Staying involved in the Bloomington/Normal area, and beyond.
Where do you fit... Beyond the Bricks?
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Welcome... to the latest issue of
Beyond the Bricks!
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My dear church family,
Our church continues to reach out to the world around us in a variety of ways. I am very excited that our congregation gave over $4900 to Week of Compassion on (and around) Christmas Eve to help with tornado relief in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Illinois. In addition, contributions to the church budget during 2021 allowed us to distribute budgeted outreach money to a variety of organizations in Bloomington/Normal as well as support our denomination. People continue to contribute food, clothing, diapers, and more to help with needs in our community. God calls us to make an impact on the world around us and FCC is doing that very thing.
Thank you for your assistance in all these ways. Your contributions of money, items and time is greatly appreciated not only by me and the leadership of this church but also by the people whose lives are being blessed by your assistance.
God bless,
Hank
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Help Choose Black Lives Matter in Bloomington--Normal's
2022 Book Club Selections
Online Survey
Help choose Black Lives Matter in B-N Book Club's 2022 selections. There's a mix of new and old, fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry, as well as young adult, graphic novels, and a movie to choose from.
Vote for your top five picks. All options are linked to reviews/more information in case you want to know more about the possible selections.
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Get Involved at the West Bloomington Revitalization Project
WBRP
724 West Washington St.
Bloomington, IL 61701
Volunteer opportunities abound at the WBRP. Here are some of the roles you can fulfill. Visit the website to find out more or to volunteer.
Front Desk: Volunteers help with the Tool Library and Bike Co-op front desk operations during open hours.
Tool Library: Volunteers are needed to assist with the workshop area, tool inventory, repairing broken tools, sorting donations, etc.
Veggie Oasis: Volunteers help glean and distribute fresh produce each Saturday. Visit the Veggie Oasis Facebook group for more information.
Greenhouse & Seed Library Assistant: Volunteers who are knowledgeable of plants would be great for this role.
Community Gardens: Volunteers needed to weed, mow, plant, and maintain our community gardens. Great opportunity for groups.
Bike Co-op: Volunteers assist with cleaning, repairing and sorting donated bikes.
Book Bike: Volunteers will ride the bike and help give away books at various community events and Saturday mornings at the Farmer’s Market.
Event Planning: Volunteers needed to take the lead on planning annual WBRP events: West Fest, Taste of the West, etc.
Facility and Building Maintenance: Care for the building cleanliness inside and out, make calls for repairs, sort and organize donations/materials at WBRP.
Volunteer Coordinator: Help manage our volunteer base. Some work can be done from home and some work to be completed in the office. Organize Volunteer Orientations, call and follow up with volunteer list, seek out new volunteers, set up volunteer process, etc.
Organizing: Volunteers assist with organizing files, forms, basement, kitchen, tool inventory, garage, seeds, bikes and bike parts, and more.
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Become a Front Desk Volunteer at INtegRIty Counseling
INtegRIty Counseling
502 South Morris Ave.
Bloomington, IL 61701
Looking to become a volunteer? INtegRIty Counseling is in need of Front Desk Volunteers, including Spanish-speaking volunteers, to help coordinate scheduling and answering phones. If you are interested or would like more information, please email info@integrityhelps.org.
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Support Recycling Furniture for Families in a New Way
RF4F
515 North Center St.
Bloomington, IL 61701
309 829-6500
A new way to give: The older you get, the more you may be looking for a way to make a big difference through your legacy. If you are 70½ or older, an IRA charitable rollover is a way you can further our mission and continue our work with local families. Plus, you'll even benefit because the rollover is via tax-free IRA distributions to meet your required annual IRA distributions.
With an IRA charitable rollover, you can avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to Recycling Furniture for Families. This satisfies your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year and reduces your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions.
This special IRA giving tool also allows you to make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on other charitable gifts. (But note that IRA charitable rollover gifts do not qualify for a charitable deduction.)
To explore if this is the right giving option for you, contact your IRA plan administrator to make a gift from your IRA to us. Your IRA funds will be directly transferred to RF4F and will bolster our important work.
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Support the Humane Society of Central Illinois by Purchasing a Reusable Shopping Bag
Hy-Vee
1403 North Veterans Pkwy.
Bloomington, IL 61704
The Humane Society of Central Illinois has been selected to receive a $1 donation from each purchase of a $2.50 reusable red "My Heart" bag at the Hy-Vee store located in Bloomington during any day in January.
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Learn More about Being an Anti-Racist
Subscribe to a daily blog that gives guidance on how to be an anti-racist:
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Donate VHS Tapes, DVDs, CDs and Audio Books to Nursing Homes with the Help of Merry Maids
Merry Maids of Bloomington/Normal
1702 W. College Ave. Ste. A-3
Normal, IL 61761
309-661-1726
Clean, usable, manufacturer-produced items are repurposed for nursing home residents and kept out of the waste stream. Drop your items by Merry Maids and know that you are not only helping de-clutter your home, but also entertaining worthy recipients. Be sure to include your name, address, and email address with your donation.
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Around the Community
Click on any organization to access its website and learn about support/volunteer opportunities
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401 West Jefferson St. Bloomington, IL 61701
Bloomington's Oldest Continuing Congregation
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