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Maryland Town Turns Flood Zone into a Tourist Attraction

David Kidd

January 20, 2022 |

Governing |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Frederick, Maryland

When algae overgrowth began to plague the Carroll Creek flood control project, a group of volunteers cultivated 1,000 floating canopies of plants to block the sunlight that algae need to grow, allowing the community to maintain the effective underground concrete conduits that move storm water. 250 volunteers maintain the plants throughout the year and the creek, previously made unusable by the algae, now draws tourists to see various attractions.

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On wildfire patrol: Volunteers gauge success by blazes that don't start

Roy Rivenburg

December 06, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In Orange County, a group of more than 300 volunteers patrol public spaces and remote highways when there's the threat of a fire. They are called the Orange County Fire Watch. Some of the things they do include educating the public, preventing blazes from growing into larger fires, and discouraging arsonists. The group patrols the area up to 20 days a year.

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The Anti-Displacement Repair Team of Portland

Hannah Wallace

November 12, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Taking Ownership PDX helps Black homeowners to age in place by helping with maintenance to keep their homes livable, like making long-needed repairs and renovations. Since launching in 2020, the group has helped over 50 Black homeowners, raised over half a million dollars and maintains a database of 250 local volunteers who are eager to pitch in on the projects whenever they arise.

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Learning to live with nature is a balancing act

Sanket Jain

November 11, 2021 |

New Frame |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India

In India, animals like crocodiles, snakes, and bison are increasingly entering towns and villages due to the destruction of their habitat caused by climate change. The Wildlife Protection and Research Society use a number of methods to help conserve and protect wild animals. They train other volunteers on how to safely capture and release animals back into the wild, post photos to increase interest in animals, and work together with the communities to empower them.

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Sanitation Solutions: When the city let them down, Philly rose up — with orange trash cans

Meir Rinde

October 18, 2021 |

WHYY |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Philadelphia-based program called I Love Thy Hood's stepped up to help attack the city's dirty streets problem. Fueled entirely by volunteer efforts, the program has placed more than 106 cans on blocks around the city and collected over 100,000 pounds of trash.

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Surprising Data Shows Political Letter-Writing Still Gets Out the Vote

Philip Elliott

October 01, 2021 |

Time Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Vote Forward, an apolitical non-profit organization aimed at turning out voters, coordinated more than 50 partner organizations to boost turnout in the 2020 election through a letter-writing campaign. The letters were largely non-partisan, with letter writers encouraging people to vote rather than asking them to vote for a particular candidate. The low-cost, low-pressure tactic also brought in many first-time volunteers, with over 200,000 people writing letters. Organizers consider the campaign to be very successful, translating to about 126,000 votes in 21 states, or one percentage point nationwide.

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Youths Distribute ARVs During Lockdown to Curb Human Immunodeficiency

Namiganda Jael

September 23, 2021 |

Metro FM 90.8 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

Volunteers around Kampala help people living with HIV – who often seek medical care far from their homes due to stigma - get their medications during COVID-19 lockdowns. The volunteers mainly use bicycles to deliver the medications and are assisted in reaching people in need by the patients’ doctors as well as community leaders, like members of parliament, who use social media platforms to advertise the services. A single volunteer, like Opio Kenneth, can deliver medications to five to ten clients a day. Another initiative, with several volunteers, has reached over 4,000 clients since 2020.

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Seniors in Philly are aging in place with the help of community ‘villages'

Nora Macaluso

August 23, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Penn’s Village is part of a national network of hundreds of “villages” that provide support to seniors so that they can age in place. The staff is small, it is run largely by volunteers, and funded mainly with annual dues paid by the 350 members and ranging from $200 to $600 per household. The lower level offers access to programs and social events and the highest level gives access to services. The broad range of services are things that a neighbor or friend would do, not hands-on care. For example, the Health Pals program pairs volunteers with members who want support at medical appointments.

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Haiti's citizen seismologists helped track its devastating quake in real time

Carolyn Gramling

August 18, 2021 |

Science News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Haiti

Volunteer citizen seismologists in Haiti are collecting data on earthquakes and aftershocks with equipment provided by researchers to better understand seismic hazards and fault locations in the country.

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Education first

Mike De Socio

August 15, 2021 |

Adirondack Explorer |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

The Grand Canyon National Park launched a “hike smart” campaign as a way to educate hikers about the risks of traversing in the canyon and to decrease the number of search and rescue incidents. While measuring the success of such preventative measures can be difficult, the number of incidents has remained flat since the campaign was introduced in the 1990s, despite an increase in visitors.

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