ROBERT S. WICKS, DIRECTOR
In May of this year I was invited to a luncheon meeting with the Oxford Current Events Club. Usually limited to two dozen members, on this occasion the CECers invited guests to attend their luncheon presentation. The topic was Ohio waterways and the wonderful (and unique) 1848 daguerreotype panorama of Cincinnati, the earliest “comprehensive photograph of an American city” housed at the downtown branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
As I scanned the room of forty-plus women for familiar faces, it dawned on me that nearly every person there was involved in three or four service organizations in Oxford. And those were just the ones I knew about. This prompted the question: how could you get the word out about volunteer opportunities in our community without a great deal of legwork—one-on-one phone calls or even emails? I decided to check into Facebook.
A “Volunteer Oxford” search revealed two pages, one for Oxford, Mississippi and another for Oxford, England. But nothing for Oxford, Ohio.
So, two days later, on May 13, 2016, I started a new Facebook page, Volunteer Oxford OH as “a gathering place for organizations who need volunteers and for individuals who want to give back to their community.” In less than two weeks the page had more than 250 “likes,” a sign that it would fulfill a real need. We are now up to 370, and growing.
The first volunteer activity promoted by the Facebook page was the Backpack Program through Shared Harvest helping to unload bags of food for underprivileged youth in our community. (Photos of the event are posted.) Opportunities also have been publicized by the Oxford Cub Scout Pack 961, the Oxford Museum Association (hosting the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure and the Hueston Woods Arts & Crafts Fair) and Oxford Seniors. The future is bright!
Most recently Volunteer Oxford OH has become a partner with JustServe.org in order to better organize volunteer efforts in Oxford and surrounding communities. You can sign up from the Facebook page or go directly to the website.
What can you do? If you are already on Facebook simply “like” Volunteer Oxford OH
(@VolunteerOxfordOH), share the postings and events and have your friends do the same.
Be on the look out for postings from the Miami University Art Museum, the William Holmes McGuffey Museum and the Hefner Museum of Natural History. When opportunities to serve arise, you will then be the first to know!
