White Flag Nights at the IRC

RC Emergency Warming Center

Sun Dec 4, 2016 - Sat Dec 24, 2016

BECAUSE WHITE FLAG VOLUNTEERS ARE NECESSITATED BY THE WEATHER, WE CANNOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT YOU WILL BE VOLUNTEERING THAT NIGHT, but you are simply saying you are available if needed. A “White Flag” night is one in which the “feels like” temperature drops below 25 degrees for 2 hours or more. At this point, the Interactive Resource Center puts up a white flag letting those without shelter know that we, the YWCA, and GSO Urban Ministry (GUM) will act as warming stations for people to go to stay warm through the night.

When there's a possibility for White Flag needs, a sign-up sheet will go out where you can put your name and phone number next to a date you are available. Please only signup up for nights you know you will be available. An IRC staff member will have access to the sign-up sheet and will call or text you as soon as the decision is made to raise the white flag (around noon of that day). At that point you will be responsible for being at the IRC or YWCA for your shift.

Sign up here.

Philanthropic Locker Assembly - January 7th

I will be at the Greensboro IRC on January 7th to help assemble lockers for the homeless again. If you want to come, remember all that you need is a 3/8 wrench or a socket wrench. We recommend a drill with an adapter on it. Also, awls or screwdrivers are good.


A group of three people can usually assemble a block of six lockers in around two hours. Four to six people can put together two blocks of six in around the same amount of time.

Hope to see you there!

Syria

Hey folks,

I'd be pretty remiss not to say something about what's been going on in Syria. The whole situation is pretty demoralizing, but there are a few things that can be done to help.

Here are links to some secular websites that are doing good work there. I've tried to vet them down to places that I, personally, trust and feel are effective. Feel free to message me with any other information that you can give.

Without further ado:

Donations:

Doctors Without Borders

United Nation's White Helmets

International Rescue Committee

Petitions/Letter Writing:

White House Petition for Resettlement of Refugees in the United States

Amnesty International

There are plenty more - if you have one you'd like me to publish here, let me know!

The same people who brought you HB2 are trying to shift the balance of power toward them

North Carolina Republicans lost the Governor’s race and control of the state Supreme Court in this election. But rather than accept defeat, the GOP is mounting an 11th-hour power-grab to curtail all potential sites of Democratic power. The GOP-led legislature convened a special session that was ostensibly aimed at dealing with relief efforts for Hurricane Matthew. Instead, Republican legislators introduced a set of bills that drastically change the structure of state government. The idea is for outgoing Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, who lost his bid for re-election in November, to sign these bills in advance of Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper taking office next month. Please click here make an emergency phone call to your member of the North Carolina House of Representatives opposing this undemocratic power grab. When you click on the link, you will see a map. Use the map to find your district. After you find your district, click on it and select "Representative's Web Page."  From there, you will be able to find your Representative's phone number. Please call that number and leave the following message: Hi, my name is ____, and I am calling from [your town]. I oppose the legislature making any changes to the power of the Governor or the Supreme Court during the special session that is underway to supposedly help victims of Hurricane Matthew. The world is watching you and come election time I will remember how you act now! The bills Republicans are planning would limit Cooper’s power to appoint and direct state officials. They would cut the number of state employees and managers whom he can replace from 1,500 to 300, curtail his control over the state Board of Education and the Boards of Trustees of the University of North Carolina system by shifting some of his appointment powers to the legislature, and subject his Cabinet appointments to confirmation by the Republican state Senate. The GOP also plans to strip Democrats of the majorities that they were set to gain on the state Board of Elections and on all county election boards. Please click here make an emergency phone call to your member of the North Carolina House of Representatives opposing this undemocratic power grab. When you click on the link, you will see a map. Use the map to find your district. After you find your district, click on it and select "Representative's Web Page."  From there, you will be able to find your Representative's phone number. Please call that number and leave the following message: Hi, my name is ____, and I am calling from [your town]. I oppose the legislature making any changes to the power of the Governor or the Supreme Court during the special session that is underway to supposedly help victims of Hurricane Matthew. The world is watching you and come election time I will remember how you act now! And we haven’t even discussed the state Supreme Court yet, where Democrats are set to take a 4-to-3 majority after winning a key election last month. Republicans are moving to limit the state Supreme Court’s ability to review constitutional challenges, which would have the effect of empowering judges on lower courts, which are stocked with Republicans. We’re not done yet, because the GOP still has not ruled out introducing legislation to outright pack the court in the coming days. They would expand the court by two members, whom McCrory would get to appoint, meaning Republicans would sneak their way into a five-to-four majority. Democratic legislators have said that they will file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the special session, but guess where such a case would likely wind up? That’s right: the state Supreme Court, which could have two additional Republican members by the time it hears the matter. Please click here make an emergency phone call to your member of the North Carolina House of Representatives opposing this undemocratic power grab. When you click on the link, you will see a map. Use the map to find your district. After you find your district, click on it and select "Representative's Web Page."  From there, you will be able to find your Representative's phone number. Please call that number and leave the following message: Hi, my name is ____, and I am calling from [your town]. I oppose the legislature making any changes to the power of the Governor or the Supreme Court during the special session that is underway to supposedly help victims of Hurricane Matthew. The world is watching you and come election time I will remember how you act now! Keep fighting, The Daily Kos team

Introduction

This part of the site will be for posting action alerts for volunteering, activism, etc.

As of right now, our only project is locker assembly at the Interactive Resource Center every Saturday at 9 am. All that you need is 3/8 wrench or socket wrench - cordless drills, screwdrivers, and long arms are a plus.

There will be a two week hiatus on Christmas and New Years' Eves. This page will be updated with letter-writing activities, events both internal and external to our organization, activities. Hope to see you all there!