What Is The Weekly Half-Plate Offering?

In the spirit of abundance, each Sunday since the beginning of September our congregation has been giving half of each service’s offering plate to groups outside our Fellowship that further our vision, which is bringing love and reason to life and building a just and compassionate world, as well as aspects of our mission, such as leading generous lives that fully align our resources with our values, and expressing our values through outreach and action locally and beyond.
Where has the money we have collected so far been going? Here is a list of the donations and the recipients for September and October:

September 12 Mile High Red Cross $630
September 19 UUSC/UUA Pakistan Flood Relief $466
September 26 O.A.S.O.S $515
October 3 and October 10 UUA Association Sunday $564
October 17 Intercambio de Comunidades $418
October 24 UNICEF $501
October 31 HospiceCare of Boulder County $541
November 7 BVCAN $474
November 14 VHVNow $686

Our first half-plate contribution went to the Mile High Red Cross for their efforts in the Fourmile Fire, which was the largest fire in Colorado history and destroyed around 166 homes. Some of our Fellowship families were directly affected by this disaster and many of our members also had friends and familes who suffered trauma and loss.
Nearly 160 volunteers and employees from the Mile High and Northern Colorado Red Cross chapters teamed up to respond to the emergency by quickly setting up two evacuation centers during the first day of the fire, and then transitioning these to a shelter at the Coors Events Center on the CU campus.
The next day, the team relocated the shelter to the YMCA’s facility and kept the shelter running 24/7 until Sept. 13. A unique partnership enabled them to co-shelter evacuees’ pets at the shelter for the first time in the chapters’ history.

The second half-plate contribution supported the UUAssociation/UUService Committee relief fund for the Pakistani floods. These floods devastated Pakistan and left over 2,000 people dead and over a million people homeless. At one point almost a fifth of the country was flooded. Our contributions supported the UUSC in working with its Pakistani NGO partners, among them the organization Bedari, to protect women and children displaced by the floods. Bedari has established a support center in a makeshift camp of 3,000 people in Nowshera. Through Bedari, women can access food and water, and get connected to additional, critical relief aid and services. Unaccompanied children receive help reconnecting with their families. Bedari also encourages women to share their stories and concerns. Psychosocial support is critical in times of disaster, and few organizations have responded to this need in Pakistan. Once the school year began, Bedari opened up its schools to newly arriving children.

The third half-plate contribution went to O.A.S.O.S. (Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity Support) which provides advocacy and weekly education/support/activity groups for GLBTQ youth age 20 and under in Boulder County. In addition, the OASOS Program Specialists provide free and confidential crisis intervention, referral, and support services to LGBTIQ youth and adults in their lives.
The fourth and fifth half-plate contributions went to the UUA for Association Sunday. The theme of this year’s Association Sunday was Celebrating 50 Years and the Future of Our Faith and was celebrated in over 500 congregations. Proceeds from the special collections at Association Sunday services will be used to ensure that Unitarian Universalism thrives for generations to come through initiatives like Leap of Faith, a pilot project establishing mentoring relationships among selected congregations.

The sixth half-plate collection went to Intercambio de Comunidades, an organization headquarted in Boulder with offices in Longmont and Denver, which provides one-on-one tutoring and classes in English as a Second Language to adult immigrants. The Intercambio & Schools Together Program matches English-learning parents with native English-speaking parents or teachers in the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts. Multi-week classes and shorter workshops focus on topics such as financial literacy, English for Entrepreneurs, housing, cultural understanding and finances. Intercambio builds community and intercultural exchange through social events such as La Fiesta, their major fundraiser, and potlucks, camping trips and park clean-ups.

The seventh Half-Plate offering went to Boulder Friends of UNICEF, the local U.S. Fund for UNICEF group, which donates all the funds it raises to the U.S. Fund. UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens’ Fund, has been the driving force in the world to save children’s lives for over 60 years. UNICEF works around the world to provide children with shelter, food, medicine, clean water and sanitation, education, and hope for a better life. Over 22,000 children die each day from preventable causes. UNICEF’s goal is to reduce that number to ZERO.

The eighth offering went to HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, founded as Boulder County Hospice in 1976. This organization is a Colorado-licensed, Medicare and Medicaid-certified, nonprofit healthcare organization serving Boulder, Broomfield, and Adams Counties and beyond. High quality healthcare is important at every stage of life and they consider it a privilege to walk alongside those who are facing terminal illness, coping with grief, or seeking to learn more about these profound experiences. HospiceCare physicians and interdisciplinary teams of nurses, certified nursing assistants, chaplains, social workers, and counselors help patients and families prepare for, understand, and make informed decisions at the end of life and throughout the grieving process.

The ninth offering went to our own Boulder Valley Community Action Network (BVCAN). BVCAN is beginning its third year acting on local issues and representing the Fellowship concerns and hopes in the Boulder Valley community at large. Highlights of BVCAN’s work since we began include: talking with many of you 1-1 about your concerns and hopes, holding a well attended public meeting last spring where we announced the culmination of our research into local healthcare issues and our efforts in improving access to healthcare for eligible low income children in Boulder County, and distributing, this fall, materials to educate local citizens about extreme ballot initiatives and the facts about healthcare reform.

The tenth offering went to Veterans Helping Veterans Now (VHVNow). Vietnam veterans (and other veterans) often have been marginalized by society. After decades of struggle, many veterans now welcome an opportunity to contribute to society. Many veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan face the same issues. They are wary of seeking services; they feel that nobody understands. But other veterans understand. They’ve been there. Initially, the notion of VHVnow came from a Vietnam combat Marine who initiated conversations with other Vietnam veterans, veterans who have just returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, veteran service providers, and community representatives. Together, they formed VHVnow in the summer of 2007. Its mission is to build healthier lives for veterans and their families, reaching out to those who might not otherwise be reached, honoring those who served.

How are organizations going to be identified in the future?

The BVUUF Board of Officers and Trustees has empowered the Half-Plate team to lead this new effort, and this team has created a set of guidelines and a process for the selection of groups that advance our mission as well as reflect the worship theme each month. These guidelines are outlined below. The team currently consists of a representative of the Social Justice Action Committee (Dianne Ladd), the Worship Committee (Larry Laverdure), a member of the congregation (BVUUF VP Kathy Partridge will serve until this position is filled) and a youth representative, nominated by the CYRE committee. The latter two positions are open, so please let the team members or board know if you are interested. Appointments of team members will be ratified by our elected Nominating Committee.

What if you know of a great organization? Use the nomination form at the bottom of this page to nominate the organization to be considered for a half-plate donation. You’ll be asked for background on the organization and why it should be supported. You’ll be expected to provide contact information, a short write-up, and any outreach/publicity that accompanies the collection.

This new half-pate collection is a “work in progress.” We would appreciate feedback on guidelines, along with recommendations of groups. Please contact a team member with your input and/or for more information. If we all make it a practice to contribute, even a small amount, it will add up! If you are paying your pledge with a check in the collection plate, please write “pledge” on the memo line. Half of all other checks will go each week to the worthy organization recommended by members of the congregation.

Half-Plate Guidelines

(updated 10/24/10)
Nominator should be active in the BVUUF community. Nominator may be a volunteer or board member of the group nominated, but not the paid staff of the group nominated.
Nominator will submit a completed application, noting preferred Sunday (to be no sooner than six weeks from application date), to the Half-Plate Committee that includes:
1. Name, contact person, and address of the recipient for the check
2. A one-page standardized application form, and a
3. a draft paragraph for the Sunday news (this will be approved by the Committee before publication)
In addition the nominator should be:
4. willing to promote, speak during service, and/ or “table” about the group before services and during coffee on the day of the collection, as space and time allows
5. if applicable, willing to serve as contact and liaison for the group before and after the collection

The Half-Plate Committee will review all applications and make decisions based on the following:
1. The group is a good fit with UU Principles and the BVUUF mission
2. There is a connection between this group and someone in our congregation
3. They work for social transformation and self-help, but can also provide “direct service”
4. Preferably Colorado-based, but we are open to other levels and regions
5. Preferably grassroots – close to the community
The Half Plate team: one rep from Worship, one rep from Social Justice Action, a youth suggested by the CYRE, and an at-large rep. All will be approved by the Nominating Committee.
The Half Plate collection process is being developed in partnership with BVUUF office and communications staff.

Download the Half-Plate Offering Nomination Form Word Doc PDF