Seeking Volunteers for SDC Library – Thank You

The volunteer maximum has been reached. Thank you to everyone for offering your help.
Family Sangha Program

The Sacramento Dharma Center Library committee is looking for two to three new members to help organize, update, and maintain the existing books and resources in the library. We’re hoping for a commitment of approximately 3 to 4 hours a month initially (for 2 to 3 months), until all the books are shelved and catalogued. As we move into the maintenance phase of simply tracking check-out and returning library materials, much less time will be required. 
If interested, please contact Jody Ansell at 916-716-6593 or Ann Kronser at 608-220-2447.

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Family Sangha Volunteers Needed

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The Sacramento Dharma Center’s Family Sangha seeks folks in the mahasangha who would like to help them by volunteering, or by referring good people who might consider a childcare or dharma facilitator role for a stipend. Helpers could be a simpatico college student- someone from a young adult sangha- or maybe an elder who loves kids and the practice.
Family Sangha meets monthly on the last Sundays from 10 am to noon. Upcoming meetings are Nov 27, Dec is canceled, and then Jan 29. For details, contact Helen Hobart or email familydharma@sbmg.org.

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Volunteer

Volunteers Needed at St. John’s

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We are currently scheduling shifts for May 18 and June 15.  Volunteer opportunities include cooks, who prepare the meal from 2:30-4:15 pm, and servers, who work from 4:15-6:00pm. You are not expected to work all three dates, just whatever works for you.  We are welcoming new volunteers as we bolster our volunteer pool.  Come join us as we practice generosity and compassion in the greater community.  If you are not already on the email list and wish to volunteer or have questions, please contact SIM Community member Mary Howard at mary@sactoinsight.org.

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Volunteer

A Few Volunteers Needed

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With SIM returning to in-person programs, we need a few more volunteers to help with set-up – specifically, one person for the third Thursday and another on the fourth Thursday. We could also use some people willing to be called on to set-up for daylong retreats. The volunteer would need to arrive about an hour before the meeting (Thursday dharma talk or Saturday retreat) and would work as part of a three-person team to set up chairs, set up the altar, put out the dana bowl, and other tasks as needed. The team also helps close down after the meeting, putting away items, emptying trash and recycle cans, cleaning break room and kitchen counters if needed, and ensuring all doors and gates are closed and locked. Closing tasks typically take 15-20 minutes.

Volunteering for set-up is both a gratifying way of giving dana to the sangha and an opportunity to get to know fellow sangha members on your team, as well as to care for the Dharma Center itself. If you are interested in helping, please contact Margaret Buss at volunteer-coordinator@sactoinsight.org

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Center ReOpening -Volunteers Still Needed

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POST UPDATED 7/30/21

DANA FOR THE SANGHA –  OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER AT IN-PERSON MEETINGS!

Great news!  SIM has opened up for hybrid in-person/ZOOM Meetings.  We’re pleased and very grateful for the many sangha members who stepped up to help with Set-Up/Close-Down, and we have no current need for more set-up help, but could use help in the areas below.

We could still use help in the following areas:

  • Greeter Coordinator/Greeters: Greeters welcome arriving attendees, guiding them to take off their shoes and, for now, putting on a mask.  For newcomers, greeters will help them find the bathroom and kitchen facilities and answer questions about SIM or meeting format. Greeters arrive at least one half hour before the scheduled meeting.  The Greeter Coordinator will help recruit and schedule greeters for each Thursday meeting
  • Flower Yogi Coordinator/Flower Yogi:  Flower yogis bring fresh flowers for the altar and Dharma Hall.  Flower yogis should arrive 30-40 minutes before the meeting begins to arrange the flowers. The Flower Yogi Coordinator will help recruit and schedule flower yogis.
  • Registrars for Daylongs, Special Events and Classes:
  • AV/Tech Support: AV/Tech duties include setting up the AV cart and the big screen TV, connecting the in-house audio and free standing audio systems, logging on to the scheduled zoom program, monitoring the zoom room and camera angles during the evening.  Additionally at the end of the evening closing the zoom broadcast and returning the AV cart and TV to the locked storage area.   The AV/Tech would participate in a rotating schedule for this volunteer service.  

Volunteering is an incredibly valuable and gratifying way to give dana to the community. It rewards volunteers in equal measure by expanding their connection with fellow sangha team members and with the Dharma Center building itself, just as their efforts reward the sangha.  If you are willing to try out one of these roles, please complete our volunteer interest form (click here) or send an email to Margaret Buss at sim-volunteers@sactoinsight.com.

ORIGINAL POST 6/22/2021

DANA FOR THE SANGHA –  OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER AT IN-PERSON MEETINGS!

Great news!  SIM will be opening up for hybrid in-person/ZOOM meetings beginning Thursday, July 15, and we will need a few more volunteers to make it happen.  Volunteer opportunities include:

  • Set-Up/Close-Down: A few more volunteers are needed either as part of a designated weekly or daylong set-up crew, or as occasional crew on an ad-hoc basis. Set-up crew puts out chairs, sets up the altar and back counter, and sets up tea service for breaks, as well as overseeing clean-up at the end of the evening.  Set-up volunteers arrive an hour before the meeting: 6 pm for regular meeting nights, 5 pm for the fourth Thursday Introduction to Meditation session prior to the regular meeting.
  • Greeter Coordinator/Greeters: Greeters welcome arriving attendees, guiding them to take off their shoes and, for now, putting on a mask.  For newcomers, greeters will help them find the bathroom and kitchen facilities and answer questions about SIM or meeting format. Greeters arrive at least one half hour before the scheduled meeting.  The Greeter Coordinator will help recruit and schedule greeters for each Thursday meeting
  • Flower Yogi Coordinator/Flower Yogi:  Flower yogis bring fresh flowers for the altar and Dharma Hall. Flower yogis should arrive 30-40 minutes before the meeting begins. The Flower Yogi Coordinator will help recruit and schedule flower yogis.

Volunteering is an incredibly valuable and gratifying way to give dana to the community. It rewards volunteers in equal measure by expanding their connection with fellow sangha team members and with the Dharma Center building itself.  If you are willing to try out one of these roles, please complete our volunteer interest form.

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Volunteers Needed at St. John’s

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After a year of isolation, Sacramento Insight Meditation (SIM) volunteers have again been preparing and serving dinner to the women and children who are living at St. John’s Program for Real Change in Sacramento.  The cooks and servers practice COVID safety by wearing masks.  Most of the volunteers have been fully vaccinated.

We will soon be scheduling shifts for July 21, August 18, and September 15, 2021.  Volunteer opportunities include cooks, who prepare the meal from 2:30-4:15 pm, and servers, who work from 4:15-6:00pm. You are not expected to work all three dates, just whatever works for you.  We are welcoming new volunteers as we bolster our volunteer pool.  Come join us as we practice generosity and compassion in the greater community.

If you are not already on the email list and wish to volunteer or have questions, please contact Mary Howard at mary@sactoinsight.org.

If you would like to volunteer for other programs or tasks at SIM, visit https://sactoinsight.org/activities/sangha-service/volunteer-interest/.

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SIM is back at St. John’s

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After a year of isolation, on March 17th Sacramento Insight Meditation volunteers prepared and served dinner to the women and children who are living at St. John’s Program for Real Change. The cooks and servers practice COVID safety by wearing masks. Servers were in close proximity, while cooks were distanced. Most of the volunteers have been fully vaccinated.

We will soon be scheduling shifts for the third Wednesday of April, May, and June. Volunteer opportunities include cooks who prepare the meal from 2:45-4:30 pm, and servers who work from 4:30-6:00 pm. We are welcoming new volunteers as we re-start this chance to practice generosity and compassion in the greater community.

If you are not already on the email list and wish to volunteer or have questions, please contact Mary Howard at mary@sactoinsight.org.

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Protected: Questionnaire – 2020 Annual Retreat Interest

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Continuing Support of St. John’s Program

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Our SIM volunteers, along with members of Valley Streams Zen Sangha, have been preparing and serving dinner every third Wednesday for decades for the women and children at St. John’s Program for Change. With the current stay-at-home policy, St. John’s stopped accepting volunteers at their site back in mid-March but they still needed support from the community in preparing meals for their residents. Fortunately, one of SIM’s shoppers, Steve Sphar, offered to purchase food for our meat loaf dinner and deliver it to the shelter. So, in March and April, he dropped off food and recipes so that the chef and his helpers could prepare dinner. The staff at St. John’s is very appreciative. We all look forward to returning to our monthly dinner experience, but until then, we are still practicing generosity and compassion in the larger community.

Additionally, did you know about this fundraiser “The Great Food Truck Feed” that also helps support St. John’s Program for Change? The fundraiser (not a SIM sponsored event) is active for six more days and provides another option for helping to support our community during these challenging times.

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Celebrating with Dennis Warren

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Dennis completed his term as President of the SIM Board last month.  Please join us on March 22 to celebrate his extraordinary contributions.  We will have refreshments at the break and an opportunity to thank Dennis for his great work during the last two and a half years.  All are invited.  We hope to see you there!

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