President's Corner -- New Year: A Time of New and Renew

Lee Ann Harvey

As a NAVPLG member, you can take advantage of our membership in AL!VE and participate in webinars at the member rate. Another wonderful resource is the Volunteer Toolbox publication that was a collaboration between NAVPLG and the National Association of Counties (NACo). NAVPLG is and affiliate of NACo.

On a personal note, our city just held its 12^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project in partnership with a local nonprofit, Decatur Preservation Alliance, to do home repairs and yard work for senior citizens. An important resource to us has now expanded or is in the process of expanding to other areas of the country. ToolBank USA began as Atlanta Community ToolBank in 1991. We could not hold our project without this tool-lending resource. We borrowed approximately 1,000 tools this year ranging from rakes and clippers to hammers, drills and wheelbarrows. In 2008, the Atlanta model was brought to the national ToolBank USA. They expanded to three other cities – Baltimore, Charlotte and Cincinnati. This ToolBank USA is expanding to five more cities – Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Portland (Oregon) and Richmond. They will be waiting until their new affiliates are established before expanding further. A new program this year is ToolBank Disaster Services. I know that many of your communities have felt the impact of tornadoes and other natural disasters. This new resource will help to address the need for tools as volunteers with your government and disaster response organization work to rebuild your communities.


President's Corner -- New Year: A Time of New and Renew Lee Ann Harvey As a NAVPLG member, you can take advantage of our membership in AL!VE and participate in webinars at the member rate. Another wonderful resource is the Volunteer Toolbox publication that was a collaboration between NAVPLG and the National Association of Counties (NACo). NAVPLG is and affiliate of NACo. On a personal note, our city just held its 12^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project in partnership with a local nonprofit, Decatur Preservation Alliance, to do home repairs and yard work for senior citizens. An important resource to us has now expanded or is in the process of expanding to other areas of the country. ToolBank USA began as Atlanta Community ToolBank in 1991. We could not hold our project without this tool-lending resource. We borrowed approximately 1,000 tools this year ranging from rakes and clippers to hammers, drills and wheelbarrows. In 2008, the Atlanta model was brought to the national ToolBank USA. They expanded to three other cities – Baltimore, Charlotte and Cincinnati. This ToolBank USA is expanding to five more cities – Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Portland (Oregon) and Richmond. They will be waiting until their new affiliates are established before expanding further. A new program this year is ToolBank Disaster Services. I know that many of your communities have felt the impact of tornadoes and other natural disasters. This new resource will help to address the need for tools as volunteers with your government and disaster response organization work to rebuild your communities.
NAVPLG - Winter Issue