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Community Service Projects
by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
INTRODUCTION
Organizations spend significant time selecting
a project. Consideration is given to cost,
availability of volunteers, benefits to the
society, and value to the genealogical and
historical community. In addition, attention is
given to how a project can serve the nongenealogical
community as well. Projects of
this nature win friends and supporters for the
organization and for genealogy.
The following are typical projects which serve
the organization, its members, and the larger
community to which the organization belongs.
FUNDING SCHOLARSHIPS AND
GRANTS
The Elgin Genealogical Society, Post Office
Box 1418, Elgin, Illinois 60121-1418,
<http://nsn.nslsilus.org/elghome/egs>, awarded
a scholarship/grant for $1,000 to Garfield
Farm Museum, an 1840's living history
museum in LaFox, Illinois. This grant was
intended to fund the work of a three month
summer intern to catalog and index the
museum's collection of over 2,000 19th
century documents.
Samford University's Institute for
Genealogical and Historic Research in
Birmingham, Alabama attracts family
historians from throughout the United States.
The weeklong program trains researchers at
all levels, from beginners to aspiring
professionals. Each year, a scholarship is
given to the Birmingham Public Library. A
librarian, chosen by BPL, may attend the
beginners' course of instruction. Scholarships
to librarians is a public service idea for any
organization which conducts classes,
seminars, or workshops.
PROMOTING AND PRESERVING
COMMUNITY HISTORY
Identifying and preserving abandoned
cemeteries can be a full-time quest for county
genealogical and historical societies.
Genealogist Mary Powell Hammersmith
learned this when she decided to save a
historic DuPage County, Illinois burial ground
from developers who sought the site for an
office building. Using local and family history
research skills, Mrs. Hammersmith
documented the historic importance of the
burial ground, proving that General John B.
Beaubien, second permanent settler of �Chicago, was buried there. Eventually, county
government officials and the developer agreed
to preserve the cemetery, which includes
thirteen burials. A large monument, “The
Beaubien Burial Ground 1844,” was
dedicated. The cemetery owes its preservation
to the efforts of one genealogist who refused
to give up. Consider what an entire corps of
volunteers could do.
Cemeteries at risk from vandalism can be
protected by organizations concerned with
preserving community history. Writing in The
Forum Insider, the newsletter of the
Genealogical Forum of Oregon, Inc., Jeanne
Gentry suggests forming a Cemetery
Vigilance Campaign to protect these resting
places on the night they are the most
vulnerable to innocent pranks or malicious
destructiveness; Halloween.
Gentry says that finding a sponsor to host a
Cemetery Halloween Party is one solution.
Sponsors can be a cemetery association, the
city council, local Chamber of Commerce,
neighboring church, PTA, Boy Scout troop,
high schools, local businesses, or clubs. A
party gives pranksters, usually children, a
more constructive outlet for their energies.
While the party is going on, teams of adults
are sent off and welcomed back with great
fanfare, as they conduct one-hour shifts of
cemetery patrols. Not only does the protection
pay a dividend, the publicity generated by the
party creates community awareness of the
importance of preserving historical sites.
CREATING FINDING AIDS
There are a multitude of indexing projects
which can benefit the local area users of
archives and libraries. The Jefferson County
Historical Society, P.O. Box 146, Oskaloosa,
KS 66066, has cataloged a collection of
artifacts and photographs found in the
Museum (Research Library) at Old Jefferson
Town. Volunteers are given on the job
training, a fun evening, and the satisfaction of
having performed a real service to their
historical society and community.
Some time ago, the Lafayette County
Genealogical Workshop and Lafayette County
Clerk, Steve Pickett, joined hands in a service
project to save the county's marriage records.
Society volunteers logged more than 700
hours (and 2,594 miles driving to and from the
courthouse) to input marriage records, 1847-
1990, into the county's computer.
Clerk Pickett designed the program and the
resulting index will be maintained and
updated by the Register of Deeds office.
LCGS will receive one copy of the completed
work, from which it may reprint copies to sell.
Project director was Fran Matl (who
contributed 456 volunteer hours). [Lafayette
County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 443,
Shullsburg, WI 53586-0443]
PROVIDING LEARNING EXPERIENCES
The History Committee of the Lancaster
Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Mill
Stream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499
http://lanclio.org/highlights/lmhs.htm,
sponsors a junior high level “Venture Into
Your Past” experience. Participants spend the
morning at Society headquarters to get
acquainted, share items from Grandma's attic,
explore the Society's historical resources, and
take an audio-visual “Old World Ramble.”
The day concludes with a bus trip along the
old Conestoga Road through Lancaster
County's first settlement to visit 18th century
houses and farms in the Willow Street
Lampeter community. Stops include the 1719
Herr House, a limekiln and grist mill, and one
of the county's oldest cemeteries where the
young historians learn to do tombstone
rubbing.
�
Of course, there is one other important stop; a
roadside picnic lunch. Details are available
from the Society headquarters.
SHARING RESOURCES
The concept of shared resources has many
applications. Shared space, copy machines,
volunteer hours, sponsorship of community
functions, even post office boxes and
secretarial staff are all possibilities. Shared
resources can benefit the community by
enabling area groups (not just genealogical or
historical) to purchase more expensive or
sophisticated equipment, as well as to
consider more ambitious projects than any
single group could manage alone.
When the West Valley Computer Genealogy
Group and the Sun Cities Genealogical
Society separately identified needs for a
computer, they decided to join forces in both
the purchase and the use of hardware and
accessories. This made good sense: WVCGG
wanted to track membership and have
demonstration capabilities for computer
classes while SCGS needed a computer
primarily for library use.
A schedule was worked out whereby WVCGG
used the computer when the society library
was closed. Storage at the library was
convenient for both groups. Both groups
sought funds for this purchase from their
individual membership and outside sources.
The WVCGG contributions were donated to
the SCGS, and title to the equipment resides
there. [Sun Cities Genealogical Society, P.O.
Box 1448, Sun City, AZ 85372-1448.]
HELPING HANDS
Does your society have an emergency-reaction
plan in place? When the great flood hit
Chicago in April 1992, threatening the records
so critical to research, Chicago Genealogical
Society's president, Diane McClure
telephoned the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
McClure offered the assistance of volunteers
to replace or repair records moved or damaged
as a result of the rising waters. The Clerk was
most appreciative of the proposed assistance,
especially coming at a time of disaster.
Every organization needs a plan to respond to
emergencies and a team of volunteers to offer
Helping Hands at a moment's notice. Make
this emergency-reaction system known to
county and local officials and remind them of
it often. Helping Hands could spell the
difference between record destruction and
preservation.
HONORING ACHIEVERS
The Heritage Hall of Fame recognizes
individuals who have contributed to the
preservation of Elgin area history or heritage.
The contributions may include books written
about the Elgin area and its people,
genealogical records, preservation of artifacts,
and assembling of historical or genealogical
collections.
The Heritage Hall of Fame was begun in 1986
and eleven individuals have been honored
during that time. A special exhibit of plaques
and the presentation speeches given at the
time of induction are now on display at Old
Main Museum, 360 Park Street, Elgin,
Illinois. For more information, contact the
Elgin Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 1418,
Elgin, IL 60121-1418; Web site http:
//nsn.nslsilus.org/elghome/egs/index.html.
Recognition also goes to public officials who
contribute valuable aid to researchers. This
honor is one way in which the Missouri State
Genealogical Association promotes good
public relations and acknowledges remarkable
service. Two early recipients of MOSGA's
Certificates of Appreciation were Charlene
Ward, Deputy Recorder, Caldwell County,
Missouri and Patsy Olvera, Recorder of Deeds
for Lafayette County, Missouri. �

Ms. Ward was recognized for her courtesy,
personal interest in people's requests, and
willingness to locate records, even in a
pigeon-infested room in the courthouse attic.
Mrs. Olvera and her staff were cited for
having created special finding aids, preserving
and making readily available older documents,
and maintaining an uncluttered working space
for the use of researchers. [Missouri State
Genealogical Association, P. O. Box 833,
Columbia, MO 65205-0833.]
The Federation of Genealogical Societies
provides national recognition to individuals or
organizations for service to FGS or an FGS
member organization. An individual who
makes outstanding contributions in a single
year is honored by the George E. Williams
Award while the Distinguished Service Award
honors individuals or member organizations.
Meritorious service in genealogy and family
history qualifies an individual or organization
for nomination for the Award of Merit while
the FGS Director's Award recognizes
distinguished public service in support of
genealogy by an individual or an
organization—an organization generally not
an FGS member organization.
A full list and explanation of awards is
available at the FGS Website <www.fgs.org>.
Applications from this site may be used to
simplify the nomination process.
Nominations are requested throughout the
year. Awards are presented at the annual
conference or meeting of the Federation. Do
consider submitting the names of persons or
organizations whose community service
projects or contributions deserve national
recognition.
SUMMARY
Community service projects begin with
identifying a need and end with meeting that
need. Once a need is defined, consider
projects or contributions in the areas of
scholarships, promotion and preservation,
education, assistance, and recognition. Use
your imagination to match organization
projects with community service. By adopting
this philosophy, your organization—and
community—will reap great benefits.

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Admin at 21:02, 11 August 2012

Admin: Created page with "Community Service Projects by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking INTRODUCTION Organizations spend significant time selecting a project. Consideration is given to cost, availabili..."