Action Alert: Volunteers Needed at Houston Planned Parenthood!

SECULAR Center Volunteers:
Please read this copied e-mail from Planned Parenthood. They really need volunteer escorts in Houston on Saturday to walk with clients who have to walk across the street from the parking lot into the building among the pro-life protesters. If you can help, please contact Anitra at Anitra.Daniel(at)pphset.org.

Please let us know if you volunteer so that we can keep track of all the great things we've done for our community! Also, don't forget that the Houston Church of Freethought picnic is at 1:00 this Saturday at Bear Creek Park, Pavilion #1.

Thanks for your support!

_______________


We are in desperate need of volunteer escorts this Saturday, all day at 3601 Fannin. Several of our “every Saturday” volunteers will be unavailable and that puts us in a vulnerable position.  Can you help us fill the schedule?

Last weekend, the opposition was relentless from 7:30am until we closed the doors. They know that their time to directly harass our clients is winding down and they have amped up their efforts and rhetoric.  We really need you…so if you can volunteer for a shift, please let me know as soon as possible.

ALSO:

We need one or two volunteers at Prevention Park, our new building located at 4600 Gulf Freeway (Cullen Exit) from 8:30-10:30am. Our board is meeting there for the first time this Saturday and we need someone to sit in the beautiful lobby to observe for opposition, greet latecomers and direct them to the 5th floor.

If you would like to be considered for this job, send me an email for additional details.

Thank you for your continued support!

Anitra


Saturday
April 24, 2010
7:00a-2:00p

TIME SLOTS
700-900
900-1100
1100-100

Action Alert: Rally to Protest Texas State Board of Education Textbook Changes

SECULAR Center volunteers are helping to plan a rally to protest the proposed changes to Texas textbooks.  American Atheists, among others, is sponsoring the event to be held on May 16th at 11:00 am in Austin, TX.  To learn more about the changes, please visit these websites:

Texas State Board of Education (TSBE) Website

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=1156
Media Stories about the Textbook Changes
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/texas-textbook-massacre-u_n_498003.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/17/AR2010031700560.html


The most important way that you can help right now is to help us find speakers who are teachers, have kids in Texas schools, or are directly affected by the changes in some way (ie textbook writers, etc.).  We are looking for most of the speakers to live in Texas.  The speakers will each have about 15 minutes. 

The SECULAR Center is organizing carpools/buses/shuttles from Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.  If you're interested in participating, please e-mail us!  Think about how fun it would be to get hyped up for the rally on a bus with your fellow protesters! 

We are also looking for a great, catchy name for the rally!  To participate in the discussion, please twitter us @secularcenter or send us an e-mail. 

If you're interested in helping to plan in this important event, please contact us! 

Godless Group Kicks Off Campaign to Save the Sick

Our latest press release!

April 6th, 2010 (Houston, TX; Newark, NJ): ’Godless for Good’ is our motto.

SECULAR Center, a godless organization devoted to mobilizing atheists through community service, launched their latest nationwide charitable campaign this past weekend. Over the next five weeks, they will partner with “Be The Match Registry®” to save the lives of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. The campaign kicked off April 2nd at the American Atheist Convention in Newark, New Jersey and will end on May 6th with the National Day of Reason in Houston, TX.

“Because this life on earth is the only one that we have, life-saving causes are especially important to us” says Noelle George, President of the SECULAR Center. “The SECULAR Center was formed to make a positive difference both in local communities and worldwide. ‘Godless for Good’ is our motto – because we believe that without being good to each other, human beings will not survive and thrive.”

Seventy percent of patients who require bone marrow or cord blood do not have a match in their family. A transplant is often the last option available to save their lives. They depend on the Be The Match Registry® to find a suitable donor as well as raise the funds to help make their transplant possible. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a project of Be the Match FoundationSM , tests volunteers DNA and tries to match them with patients in need.

“The Be the Match® program embodies secular values such as compassion, science, and community” says George. “This partnership will allow us to work together to make a greater difference for this important cause. We are very excited about this campaign and look forward to the widespread participation of the non-theist community”

The SECULAR Center is reaching out to non-theist groups nationwide to unite by participating in this program. To get your area involved in the SECULAR Center’s Be the Match campaign, please contact the SECULAR Center at secularcenterusa@gmail.com. You could Be the Match that will save someone’s life!

SECULAR Center in the News!

Last night, I was interviewed by a Fox News reporter about the Texas Constitution, the misconception that atheists are not good people, and the SECULAR Center.  The clip ended up cutting out most of what we talked about, of course, but I wanted to share it anyway.



Hopefully next time I'll have more air time to talk about the SECULAR Center's great activities.  In the meantime, look for an update soon about our gathering with Kate last night!

Noelle

Get Involved! The SECULAR Center’s Response to “Pro-Life”Protests at Planned Parenthood

Last fall, as in previous years, a local “pro-life” group organized a 40-day protest at Planned Parenthood facilities around Houston. Protesters got on their knees and prayed, carried pro-life signs, wore t-shirts with biblical phrases on them, and formed lines along the sidewalks leading to the entrances of the Planned Parenthood centers. These actions made it very difficult for potential clients, who in many cases had to walk through these protesters to enter the building due to the location of parking lots across three streets. These protests can intimidate clients who may or may not be receiving controversial treatments such as abortions and may even result in some clients not receiving the reproductive health care that they can’t get anywhere else.

Abortions are only a small part of the services that Planned Parenthood provides. They also perform wellness checkups, sexually-transmitted disease (STD) tests, free birth control (to those who qualify based on income level), sexual education, vasectomies, and many other much-needed services. Planned Parenthood “seeks a world in which all children are wanted and cared for, all women and men have equal rights and dignity, sexuality is expressed with honesty, equality, and responsibility, and the decision to bear children is private and voluntary.” The mission of Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas is to “ensure the right and ability of all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health by providing health services, education, and advocacy.”

From February 17th to March 28th 2010, the same local pro-life group is organizing another 40-day protest to coincide with Lent. In order to support their clients who have to endure this emotional harassment, Planned Parenthood has organized a program in which volunteers escort the clients from parking lots to the entrances of their building. The volunteers do not interact with the protesters; they simply provide a reassuring presence to Planned Parenthood’s clients as they walk to and enter the building.

The SECULAR Center has decided to get involved with the escort program and show that our community supports Planned Parenthood. We are organizing volunteers to be trained to, and escort clients together in groups of three or four, starting on February 20th and continuing on every Saturday and select weekdays throughout the 40-day protest period. If you’d like to get involved, please e-mail us at secularcenterusa@gmail.com. Additional dates will be announced soon through our e-mailing list. If you haven’t signed up for our e-mailing list, please go to www.secularcenterusa.org and enter your information in the form on the home page.

The Planned Parenthood escort program is an important way that our community can show its support for reproductive freedom that is unencumbered by religious ideology and dogma. Please consider joining us in our campaign to assist Planned Parenthood during the Lent “Pro-Life“ demonstrations.

February and March Events, including Darrel Ray, author of "The God Virus"

The SECULAR Center has a lot going on in February and March! 

First off, we have Kate's Gathering on February 9th at a local Cafe Express in Houston. 

We have also arranged a speech and book signing with Darrel Ray, the author of "The God Virus", in conjunction with our Planned Parenthood campaign starting in February.  Darrel will be speaking at the Planned Parenthood facility in Houston TX on February 19th at 7:00 pm.  If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to our e-mail address.  The cost is $10 per person.

In March, we'll be participating in the Houston Humane Society "K9 Fun Run" to raise awareness and money for homeless animals, as well as continuing our Planned Parenthood campaign.  More about the Planned Parenthood campaign will be in an additional post. 

Look for our newsletter to be sent out early in February.  If you're not signed up for our newsletter, please visit http://www.secularcenterusa.org/ to sign up!

Thanks!

Kate Update

To date, we have raised almost $500 for Kate and her family!  Every little bit will help, so please consider donating if you can!

One week from today we'll be having Kate's Gathering at Cafe Express at 1101 Uptown Park Boulevard in Houston.  Please join us if you can from 7-9pm to meet Kate and show her the support of the Houston secular community.

Thanks for everything!

UPDATE on Cancer Patient Kate

Within hours of sending out the e-mail about Kate today, we had five responses with offers of a place to stay for Kate.  I ran the offers by Kate and she was able to choose the option that best fits her needs. 

We have also had an outpouring of support with transportation offers and other offers of donations to help Kate and her family.  If you can make a donation to help Kate, please e-mail us and let us know!

We'll be having a gathering on Wednesday, February 10th from 7-9pm so that Kate can meet the Houston secular community and so that we can meet her!  If you're in Houston, please come on by!  Details will be up on our website calendar within the week.

Thanks for all you do, and thanks to the Houston community for their generosity!

SECULAR Center Volunteer Discussion & Other Events

Tomorrow at 2:30 pm the SECULAR Center will be gathering together volunteers in the Houston area to discuss our events calendar for this year and encourage people to get involved in volunteerism.  The event will be from 2:30-4:00 at the Cafe Express in Uptown Park.  We will have information about the SECULAR Center, show our 'About SECULAR Center' Video, and have SECULAR Center personnel on hand to answer questions and hear feedback. 

In February we're sponsoring Darrel Ray, the author of The God Virus, as well as holding a volunteer event at Planned Parenthood.  Look for our monthly e-mail on February 1st with more details.  If you're not signed up for our e-mails, please go to our website and sign up!

Please join us at these exciting and fun events if you can!  Feel free to e-mail us for more information!

Thanks!
Noelle

"About SECULAR Center" Video Up!

The "About SECULAR Center" video is now up on our YouTube account and on the front page of our website!  We made the video for people who are wondering why they should volunteer with the SECULAR Center, and to let you know how you can get involved!  Please check it out and let us know your thoughts!

SCUSA Submits its First Grant!

Last night at 10:30 pm CST, the SECULAR Center submitted its first federal grant on behalf of SMART Recovery, a secular addiction recovery program, and Atheist Alliance International (AAI).  The grant proposal is titled: The SMART Recovery/AAI Substance Abuse Treatment (SASAT) Project.

The grant was almost 75 pages long and detailed the SASAT Project's plan to expand SMART Recovery meetings into 15 areas in the United States over three years, reaching an additional 500 participants per year.  The non-religious community has offered its overwhelming support of this program through letters of assistance from SCUSA, AAI, and the American Humanist Association.  Year one target expansion areas are Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC, Kansas City, and Madison, WI. 

As part of the SASAT Project, SCUSA has agreed to help recruit volunteer Meeting Facilitators and several paid positions including Program Facilitators for each year one target area, as well as a Project Manager based out of one of the five target areas.  So, if you're interested in learning more about this exciting project, please e-mail secularcenterusa@gmail.com.

Happy Solstice and more!

Today I want to wish everyone in the Northern Hemisphere a happy Winter Solstice and everyone in the Southern Hemisphere a happy Summer Solstice!  Sometimes we forget that the Southern Hemisphere is celebrating the Summer Solstice while the Northern Hemisphere is celebrating the Winter Solstice.   So, today I want to include everyone around the world by saying, 'Happy Solstice!'

On that international note, I would like to announce that the SECULAR Center now has over 300 supporters in almost 10 different countries around the world!  We really appreciate everyone's support and are working hard to ensure that your donations, volunteer hours, and other forms of support are going toward important and much-needed secular charity programs. 

To date, we are working with other communities in Texas such as Dallas and San Antonio; as well as Ames IA, Portland OR, Kansas City KS, Los Angeles CA, and more to get SECULAR Center programs underway and coordinate non-theist volunteer and charitable efforts.  Look for some exciting announcements about these programs after the New Year!

In Reason,
Noelle

And We're Back!

Wow, I can't believe that it's been almost a month since I have blogged!  So much has been happening both with the SECULAR Center and in my personal life.  I got married on November 27th to my partner of 3 years, Keith.  We had a small secular ceremony on the Star Cruiser Yacht out of Kemah, TX.  Our families traveled from Washington, Ohio, Italy, Massachusetts, Washington DC, and New Mexico to be there and we all had a wonderful time.  If you're interested in seeing pictures, friend me on Facebook.

Lots of exciting things have been happening with both the SECULAR Center and the Houston/Texas freethought community.  I'm going to separate out the news into different posts and backdate some of them so that they are relevant, so expect to see quite a few posts from me in the next few days.  For now, I will tell you that we are wrapping up editing on the new SECULAR Center video!  It's a one minute and thirty second video that talks about the SECULAR Center and what we do.  As soon as it's up on our website, I will blog with more info about how to find it.

My new husband and I leave tomorrow for Seattle for 10 days for the holidays.  I hope all of you are having a great holiday season full of laughter and joy.  Please don't forget to give whatever you can during this season since there are so many in need out there.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Noelle

SCUSA has been invited to the HEADS Meeting

The SECULAR Center has been invited to the HEADS Meeting in Washington DC this January!  This meeting gathers together all of the leaders of the US National Freethought organizations such as the American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, Atheist Nexus, American Atheists, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Center for Inquiry, and others.  The meeting is January 8th-10th 2010.  Can you believe we're almost at 2010 already!?!

It's important for SCUSA to attend the HEADS meeting so that we can continue to form partnerships with national organizations.  This will help us further our goals, because we want to coordinate all non-theist volunteerism and charitable efforts.  Please feel free to send feedback to me at secularcenterusa@gmail.com if there's any ideas or comments you would like me to bring to the table with these national organizations. 

Texas Freethought Convention

The SECULAR Center attended the Texas Freethought Convention on November 14th in San Antonio!  The convention was great fun and included interesting speakers such as Stuart Bechman from AAI, Dan Barker from FFRF, Dr. Victor Stenger, and others. 

The SECULAR Center had a table set up at the convention and collected over 30 new signups for our e-mailing list!  There was also a lot of interest in starting volunteerism and charitable activities in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin.  We're starting to discuss possibilities with members of those communities, and I may travel to Dallas in January to speak at the North Texas Church of Freethought about working together for volunteerism and charitable causes.  They are already doing some great things up there including adopting a highway and more!

We now have almost 300 supporters who are signed up for our newsletter and e-mail list.  This support is crucial to our goals, because when we apply for grants we have to show that the atheist community is behind us.  If you haven't signed up for the e-Newsletter list, please do so today on our website at http://www.secularcenterusa.org/.  Thanks!

SECULAR Center on Chariots of Iron Podcast!

The SECULAR Center's President and Executive Director, Noelle George, is on this week's Chariots of Iron podcast at http://www.chariotsofiron.com/.  Check it out and see how she did!  Post a comment and let us know what you thought!

SECULAR Center Press Appearances

The SECULAR Center's visit to Seattle in September has been summarized in an article in the Humanists of Washington Newsletter.  Check it out at http://how.artisticconnections.net/archives/fall09.pdf.  We are on page 10 of the Newsletter.

We also spent the afternoon last Monday filming the first SCUSA commercial!  Since I've never been on camera before, it took me a while to get warmed up to the idea.  But, after some coaching from the wonderful Margaret Downey and from our fantastic videographer Chris Moyer, I think we got some good footage!  Look for the commercial on YouTube and our website later this month.

Yesterday I had a great conversation with Brian from Atheist Volunteers about partnering with them and we discussed some activities SCUSA can plan for next year.  Look for that in a post later this weekend, where I plan to solicit feedback about our ideas.

Thanks for your support of SCUSA!
Noelle

Tell Your Volunteer/Charity Story!

The SECULAR Center is compiling information about non-theist volunteerism and charitable activities for the 2009 year.  We want to be able to say that, for example, non-theists donated 2000L of blood in 2009, or adopted 50 miles of highways, or contributed 2000 cans of food to the hungry. 

If you group or you as an individual have volunteered in 2009, we want to hear about it!  Please e-mail us at secularcenterusa(at)gmail.com and share with us!  You can also write up an article for our newsletter telling us about your activities.  The article should be 500 words or less and should detail how you've made a difference. 

This weekend I'll be in Kansas City for my bridal shower, so I don't know if I'll be able to post much, but I'll see what I can do.  Have a great weekend all, and I'll 'see' you when I get back.

Thanks for supporting SCUSA!
Noelle

Atheist Blogroll & Winter Solstice Party in Houston

SCUSA's blog has been added to The Atheist Blogroll. You can see the blogroll in our sidebar. The Atheist blogroll is a community building service provided free of charge to Atheist bloggers from around the world. If you would like to join, visit Mojoey at Deep Thoughts for more information.

Also, we had a very productive meeting today regarding the Houston Freethought Alliance Winter Solstice Party in December. We are working on finding a venue for December 12th! Please save the date, and contact SCUSA if you'd like to help plan the party! We have various committees you could participate on including Entertainment, Food/Drink, Logistics, Fundraiser (for Camp Quest), and Decorations.

Thanks for supporting SCUSA!

Social Networking

Yesterday and today we joined some social networking sites including Twitter, Digg, YouTube, and we made a new fan page on Facebook. We also added a page to our website for social networking so that people can see everywhere we are and everything we are doing in one easy place!

This isn't related to volunteerism, but today I also watched a fascinating talk by cosmologist Lawrence Krauss on YouTube from the AAI 2009 Convention. If you have any interest in dark matter, how our universe was formed, and how the universe will die, please watch it! It's quite long, about 1 hr, but it was totally worth it. H/T to Brother Richard's Life Without Faith blog for mentioning it.

Thanks for your support of SCUSA!