Holiday Newsletter

Serve the City Wins 5th Annual Active Citizenship in Europe (ACE) Award!

Serve the City was nominated for the Active Citizenship in Europe Award by Mr. John MacDonald, responsible for the European Year of Volunteering. Here is how Serve the City's founder, Mr. Carlton Deal, responded to the news:

"This award is for all of us! Thank you all so much for everything you have done to lead and grow Serve the City around the world, through the years. Of course the biggest celebration is not for us as an organization, but that people in need are being served, and for the increasing number of people around the world who are coming together to give what they can to make a difference. We have all seen so many positive benefits in our lives and the lives of others – I am awed at the stories even today emerging from this movement. Many people doing small things together makes a big difference!"

Mr. Deal was present to accept the award at the 20th Annual Volonteurope Conferencein Edinburgh in October, and celebrated this success with Serve the City chapters from around the world, at the STC International Forum in Brussels in November.

"The store has two 'rooms' and one of them turned into a storage space. So we helped Severine (the manager) sort through various items to determine what could be sold still, and what could be thrown away. We put clothes in boxes as for them to be stored somewhere else when they will redecorate the room at a later stage. Severine mentioned that she may need more hands to complete this project."

"...spent the morning cooking for over 150 disadvantaged people in the centre of Geneva. The Jardin de Montbrillant soup kitchen is located behind the city’s main train station and feeds those in need (who come from all walks of life – elderly who cannot cook for themselves or who are lonely, the homeless, asylum-seekers and refugees, and poor travelers). The team prepared a delicious chile con carne meal with rice and salad, served it out and then help helped clean the kitchen and dining rooms. The food is donated by individuals and supermarkets, coordinated through the county Food Bank ("banque alimentaire"). The Jardin de Montbrillant is one of the soup kitchens operated by Carrefour'Rue, a local NGO that runs kitchens, shelters and social assistance programmes across the city."

Thanks to the tireless work of web guru Penelope, over at Hacks R Us, our home on the web has gotten a makeover! French and English versions, as well as user-friendly "buttons," make it easy to find exactly what you're looking for. Whether you want to sign up for the newsletter, become a volunteer, or read about our mission and reason for being, our new website is the perfect place to start.

You know who you are, but not everyone else does. So we'd like to thank you by name for your financial, personnel, and in-kind support.

Serve the City Geneva functions more smoothly due in large part to the generosity of our sponsors. If your organization would like to make a donation, or have us organize a corporate team-building event for you, please contact us at info@servethecitygeneva.ch.