2016 NWS Week of Service

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Other Weeks & Seasons

2011 (September 25 - October 1)
2012 (September 30 - October 6)
2013 (September 29 - October 5)
2014 (September 28 - October 4)
2015 (September 27 - October 3)
2017 (September 24 - September 30)
2018 (September 30 - October 6)
2019 (September 29 - October 5)
2020 (September 1 - November 30)
2021 (September 1 - November 30)
2022 (September 1 - November 30)
2023 (September 1 - November 30)
2024 (September 1 - November 30)

The Anchorage Weather Forecast Office, Alaska Aviation Weather Unit, Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center, and the Alaska Electronic Maintenance Unit (AEMU) participated in the following activities from late September through late October...

1) Food and Clothing Drive for the Anchorage Downtown Soup Kitchen

From September 25th through October 31st, we held a clothes and food drive for the Anchorage Downtown Soup Kitchen. Our annual pie and Cookie contest helped spur on the donations.  In this contest, you could have a slice of pie or cookies if you donated food or clothes.  

2) Volunteered at the Downtown Soup Kitchen and Bean's Cafe

From late September to Late October we had folks from the office volunteer their time at the Downtown Soup Kitchen, local food bank, and Bean's Cafe. 

• 9/29/16 - 3 people volunteered at The Downtown Soup Kitchen.
• 10/5/16 - 1 person volunteered at Bean's Cafe.
• 10/13/16 - 1 person volunteered at The Downtown Soup Kitchen.
• 10/19/16 - 2 people volunteered at The Downtown Soup Kitchen.
• 10/26/16 - 2 people volunteered at Bean's Cafe.

3) Roadside Clean-up

On September 30th, we had a crew of 5 people did roadside clean-up on Sand Lake Road.

4) Blood Drive

During mid-October, 2 people participated in a blood drive.

5) Extra-Life

From October 22nd through October 23rd, 2 people from our office and one spouse participated in a charity gaming event called Extra-Life, which benefits local children through the Children's Miracle Network. Basically, you play video games for 24hrs and people donate to your cause, via posting on social media, through word of mouth, and streaming online while playing games.  

On October 22nd, Josh Weiss (WFO Wilmington, NC), Lara Pagano (WFO Peachtree City, GA), and Hunter Coleman (WFO Columbia, SC), teamed up to participate in the Xtreme Hike at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. The Xtreme Hike is an annual event put on by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. 

Their team, The Young and the Breathless, raised $9,000 dollars for cystic fibrosis research, and were the top fundraising team of the event which raised in total almost $40,000! Not only were Lara (left in photo), Josh (center), and Hunter (right) the top fundraisers, but on hike day they completed the 23 strenuous miles in first place - crossing the finish line as a team.

On Friday, September 30th, NWS Austin/San Antonio teamed up and cleaned a 2-mile stretch as part of National Weather Service Week of Service and Adopt-a-Highway Trash-off campaign.

On Monday, October 3rd, they held an "Ice Cream Day" to kick off the Combined Federal Campaign
 

Chart paper and post-its and dry erase markers, oh my! These are just a few of the items that were needed by a Taunton, MA elementary school. For the 2016 National Week of Service, the Taunton National Weather Service (including both WFO and Northeast RFC) chose to have a school supply drive for a local elementary school that serves a largely low-income population.

Galligan Elementary School is a K-4 school whose intent is to broaden and increase the academic and social skills and abilities of every child in their school. They value diversity and treasure each child’s individuality. The Taunton National Weather Service had served this school two years prior during the 2014 Week of Service campaign and by a popular vote within the office, chose to serve them once again.

This is the 6th year the staff at the Northeast RFC and the WFO participated in the National Week of Service and their heart for others is evident in their contributions. Two boxes filled with notebooks, crayons, dry erase markers, tissues, hand sanitizer, and pencils, in addition to 4 pads of chart paper were collected for Galligan.

WFO general forecasters Rebecca Gould and Eleanor Vallier-Talbot and NERFC Hydrologist Erick Boehmler delivered the supplies to Galligan on October 20th. Pamela Broderick, secretary at Galligan, welcomed the supplies and thanked the NWS profusely for their generosity. Anabela Jones, principal, called the National Weather Service office later in the day thanking us again for our generosity and for thinking of them to support.

WFO Brownsville, kicked off the Week of Service back in September with an Adopt-a-Beach event.  Warning Coordination Meteorologist Barry Goldsmith and Electronics Systems Analyst Paul Schaafsma after retrieving a few pounds of trash as part of the Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup day, September 24, 2016.

They wrapped things up this year with a food drive for the Ozanam Center (a shelter in Brownsville) during the latter half of October.  During this drive, they collected 70 pounds of food.

They say they are already looking forward to NWS Week of Service 2017!

Four staff members(and two of their children) from the Cleveland WFO and Cleveland CWSU volunteered on two different evenings at a local food pantry called Audrey's Outreach.  Audrey's Outreach provides several services to the local community including free meals, free lunches, clothing collection and giveaways, operates a community garden, and is a food pantry distribution center for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.  While working at the food pantry, staff from the Cleveland NWS Offices helped distribute food to persons visiting the food pantry.  The food pantry had a nearly continuous stream of people during the three hours that the NWS staff worked each evening.  Those working the event felt the food pantry provided a valuable service and were pleased to be able to offer help to those in need in their community. 

In the picture from left to right are:  Karen Oudeman, Dakota (child), Jim Kosarik, Karen Clark, Jamison (child).

WFO Columbia teamed up with Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia, SC to host a food drive from September 25th through October 1st. We collected 40 food items which weighed a total of 35 pounds.

On October 22nd, Josh Weiss (WFO Wilmington, NC), Lara Pagano (WFO Peachtree City, GA), and Hunter Coleman (WFO Columbia, SC), teamed up to participate in the Xtreme Hike at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. The Xtreme Hike is an annual event put on by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. 

Their team, The Young and the Breathless, raised $9,000 dollars for cystic fibrosis research, and were the top fundraising team of the event which raised in total almost $40,000! Not only were Lara (left in photo), Josh (center), and Hunter (right) the top fundraisers, but on hike day they completed the 23 strenuous miles in first place - crossing the finish line as a team.

From July 12th through August 16th, NWS La Crosse, WI conducted their 7th annual school supply drive. Their staff brought in around $1,500 worth of school supplies during this drive.  There were enough supplies donated to provide school supplies to 8 different schools (4 elementary and 4 middle/high) in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin.  These supplies were delivered between mid-September and mid-October.

During their Open House on Thursday, September 15th, WAFER (our local food pantry) collected 292 pounds of food and $153 in monetary contributions. In addition to this, they were able to let people know more about them and what they do.

From October 3rd through October 25th, most of the Little Rock WFO staff contributed cans of food and boxes of cereal, and various non-perishable items to help stock the shelves of the local food bank. A total of 122 pounds of food was donated to the Arkansas Food Bank.

In the picture to the right, Emily Gassman (middle) of the Food Bank told Joseph Goudsward and Lori Dixon of the Little Rock staff said that their donation would provide 102 meals for Arkansas families!

On September 24th, WFO Marquette employees, former employees and family members took part in our Fall 2016 Adopt-A-Highway clean-up late this morning into early this afternoon. Other than a few early day showers, the weather turned out pretty nice for the clean-up. Keep an eye out for our two-mile stretch along M-28, which extends from near the east entrance of Lakewood Lane in Chocolay Township to the first roadside pull-off east of Harvey!

During the week, they conducted a food drive.  The 352 pounds of food collected during this drive was donated to the TV6 canathon.

During September, the Pocatello ID WFO staff collected personal care, toiletries, and household cleaning products and donated them to the Family Services Alliance of southeast Idaho.   

On September 28th staff at WFO Pocatello volunteered their services at the local women’s shelter (Family Services Alliance of southeast Idaho). Leaves were raked, trash was disposed of, windows were cleaned, children’s toys were sanitized, care pamphlets were prepared, and general household cleaning was done both inside and out of the large building. 

Women and children suffering from abuse are in desperate need of the basic necessities of life; food, water, shelter and sometimes medical attention. The mission of the Family Services Alliance of Southeast Idaho is to promote safe and thriving families work to end physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and provide victim support. Family Services Alliance of Southeast Idaho exists to help survivors, their family and friends, and the community. It felt great to volunteer our services and donate goods to a much-needed organization.
  

From September 25th through October 3rd, the NWS WFO, RFC, and CWSU staffs in Salt Lake City worked together to collect food and toiletries for the Bountiful Food Pantry. The scales tipped at 90 pounds of donated items!

Three members from the NWS Shreveport office participated in the annual "Week of Service" by volunteering their time at the Noel Neighborhood Ministries Food Pantry. While there, they moved and stacked pallets of 1,000 pounds of canned goods and other food items for easier sorting and bagging.  Noel is the largest food pantry of its kind in northwest Louisiana, providing over 10,000 bags of food every year to people in need across the greater Shreveport area.   

In addition, NWS Shreveport meteorologist Matt Hemingway volunteered for the Junior Achievement program to teach 4th graders a local elementary school about financial literacy. This worthwhile program helps teach students of all ages the value of entrepreneurship and success in today's economy.

On October 13, a group (8 members their staff and 1 family member) from NWS Southern Region HQ volunteered at the Tarrant Area Food Bank. They spent three hours at the food bank going through donated produce to determine what was still good and what had gone bad.  The good items were to be taken in mobile vehicles out into the community on the following day for folks to pick up.  By the end of their shift, they had sorted over 5 pallets of produce which was distributed the next day to the community.

In addition, Leslie Carnahan teamed up with 4 family members to make (sewed) pillowcases to give to children in a children's home.

From August 1st through September 1st, WFO Tulsa and the Arkansas-Red Basin River Forecast Center (RFC) held a food drive for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. During this food drive, employees brought in 114 pounds of boxed food and canned goods.

The Administrative Support Assistant (Lisa Taylor) for the Arkansas-Red Basin River Forecast Center organized a flu shot clinic.  They had a 72% participation.  This is the first time this has ever been done here and she plans to increase their participation next year.

On October 3rd, US National Weather Service Western Region HQ volunteered at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area thanks to a generous group of Federal Employees who donated or showed up to make a difference and help families feel at home by cooking for those with a seriously ill or injured child staying in Salt Lake City area hospitals. Their co-workers also graciously donated food items for the meal Monday evening.

On October 22nd, Josh Weiss (WFO Wilmington, NC), Lara Pagano (WFO Peachtree City, GA), and Hunter Coleman (WFO Columbia, SC), teamed up to participate in the Xtreme Hike at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. The Xtreme Hike is an annual event put on by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. 

Their team, The Young and the Breathless, raised $9,000 dollars for cystic fibrosis research, and were the top fundraising team of the event which raised in total almost $40,000! Not only were Lara (left in photo), Josh (center), and Hunter (right) the top fundraisers, but on hike day they completed the 23 strenuous miles in first place - crossing the finish line as a team.