-Arnie Rowland
One of the building blocks of Servas is getting to know people and building community. We travel, we engage in cultural exchange, and yet we often don’t have many opportunities to get to know similarly minded people close to home. In order to help better build our communities, we are kicking off a new Local Event Support process to encourage US Servas members to know other members living nearby.
The Local Event Support process includes:
- Posting Local Event details on the US Servas Events Calendar, and
- Sending announcement emails to members in a designated local area.
Any US Servas member will be able to propose a Local Event simply by submitting a request on the US Servas web site, and selecting one of the designated Local areas. The Events Support Team of volunteers will then validate the Event details, verify that the Event meets the guidelines, post the Event on the Events Calendar, and schedule two (2) announcements to be emailed to members in that Local area.
What makes that possible is that we have reviewed where our members are located, and determined that there are over 25 metro areas with a good number of members within a 50 mile radius. Those members have now been tagged. Additionally, all members can now manage their own tagged areas, perhaps joining more than one Local area, or even withdrawing. We will now be able to easily send emails to members in the designated areas.
Wait! Did you ‘guidelines’? What does that mean?
Guidelines mean that Events are:
- Consistent with the Mission and Purposes of US Servas as stated in the Bylaws.
- Open to US Servas Members and Servas members from other countries.
- Optionally open to the public.
- Free to attend; there may be reasonable and optional cost sharing for venue and supplies.
- Will not ask for donations for any cause or project.
Don’t wait. Schedule your gathering for the fall now. Picnics while the weather is still cooperating, potlucks, hikes, museum adventures, movie or theatre outings and discussions, outdoor activities. The type of gathering is up to you!
Act now! Be the first kid on your block to have your very own ‘Local Event’. Servas members are waiting …
Register your Local Event here.
