HelpingTown is a conduit between individuals inspired to
selfless service and those in their communities that are in need of assistance.
We will provide an internet-based forum that empowers people to ask for help,
and enables grass-roots volunteerism to reach it.
Our Vision is to connect together individuals, families,
small businesses, corporations - people and institutions at all scales -
directly together, in the spirit of compassionate service. Maybe a senior
citizen needs someone to run some errands for her; a group of people are looking
to carpool to save on fuel costs; a social worker needs help in conducting a
huge fundraising event; a young mother needs volunteers to spend time with a
special needs child; a company wants to work together with community residents
to clean a local park. HelpingTown will provide the infrastructure to seamlessly
facilitate these projects.
Our Inspiration comes from a 4 year old boy named Rohan. At
the age of two, Rohan was diagnosed with Autism/Apraxia. As part of his
rehabilitation, his family requires 15 volunteers to help with play-therapy, an
ongoing rehabilitation program for Rohan that continues to this day, needing at
least a 3 month commitment from each volunteer. Not knowing where to search, we
sought out volunteers for Rohan from non-profits, schools, and libraries. We
found the logistics and execution of a plan to find help to be extraordinarily
challenging, especially so because we were not part of any official registered
organization. Many posted flyers, meetings, and phone calls later, we were
finally able to find a few volunteers.
This experience made us realize that, while the spirit of volunteerism is
abundant in the human soul, a medium is needed to spark it to action and channel
it to where it is most needed. Most all of us, at one point or another in our
lives, need the help of our neighbors and friends. But how should we go about
asking for it? The fact is, an easy way to find help for individuals or families
is missing; likewise, an easy way to offer help to individuals or families in
our community is missing. Those who are motivated to help, often don't know how
to reach those looking for that help; indeed, potential, eager volunteers may
not even be aware that their own neighbors are in need of some assistance.
Thus "HelpingTown" has been born, as a vision to enable grassroots
volunteerism in every community, as a conviction that our collective spirit of
giving is boundless, and as an ultimate dream to strengthen the bonds of love
that tie us all together into one human brotherhood.
Follow us on twitter @helpingtown
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