Early on a Saturday morning, people file into a downtown office building lobby. A woman wearing an orange fleece jacket asks “Are you here for One Brick?” Another orange fleece-clad woman asks people to sign in and hands them a nametag with the logo “OneBrick.org – Volunteering Made Easy.” Once everyone arrives, they are brought up to the offices where they will spend the next three to four hours counting letters, assembling boxes and stuffing envelopes for a charitable organization. At the end of their assignment, most of the One Brick volunteers will go out for lunch or drinks and get to know each other better.
Welcome to One Brick, an organization that provides an easy way to get involved and make a difference. One Brick supplies a volunteer pool to charitable organizations and encourages social networking among its volunteers. Started in December 2001 in San Francisco, One Brick has expanded to four cities nationwide. One Brick Chicago recently marked its second anniversary.
On One Brick’s website (www.onebrick.org), volunteers can sign up to participate in a range of different activities (called “events”). Recent events include sorting food at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, stuffing envelopes at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, ushering at the Goodman Theater or painting rooms at the YMCA.
At lunch after a recent event, one volunteer named James said he started volunteering with One Brick because he wanted to give “something back.” Others wanted to do something good while meeting new people. Another volunteer, Ilango half joked that he decided to volunteer with One Brick in order to “rebuild his soul.” Other volunteers mention they like One Brick’s flexibility, as there is no minimum commitment for volunteers.
Looking to volunteer and to meet new people? Check out One Brick at www.onebrick.org.
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