Social Action Rummage Sale 2012 is June 23!
Rummage Sale Wants YOU!
This year’s rummage sale is rapidly approaching. We have less than five weeks to prepare for this year’s sale and an intense two weeks to set up, stock, sell, and dismantle the sale. Many of you have given your time in the past and we need your help again this year. It is also an excellent and fun way for new members to participate in the church community. By volunteering, you help the environment, assist those in need, and benefit some great organizations. Every year the proceeds from the sale go to fund organizations nominated by members of the NSUC community.
We need strong bodies on our two Super Setup Sundays (June 10 and June 17) as well as for the post sale Teardown Throwdown at 3:00 p.m. on June 23. Throughout the setup period (June 10th through June 23rd) we need Savage Sorters to transform discards into treasures. On sale day (June 23) you can make someone’s dreams come true as cashier, bagger, or assistant. So what are you waiting for? Drop by the Rummage Sale Recruitment Center in Fellowship Hall on Sunday to sign up or go to www.nsucrummage.org/volunteer.
Don’t forget to bring your donations in starting June 3. For more info see www.nsucrummage.org/donate.
A Rummage Sale Plea
from Bryant Henry, Rummage Sale Project Administrator
I’ve never been a joiner. I knew as a member of the NSUC community I was expected to participate in one of the volunteer efforts, but nothing really felt right. My wife got involved in the rummage sale and enlisted me to help out. At first I did it because she asked me (and you don’t say no to my wife). I started out moving tables and chairs for setup, then as a helper during sorting; before long, someone suggested I try to organize the garage room and I found my place. I became the garage department chair, and then added sporting goods. I went to my first sale two years ago and was moved to see the joy on people’s faces as they walked away with treasures that many of them could not have afforded otherwise. Along the way my kids got involved and have even brought their friends to help out. We made great friends and bonded with the other members of the community. As a family, we came to look forward to each year’s sale.
Environmental responsibility is important to me. Not only does this event raise thousands of dollars for nominated organizations, but it helps us reuse those “must haves” that we no longer must have and keeps them out of landfills. We also make an effort to recycle unsold materials by donating them to other organizations or, in the case of metals, recycling them. Unsold electronics are recycled or disposed of responsibly.
In fall of 2010, I was saddened to hear that after many years of excellent leadership by Deb and Andy Singleton and Dawn McClintick, they had decided to reduce their role and the future of the rummage sale was in question because no one had stepped up to fill the leadership gap. I expressed my strong desire to see the sale continue and to work to find a structure that is less demanding on the rummage chairpersons. With the help of the past leaders and dedicated volunteers, we were able to put a new structure in place and Amy Byrne courageously volunteered to be this year’s Event Coordinator. I agreed to be her Project Administrator.
Since I’m a techie at heart, I’ve focused on using technology to reduce some of the management burden. I’ve set up a public and internal website at www.nsucrummage.org. You can volunteer through the site and make special donation requests. The planning team can share documents, calendars, and access meeting notes through the staff site. But now for the hard part -- we need to staff this year’s sale with volunteers. As of this writing, we’ve had less than 10 volunteers sign up. It is really important that we recruit volunteers before attendance falls off for the summer months. We need help in the following areas:
Super Setup Sundays - We have two Sundays during which we have to convert the entire church into a thrift store. On the first Sunday (June 10th) we will be setting up the R.E. wing. On the second Sunday (June 17th) -- yes, this is Father’s Day -- we will be setting up the Sanctuary, the Hearth Room, and Fellowship Hall. Please sign up to stay after church and help out on these days. We especially need energetic strong workers.
Savage Sorters For the two weeks prior to the sale, we need sorters to stock and display our thrift store with donations.
Sale Day – Sale day (June 23rd) is an exciting time; shoppers start lining up an hour before the doors open. We need volunteers for cashiers, baggers and assistants.
Teardown Throwdown – Once the excitement of the sale is over, the fun is just beginning. Join us after the sale for the Teardown Throwdown. We need to turn our thrift store back into a church so all of the unsold merchandise must go into trailers and all of the NSUC furniture must find its way back to its original location. We’ll have pizza, music and more to celebrate the completion of another successful sale.
Please stop by the Rummage Sale Recruitment Center in Fellowship or go to www.nsucrummage.org/volunteer to sign up for one or more of these positions and help make this year’s sale a success.