May 27, 2008

Volunteers needed for the Lost Sock Appeal

Sydney-based volunteers are needed to collect donations on behalf of the Australian Network to Ban Landmines (ANBL) between June 23 and June 27. All money collected will go towards assisting landmine survivors or ANBL work to prevent the spread of landmines and cluster bombs.

More than 75 countries and hundreds of thousands of people are affected by landmines. For more information about the international campaign see http://www.icbl.org/.

What is the appeal?

The Lost Sock Appeal, a project of ANBL, will be held between Monday June 23 and Saturday June 28 in Sydney. The theme of the week is to get people to think of someone who has lost a leg to a landmine every time they think of a lost sock. The idea is to connect a common experience here in Australia with those who are landmine survivors around the world.

How is it connected to the Uniting Church in Australia?

The Uniting Church in Australia is an official endorsing body of the ANBL and has been since the late 1990s.

Currently Dr Mark Zirnsak, the Director of the Justice and International Mission Unit of the Synod of Victoria & Tasmania, is the National Coordinator of the Network and occupies that position with the support of both UnitingJustice and Uniting International Mission at the church’s national Assembly. Therefore, the Lost Sock Appeal fits as part of the work that the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania is undertaking on the issue of landmines on behalf of the Uniting Church in Australia.

How many volunteers are needed?

Approximately 30 volunteers are needed across the week, collecting in the City of Sydney, Waverley, North Sydney and the harbour foreshore areas. Volunteers will be following the suggestions given as best practice from the Charitable Guidelines of NSW in terms of wearing appropriate ID, use of collection devices etc.

What will the role of volunteers be?

Volunteers will ideally be grouped into pairs and will work either 7am-10am or 4pm-7pm shifts between Monday June 23 and Saturday June 28, and possibly for the whole day of Thursday June 26. We are looking for volunteers who can volunteer for as little as one hour, or as much as a whole week of volunteering.

Volunteers will need to collect the necessary materials at the beginning of their shift from a central point in Sydney and return it at the end of their shift. Together in pairs, volunteers will tally the money received as donations at the end of their shift and countersign a running sheet which lists details of all monies received. In most areas (but not all) we are allowed to distribute written information about the appeal, which will allow donors to have full information about the appeal and where the money raised through the appeal goes.

So, where does the money go?

Donations to the Lost Sock Appeal will go to the work of the Australian Network to Ban Landmines (http://australia.icbl.org/). Half the money will go to projects to assist the victims of landmines and half will go to the work of the ANBL to make the treaty banning anti-personnel landmines universal, so that no more mines are manufactured, none are laid and existing minefields are cleared.

To register your interest as a volunteer:

Please contact Jill Cooper in the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania via email at Jill.Cooper@victas.uca.org.au or by phoning (03) 9251 5266 / 0458 393 291 during business hours.