ShareFest Porter County

ShareFest is just one day a year… But you don’t have to wait until the next ShareFest to make a positive impact on someone’s life!

Neighborlinkpc.org is a new web service connecting volunteers with serving opportunities. When you register, you can list your specific skills, and as needs arise that can use those skills, it will let you know! How great is that?

For more details on how the service works, including how to register serving opportunities, visit neighborlinkpc.org.

The numbers are in from Gail at the Red Cross:

• 35 units donated in Kouts
• 39 units donated in Chesterton
• 64 units donated in Portage
• 109 units donated in Valparaiso

…for a grand total of 247 units of blood donated! Thanks to everyone who donated blood and to all who volunteered to make it happen!

ShareFest Porter County made the newspapers again this year. Here are links to three different articles. Two are from the days leading up to the event, and one is from the day after — with pictures!

• A whole lot going on in Portage (Oct. 8, Times)
• Sharing in Sharefest: Kouts churches join community service event (Oct. 9, Post-Tribune)
• Volunteers continue United Way effort (Oct. 12, Times)

If you know of any other press coverage of the event, or if you have personal stories or photos to share from this year’s ShareFest, please let us know!

A limited number of ShareFest 2008 shirts are still available following the day’s events. The shirts are a yellow-orange color, with the ShareFest logo on the front pocket emblem, and a listing of participating churches superimposed on a sunburst on the back. Shirts are $5 each. If you might be interested in purchasing one of the shirts, please let us know!

Online registration for service projects is now closed. If you haven’t registered, but would still like to serve on Saturday, please show up at 8:00 am at the location listed on your city’s page. They’ll match you up with a project that needs extra help.

In the wake of nature’s recent deluge upon the region, our hearts go out to the many families that have suffered significant losses and now face the tremendous challenge of rebuilding and reuniting. Flood relief and clean-up is and will continue to be an ongoing effort throughout Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties. In an effort to fill the need presented in our own community for immediate clean-up and reconstruction, the Portage ShareFest organizers have partnered with the United Way to organize and mobilize those in our faith community willing to assist in ongoing volunteer damage assessments and clean-ups. Please read the information under the Flood Relief project tab on the Portage ShareFest website, and feel free to register to assist. Due to the great and immediate need, this has been added as a priority project.

Help us get the word out about ShareFest!

If you’re on Facebook, you can join the ShareFest group to show all of your friends that you support the ShareFest mission!

The Portage ShareFest team would like to thank our corporate partners for their generosity this year!