At least twice a week I answer the question, “Where can I serve with my children?”  Most of the time that question is coming from a desire parents have for their children to understand the value and importance of service, and at DurhamCares, we love that.  With that in mind, we thought it would be helpful to offer both some opportunities for family service as well as some context for thinking about the impact of your service as a family.

First and foremost, it’s important to make sure we’re teaching our kids what serving our neighbors really means - let’s set an example of crossing boundaries and connecting relationally.  Let’s lead them to practice service that’s consistent, committed and on-going, so that they’ll grow up to give back in ways that are consistent, committed, and on-going.  Let’s show them that loving your neighbor means knowing your neighbor, which doesn’t happen once every three months for two hours.

It’s going to be harder than showing up on project day to paint a wall or sort cloths, no doubt about it.  (And to be fair, painting and sorting are often big needs, but they are needs best addressed in the context of holistic involvement.)  If you have young children, an appropriate on-going opportunity may be even more difficult to find.  But it can be done!

I know parents that regularly volunteer their time with a local non-profit, and then find appropriate opportunities like community events to bring their children along.  There are also parents who’ve set up babysitting exchanges with other parents who want to volunteer so they can each have time to donate their time & skill.  The kids may not have been physically performing a task, but they certainly understand how important serving is through their parents’ example!

It is important to teach our kids to serve - and it’s important enough to get it right.  If it sounds overwhelming, we’d be happy to help you brainstorm what that might look like for your family.  You can also check out these ideas that you and your family could get involved with right now:

• Serve as a “resettlement team” with organizations like Church World Service or World Relief that work to re-settle refugee families arriving in Durham.  If you have children, you’re perfect for this opportunity - these families need help learning to live in the United States, including things like setting up appointments for their kids, and their children may need other kids who help them learn the ropes.
• Organize a fun activity like a skit, musical performance, or magic show at places like the Caring House or Croasdaile Retirement Village.  Organizations like these work hard to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for their residents, and it’s a great opportunity to serve the folks there.
• Cook & serve meals for families at the Ronald McDonald House here in Durham, who are dealing with treatments for their children at Duke Hospital.  Depending on the age of your kids, this is a great opportunity to provide peace of mind for families under stress.
• Join a support team with Project Compassion, an organization specifically aimed at creating community around people with serious illness and their families.  You and your kids could be part of a team that helps participate in their community and serve their caregivers.
• Take your kids to “Kid’s Day” at the Food Bank to help them fight hunger locally.  The Food Bank in Durham has regular days with projects designed specifically for kids, which may be perfect for children too young for some of the other opportunities.

What are ways that you and your family are currently serving? How have you creatively incorporated serving into your family? Share your story in the comments below.

This time of year is full of anticipation - anticipation of celebration, of time with family and friends, of gifts and of renewed hope. However, if you are like me, you also feel the tension of consumerism, of an overly full schedule and of relationships that don't always live up to expectations. And I need an antidote to the stress.

That's when I again reflect on what it means to Love Your Neighbor. I'm utterly convinced that it is more fun, energizing, exciting, and yes, blessed to give than it is to receive.

I hope that you too are convinced of this. It is in that spirit and understanding I would ask that you consider making a year-end gift to the DurhamCares Success Fund. 100% of money given through this platform will go to 29 local non-profits. DurhamCares does not keep any of the money. It all goes back to the local non-profits who are daily living out the call to Love Your Neighbor and who are courageous enough to publish their goals and results.

The Success Fund is a tool to encourage and reward local organizations that want to be accountable to their own mission and vision. The Success Fund allows more kids to get mentors, more refugees to find safety, more homeless to find shelter and more sick and hurting to find relief - and that's just the beginning. The Success Fund is a tool that allows you as a donor to reinforce the success of a wide range but select group of local non-profits.

It's easy to make a gift. You can give online or via mail with a check made out to DurhamCares and mailed to 801 Gilbert Street, Suite 213, Durham, NC 27701. Would you take a few minutes to make a gift that will encourage our neighbors in Durham who are daily laboring to care for those in need?

May you experience this joy with may your New Year be filled with hope!

Editor's Note: This article first appeared at www.thegathering.com and is reprinted here with permission.

DurhamCares and our sister organizations, Ministry Spotlight and Christian Technology Initiative, are looking for interns and volunteers! Are you looking for a place where you can use your skills and talents to impact the community? If so, we are the place for you.  We offer an impactful experience with the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience in a great, fun and community-driven work environment!  For more information or to apply for current opportunities please contact Matt Miglarese at mmiglarese@durhamcares.org.

Download this announcement here. 

DurhamCares (www.durhamcares.org)

Video editing/Production: We need 2-4 volunteers/interns that are willing to with video production skills to tell stories of the work that is happening in Durham. You’ll have the opportunity to meet non-profits and volunteers and tell the stories of their work.

Administration: We need 1-2 volunteers/interns to help with administrative tasks in the DurhamCares office. You’ll have the opportunity to have your hands involved in all of the different projects happening at DurhamCares with this role.

Volunteer Matching: We need 2-4 volunteers/interns to work alongside our Match Program Manager in matching volunteers to perfect opportunities in the community based on their skills and interests. You’ll help interview volunteers, place them in opportunities in the community and build relationships with non-profit partners as you find volunteer opportunities.

Business Analytics:  We need 1 volunteer willing to analyze our business analytics and make recommendations for strategic planning and programs

Ministry Spotlight (www.ministryspotlight.org; www.givetogenerosity.org)

Research: We need 3-6 research interns/volunteers to interview research non-profits that focus on specific ministry verticals, such as human trafficking, orphan care, youth discipleship, church planting.

Marketing: We need 1-2 intern/volunteer that is willing to help with marketing efforts. You’ll focus on social media sites, specifically Twitter and Facebook, as well as brand development. In addition to that, you’ll have the opportunity to develop content for newsletters

Podcast Editors:  We need 2-3 volunteers/interns that have experience in editing podcasts to work on editing and publishing our podcast stream weekly.

PR: We needs 1-2 volunteers/interns to work on press releases, newsletters, brochures and content development for the organization. You’ll also be responsible for contacting foundations and organizations.

Design Guru: We need 1 volunteer/intern to help design brochures, promotional materials, graphics for web pages, newsletters, etc.  

Market Analyst: We need 3-4 interns/volunteers to provide non-profit market analysis. This role will include online research, drafting industry reports and overviews, and calling and interviewing organizations.

Christian Technology Initiative (www.christiantechnologyinitiative.org)

Marketing: We need 1 intern/volunteer that is willing to help with marketing efforts. You’ll focus on social media sites, specifically Twitter and Facebook, as well as brand development. In addition to that, you’ll have the opportunity to develop content for newsletters.

Information Engagement: We need1-2 intern/volunteers to research different areas of the technology world, such as Donation Utilities, IT, Social Marketing.

Design Work: We 1 intern/volunteer to provide design services for marketing collateral and web based projects. You’ll work in creating newsletter templates, online announcements and advertisements, and informational handouts.

Not that I ever do too much anyway, but today I've decided to worry less about sentence structure and just put my thoughts down.

I'm tired. Tuesday night I went on shift at 4:30 and went the next 16 hours, got off for 8 hours (of fitful rest in 95 degree RV with no AC) and then on for another 14....6 hours of rest in moving, hot RV, and then back out for night shift. I think that brings me to today.

I am awed and overwhelmed at how well our team is getting along. There are typically 13 people in the RV at a time. Its, hot, largely airless, and completely cramped, and yet no one really gets frustrated with each other....that might be the real story of the week.

We are going through the mountains of West Virginia right now. They are beautiful, but relentless. A few miles back we actually crossed through to Maryland for a bit. That was a special feeling as I grew up here.

I can't wait to see my family early tomorrow morning.

I'm also really looking forward to the party at Tylers on Tuesday. I hope to see my friends there so that I can thank them for all of their support and encouragement.

Greetings from Illinois.  The ride is going great!  I am really enjoying the teammates and the crew who are absolutely incredible.  I have been on for 24 of the last 32 hours and I am getting ready to go back on in 6 hours and I think it is really setting in.  Its been amazing how many things we have seen and how beautfiful this country is.  I had thought that I wouldn’t need to go the caffine route to help me get through but that all went out the window last night as I went to redbull hard and I have a feeling I’ll be doing that until we get home.  It is really motivating to be in this race with this team and to see us continue to support each other and make changes to play to our strengths in each of the legs based on the stage.   It is incredibly encouraging from the road to hear about people in Durham giving more and more money and more and more volunteer hours.  It is great to see the scenery changing back to the way it looks in North Carolina, we feel like we are almost home.  Lord willing we will be home in the next 48 hours so we would love your thoughts and prayers. 

-Henry

When you are at 6500 feet of elevation and headed to over 10,000 feet on the day, you have mixed feelings about going down hill. Yes, the downhills are a welcome reprieve from the ascents, especially when the oxygen becomes more and more rarified, but you can't help think that it just means more climbing.....because it does.

Good morning from Utah!!

We pulled in last night into Flagstaff after an absolutely epic ride through Prescott and Sedona. My goodness the climb up the canyon into Flagstaff was beautiful. After 12 hours on the road (half hour on, 90 minutes off), the RV looked very welcoming. Shift exchanges are absolutely nuts, I hope that Jesse gets one of them on film. The vans have to be completely cleaned out and supplies: tires, tubes, drinks, food, a new driver and navigator, and new riders need to be added.

We had a chance to stop at a campground and get a shower. I can't describe properly how great that felt. Next, sleep. Yes it was on the floor of the RV, but sleep (at least sleep at RAAM) is sleep. Sleep on RAAM comes in two flavors, about 2 hours of sleep in a parking lot when you try to get comfortable and wind down your heart rate, and then sleep in the RV maxing out the speed limit which trying to catch up to the other shift.

When we woke up this morning we were gifted with the scenery that rivaled, if not surpassed, Sedona. Monument Valley in southern Utah is breathtaking, and at sunrise even more so.

Spirits are high, we are well out of last place (10th out of 13), and within an hour of three other teams. Most importantly, we are proud to represent Durham as a whole and 18 awesome charities in particular. Please give. Please volunteer. Please encourage your friends to do the same. Thanks for reading!

When you are out on the road for a while you (or at least I) tend to get funny sayings in my head. Mine, for now, is I'm in the desert on a horse with no name, it feels good to be in from the rain. It's bothering me slightly that I can't remember what song that comes from. At any rate, it's what I keep thinking as I made my way on my first ride this morning accompanied by saguaro cacti here in Arizona.

Yesterday was epic. Great fanfare and pageantry at the start by the pier in Oceanside, a team parade out of town, and then it began. Dave Hofmann and I took the first shift together since the first 20 miles were unsupported. It was so awesome to be on our way...and we were hammering, maybe too much though as the support vehicles weren't there for the first switch and so I did the first big climb wondering if I had been punked . The descent was gnarly. Note to self: " do not descend fast with cross winds and a disk wheel ".....wow, was that scary!

We recovered well and were treated to a beautiful ride with amazing tailwinds..... I literally ran out of gears on the flats....35mph sustained for one 25 minute pull. Maybe the most exhilarating ride I've had. The techno dance soundtrack didn't hurt.

We got off the bike after our shift ( there are 4 of us per shift and we go) got unpacked, got a massage, some food and tried to unwind a bit. Sleeping is very, very difficult in an rv going 40 on back roads. don't try that at home.....or on the road. Going in I thought we'd get 5-6 hours of sleep a night. I need to reset expectations a bit

It was so cool to get regular tweets via the #dcaresraam hashtag. To know that there were folks on the bike at the ATC the whole time we were on the road is so encouraging and motivating!!

Good morning from Oceanside! My goodness its hard to sleep when you've got something like this on your mind. Yesterday was a blur of activity: team meetings, inspections and errands. Sandy Condray, our team logistics director, was outstanding..........we passed inspection with flying colors. I am so incredibly grateful for her leadership. To consider that one month ago, we didn't even have a team director (as our prior leader had to pull out). She has stepped up HUGE. This wouldn't be possible without her.

Another person on my mind this morning is Michael Lemanski, a partner at GreenFire, the commercial development firm in Durham. He trained for the race as an alternate to be ready in the event that something happened to one of us. I think of servant commitment like that and I am just humbled. He's another one of those people in Durham that make our city so great......there are lots and lots of them, at the DurhamCares' 18 charities and so many other ones.

We watched the piece on DurhamCares on WRAL TV last night (check it out on the DurhamCares WRAL page) and was just completely struck by how awesome BigBrothersBigSisters is as a program and how grateful I am for people like Sean Radke who have gotten out there to love their neighbor by investing in their "little" brother's lives. BBBS is the real deal. I do hope that folks never think, btw, that the 18 we have featured are the only great charities in Durham...........far from it. I hope with time that we'll be able to recognize more of those folks as they apply for our success grant program. At last count, we have placed volunteers with 60 different organizations.....all very worth of our gratitude, investment and time.

I'm off to go get coffee and breakfast.....then lots more team meetings before the "Grand Depart" at 2:29pm.

Hello from 35,000 feet! The pilot just called out that the Grand Canyon is on the right and that we'll be touching down (at LAX) in an hour. My goodness this country feels big, it feels like I've been traveling all day.....and most of that at 550mph!!

I'm struck suddenly at the magnitude of this thing. I've had the great blessing to have had so many life experiences....but nothing can prepare me for this. How will I do in the first of 40+ half hour time trials.....how about # 27?? Can I handle the sleep deprivation from sleeping in minivans and the RV? What have I forgotten to pack?

I'm also struck by how this is a beginning, but also in many ways it's also an end..... to the almost full year of training and prep. It does feel both a bit stressful, but more liberating that there's just about nothing left to do but get on the bike.

I'm so grateful for the team and 12 person crew.....all told 20 folks putting their life on hold, and the families that are supporting and encouraging them. And then, of course, there's Heather (an amazing woman!) and the volunteer staff that has prepped so hard and is staying behind to run the 24x7 event at the ATC.

I do so hope and pray that this event will inspire folks to love their neighbor by GIVING and VOLUNTEERING. I'm heartened that area companies have already pledged over $60k... All of which will go to the awesome 18 charities that have listed their outcome related goals. Now it's the time for the rest of us.....I hope we get a thousand Durham residents to give over the next week. I want to celebrate the $10 gift from the 10 year old.....and the pledging of 20 volunteer hours from someone who has never volunteered before. Now THAT will get us over the Rockies in the cold of night!!

Love your neighbor....the one across the street and across town! On behalf of the team, THANK YOU for your support and encouragement!