burnside.

Tammy and Emily, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thanks for having us.

- Yes, thank you.

- I think everyone has heard of the Boys & Girls Club of the Northland, but what is your mission?

And give us a little overview of the nonprofit.

- Well, our mission is to help youths succeed despite, and give them a positive place to be and a safe place.

So we've serve kids ages six to 18 in Duluth, Superior, Grand Rapids, Greenway, and Hibbing.

Actually, now Gary know Duluth too.

I always forget about that.

- Oh wow.

- So, yeah.

- So tell us a little bit about your roles with the organization and what you do to help it succeed.

- Sure, I am the director of operations for the clubs.

So my job is to kind of make sure everything day to day is running smoothly, that the kids are happy, that the families know what's going on, that our staff feel supported, and that we are meeting all of the goals that we have for our organization.

- [Maarja] And Tammy?

- Yeah, I'm Chief Development Officer for the Boys & Girls Club.

So I do the fundraising, special events, marketing, social media, all that stuff, just to try to keep our, keep the clubs out in the public eye, make sure people are aware of the great work that the clubs are doing and just make sure we have the funds to keep doing that as well.

- Yeah, right, so how do you help the kids?

Like what kind of programming, what does it look like, a day at the Boys & Girls Club of Northland?

- Let Em take that.

- Oh my goodness, every day's a little different.

You know, it's really based on what the kids and the families are telling us they want to do, what they need from us.

Every day we serve a meal and a snack.

Homework help is another big part of what we provide.

Especially coming outta the pandemic, we see so many kids who are behind in their academics.

And so we've worked really hard on social emotional learning support so that as we head into the school year, they have this solid foundation that they can hit the ground running with their academics, and they're happy, they're not hungry and they have those supports, but it's also, you know, healthy lifestyles, getting them physically active, science activities, art activities.

One of our sites has a manga club- - Oh, wow.

- Where they like read manga because that's what the kids are interested in and enjoy doing.

So it's really fun, each day is different.

Each set of kids is different.

- So obviously like a wide, wide array of topics and elements that you hit on to complete like a happy child.

You obviously have staff, but what does volunteering with the club look like?

- Volunteers are such a key part because staff, the people that come into the clubs that interact with the kids, they're what it's all about.

That's what makes the clubs work.

The clubs, at the heart of what the clubs do, it's about mentoring and positive role models.

So our staff are so important to that, but our staff can only do so much.

We have opportunities where we wanna do more for the kids, field trips, or we wanna have a greater reach.

We have a club cabin that we try to get the kids out to.

But again, that takes more people than we necessarily always have on hand.

And we all know how staffing continues to be a challenge for so many organizations, especially nonprofits like the ones you're gonna talk to today.

So that's where volunteers come in.

They're such a key piece to that.

And they just, they help round it out, they make it easier for the staff.

They bring that new perspective, that new energy, and the kids really respond so well to that.

And I'll let Em take it from here 'cause she's on the frontline more than I am.

- Well, I think what's so great about volunteers in our organization is that it's so diverse what the kids want to do, what we do in our organization, that there's really a niche for everyone.

Whether it's a retired school teacher who wants to come in and help with math skills, it's, you know, someone who just wants to come in and shoot hoops and be a positive role model for a young boy at the club, or someone who says, "Hey, I really love beating.

"I wanna share this with kids."

We have opportunities to come in and share those passions, which I think is such a great opportunity for volunteers.

And we have leadership positions on our board, our volunteer board of directors- - Yeah, absolutely.

- We have an advisory board.

So really the options are endless.

- Committees for our special events to just add your ideas, resources, your expertise.

Yeah, we'll take it, we're thrilled to have it because that's what it takes to make these organizations work.

- And I have to imagine it's rewarding.

- Yeah, it's rewarding for the volunteers just to see the kids to light up their faces, really.

They get so excited when their favorite volunteer comes in and it's inspiring for them to see someone who has the same passion as them, the same kind of hopes and dreams and who they could see helping them get on a trajectory to where they wanna be in life.

A lot of the kids we serve just don't have those role models at home, don't have access to those supports.

And so it's so vitally important to expose them to people from all walks of life.

- So can those volunteers have like a regular time, like every Wednesday they come to the club from four to six?

Or is it more ad hoc, what does that look like?

- We actually prefer it to be more regular.

It's a source of stability for the kiddos to kind of know when you can rely on someone to come.

So all of our volunteers go through a background check process to keep our kids safe.

And once they go through that background check process, there's some safety trainings.

You know, how to help recognize mandated reporting issues and keep the kiddos safe in the club.

And then, yeah, it's that discussion about what do you wanna do, when are you free to come?

What works in your schedule?

We're open Monday through Friday after school hours.

And so there's a lot of flexibility.

We're open in the summer during the day.

- You know, and there's other opportunities too with businesses come in sometimes and they'll have a group, they'll come in and do a project with the kids or they'll just play dodge ball, or they'll paint a room or they'll do an art project and the kids love that.

The energy level is so fun and the volunteers have a good time and the kids benefit immensely from all that new energy and new positivity coming on board.

- A lot of opportunity- - Yes.

- Mm-hm, right.

- At The Boys & Girls Club of Northland.

- Yes.

- Well, Tammy and Emily, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

- Thank you.

Thank you, appreciate it.

(light music) (light music continues) - We are now joined by Head of the Lakes United Way Community Engagement Coordinator, Zoey Leege.

Zoey, welcome.

- Thanks so much, happy to be here.

- Happy to have you here.

Let's start with a little overview about yourself and what you do at the Head of the Lakes.

- Right, so as you said, I'm the Community Engagement Coordinator with Head of the Lakes and our mission is to strengthen the communities that we serve by uniting people with resources.

And so one of the main ways that I do that is by managing our local Volunteer Center.

And that is kind of like a one-stop shop where any local nonprofits, including The Boys & Girls Club, can post volunteer opportunities.

- Okay.

- And I kind of help them get set up and registered and make sure they're actually a local nonprofit, and work with them to promote then those postings.

- So you're kind of like a aggregator of opportunities in the area.

- Absolutely, we're like a hub where if you're looking for a new or different opportunity or just not sure what your options are, you can peruse.

I was just this afternoon working on our biweekly e-newsletter where I highlight kind of new and upcoming volunteer opportunities or any ones that are, have reached out and said, "Hey, can you help kind of promote this?"

So yeah, exactly.

- So you kind of see, you know, the supply of volunteering in our community and then the demand.

- Exactly.

- Is it matched?

- No, we've done a lot of work on making sure that nonprofits know that we're a resource they can use and there's a lot more work to be done on making sure that volunteers and perspective volunteers know that we're a resource that they can also use.

So I think there's a lot more audiences that we can reach that may not even know about this resource.

We've been working on making connections with UMD in St Scholastica, but you know, working on getting into the high schools and just other social and civic groups as well as contacting and connecting with employers is something that we're always working on doing more of.

- How does, you know, kind of collecting these volunteering opportunities, sharing it, how does that play a part into the Head of the Lakes mission?

- So again, our mission is to create those connections between resources and communities.

And so, you know, a lot of the nonprofits we work with, they don't always have the resources and the people power that they need to complete all of the activities and their missions and goals.

And so we're here to help connect them with potential volunteers to help them promote those needs.

They may not even have a full-time volunteer coordinator.

And so we're here to make that process easier, more streamlined and just help them kind of brainstorm how to get the word out.

- So for someone who is maybe new to volunteering, they wanna volunteer, they don't know where to start, what's kind of the options for opportunities around us?

- Yeah, so there are what I refer to as like a one-time volunteer need, and then there's ongoing volunteer needs.

And so you can start by just perusing the Volunteer Center and you'll see it'll kind of automatically go to the more recently-posted volunteer needs.

But you can search via area of interest, geographic area, certain agency.

And then another really neat way just to kind of preview some different nonprofits is we have two days of caring that we organize per year, one in the winter, December 4th is the next one, and one in the summer, which it feels like we just had, but it was on June 26th.

And that's where we invite any nonprofit that is part of the Volunteer Center, that is posting on there, can come up with a project that they would like to have completed on that day.

And then we do a ton of promoting and there's a lot of excitement.

A lot of local employers will wait for that day and they'll sign up as soon as they hear that they're, you know, the postings are live.

And so that's a neat way to really get to try out.

Or have a huge menu of options and see what's available, and then maybe it leads to you wanting to do something every year with that organization or being a, you know, an ongoing volunteer where you're going, you know, to read with kids every day after school or something like that.

- Yeah, I have to imagine you work with a lot of businesses who, you know, some larger businesses that are able to have a department where they focus on giving back.

- Yes, absolutely, there's a lot of businesses that will kind of wait for the day of caring.

But also just this month alone, I've had I think three different groups, one was a youth group and then two employers that were looking for projects from anywhere for 20 to 50 people.

So it was kind of looking at who was available and what was needed to be done.

And so I think we matched up about, you know, 50 volunteers with different opportunities for projects- - Oh cool.

- This month, yeah.

- So it sounds like you're really able to kind of filter down, you know, based on geography or time commitment, you know, how you can give back.

In terms of skills or, you know, some of it might be physical, some of it might be mentoring, what's the range there?

- Yeah, there's anything from like an entry level where you show up and you're maybe helping serve food and you'll get a brief little introduction into here's what needs to be done.

And you'll learn pretty quickly to, you know, more involved.

Like PAVSA, for example, has a training to be an advocate's assistant and answering their crisis line.

And they have a quite a more involved training where you complete like a 40-hour training online.

So it just depends on kind of what you're looking for.

But all of the volunteer opportunities are kind of coded by interest area.

So you're able to kind of search through and maybe find something that matches your specific interest or skillset.

- That's a nice resource to have to- - [Zoey] Yeah, absolutely.

- Align with what you're looking for.

Is there a way for you to measure the impact of the volunteer work in our community?

- Yeah, I've been kind of keeping an eye on, the software we use has some nice tracking tools.

And one thing that I've been looking at is just kind of how the day of caring numbers have have kind of ebbed and flowed pre pandemic and post pandemic.

So pre pandemic, they were around, kind of at peak, like 500 volunteers for the event.

And then we saw that dip down and now we're seeing it kind of growing back again, and we can look at kind of a measured dollar amount for the hours posted and number of hours.

So there's a lot of different things you can measure and I'm gonna be really curious, I'm hoping that we see that trend back upwards as more time and energy is being put into developing that and more people are learning about those opportunities.

- So for someone who is interested in volunteering, learning more about the opportunities at Head of the Lakes United Way, how do they get started?

- So the Volunteer Center has a website, it is hlunitedwayvolunteer.galaxydigi.

So that would be a great place to get started.

And I'm the contact person listed there, so I'll often get questions.

And then on that website you can sign up directly for the "Service Scoop", which is our biweekly newsletter.

And I'm also the contact person for there.

So either way you'll probably reach me if you have any questions, but it is pretty user friendly.

- Wonderful, Zoey, thank you so much for joining us.

- Yeah, absolutely.

(light music) - Our final guest for the program is the executive director of the Two Harbors Area Food Shelf, Deirdre Schlunegger.

Deirdre, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

- It's a pleasure to have you here.

- Thank you.

- Tell us about the Two Harbors Food Shelf and your mission.

- Well, I'm fairly new there.

I've been there just about a month right now, and the organization has been around since 1982.

And the mission is to provide food for people in the area who are having trouble putting food on their table and getting to the end of the month.

So we provide food and other kinds of personal items to people every week.

- And you have a background in nonprofits, correct?

- I do, I do, I've been leading nonprofit organizations, mostly in Chicago, national, regional, and local organizations for many years.

- Wow, have your other experiences centered around hunger or food shelves?

- Some of them have, the last organization that I led was based in Chicago.

But with the national organization, we worked with FDA, USDA, and CDC around food safety issues.

So it was similar kinds of content anyway.

- Sure, so how does the Food Shelf operate?

There's staff that does the day-to-day?

- I admit- - Is that you?

- I'm the only staff person there.

This is new for me, but, it's fun.

We have, the good news is we have a lot of volunteers, really a lot of volunteers and some have been there for a very long time, and they really know the ropes and know the work.

We have a weekly distribution of food on Tuesdays, except for the fifth Tuesday.

And then a food truck from Second Harvest comes once a month, and we have volunteers that help us unload the truck and put things away.

And then we have a distribution that afternoon as well, afternoon and evening as well.

- What does volunteering with the Food Shelf look like?

What kind of work is it that you ask of them?

- Well, there are a number of different things people can do.

We have a quite a few volunteers that come on that first Thursday of the month to help unload the truck, put things away.

And then we have people on Tuesdays who register people who come in.

They actually drive through a garage and people provide a box of food and personal items to give to them.

And then we have people who load their cars.

We have people who help put things away at the end of the day, we can also use help doing things like research and sorting data and helping do that kind of work as well.

Right now we're looking for volunteers for next weekend on behalf of the Food Shelf to work with Thomas the Train Engine- - Oh!

- In Two Harbors, so.

- Thomas is coming into town, yeah.

- Yeah, and we actually will get a stipend for providing volunteers for next Saturday and Sunday.

- Oh, so providing volunteers for the actual event itself?

- Yes, yes.

- Okay.

- So they'll be, you know, doing the...

I've never been to Thomas the Train's event, but I think they'll be helping with games and face painting and... - [Maarja] Sure.

- You know, those kinds of things.

- So that's a different kind of volunteering- - Yeah.

- Compared to the typical food shelf hours that you do.

- Right, yep.

And so that's next weekend.

- Next weekend, next Saturday and Sunday.

So people can get in touch with us if they'd like to participate in that and I will put them on the list.

- How do you organize, get the word out when you need volunteers, when you're looking for more volunteers?

What does that engagement look like?

- Well, you know, we have our regular core of volunteers, but I was just speaking to someone from United Way who's here and she said that they worked with us to help find volunteers.

And then we also worked with AEOA, they have an RSVP group of volunteers that they can recruit from as well.

So there's a number of different ways, but you know, this newsletter, we can go out in the community and ask for people.

But the organization's lucky to have so many people to help.

And for many years some have been there, as I said, for 17 years, so.

- Yeah.

- Long time - Who have maybe a regular cadence of volunteering at a certain time on a certain day.

- [Deirdre] Yeah, yep.

- [Maarja] Are you looking for more volunteers at any moment?

- Yes, we can always use more volunteers and, you know, people come with a variety of talent and experience and expertise and, you know, can help in a number of different ways.

And board members as well.

We have a really great board of directors, people who've come from really all over the country and have had varied experience, so that's been great too.

- You, as an organization that has one staff person as yourself and relies heavily on volunteers, how do volunteers impact the community of the nonprofit?

- We absolutely would not exist without the volunteers.

I mean, it's impossible for one person to do this work.

So the organization wouldn't be there without the volunteers who help and they really do know what to do.

It's really funny 'cause we have a distribution room and you know, they, my first week there, they came in and said, "We know where to put things, "we'll know where to," you know, "you leave things to us and we'll take care of it.

"We'll put things on the shelves and tell you where it goes."

And we have of course a number of freezers and refrigerators and shelves and so they can, you know, help organize that.

They're very much like staff in that way, so.

- And they probably know the people.

- They know the people, they know the individuals, - They know the faces.

- They know people's needs.

So last year I read that we had over 200,000 pounds of food distributed.

Over 900 individuals were served and I think there were 450 different households.

And I also learned that from 2022 to 2023, there was a 58% increase in the number of people served.

- [Maarja] Oh.

- So we're seeing more and more people, and so the need is greater.

And so clearly I'll be doing a lot of fundraising to provide more food.

- Yes.

- So.

- So if someone is interested in volunteering with the Two Harbors Area Food Shelf, how do they go about?

They can probably give you a call.

- They can give me a call, yeah.

Or they can, you know, contact us on Facebook, through Messenger there.

You know, if people are interested, they could do an individual food drive or have a party and have people to, you know, bring food, stable food.

Not frozen food, or refrigerated, but they could bring, you know, cans of food and packaged food, that sort of thing.

- Yeah, so in addition to volunteering your time, but volunteering your time to do a food drive- - Yeah, absolutely.

- And collect food to bring.

- Absolutely, some people have had fundraising parties, some people just wanna go, come and help organize.

I mean, some people really enjoy coming and putting things, organizing food and putting things away and getting it ready for the Tuesday distribution, so.

- A lot of opportunity.

- A lot of opportunity.

- Deirdre, thank you so much for joining us.

- You're very welcome, thank you.

- Before we go, let's take a look at what you might be up to this weekend.

The St. Louis County Fair continues through the weekend in Chisholm at the St. Louis County fairgrounds.

The fair is open 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.

Events, features, artists, and more information are available online at stlofair.org.

Gate tickets are $10, students 16 and under and seniors 62 and over are $5, and children under five are free.

There is an additional charge for access to Midway Rides, which can be purchased individually or an all-day pass is available for $30.

Cotton Mansion Boutique Hotel and Events is putting on a mansion walking tour on Saturday from 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM.

Stroll through the historic Congdon neighborhood and learn about the rich history and architecture of the area.

Explore the beautiful homes and hear fascinating stories about the people who once lived there and were instrumental in building and shaping Duluth.

And on Sunday, from noon to four, Earth Rider Makers Market is happening at their Brewery Fest Field in Superior.

Join a gathering of Twin Ports artisans who offer a fine assortment of locally-made indie oddities and craft goods.

This is a family-friendly market with live music.

That's it for this week's show.

Make sure you go and enjoy your weekend.

For everyone here at Almanac North, I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Thank you for joining us, goodnight.

(light music) (light music continues) (light music continues) (soft music) (logo whooshes)