Monday#16- Support Neighborhood Watch

Make Today Matter...

Facts:

• Over 3.4 million burglaries occur annually.
• 60% or more of residential burglaries occur during daylight hours.
• Every 14.6 seconds a burglary takes place.
• Over 60% of all burglaries are by forcible entry by breaking windows, and forcing open doors, windows, or locks.
• Approximately 32% of all burglaries are by unlawful entry with no force: the robbers enter via an open door or window.
• The average loss per residential burglary is $1,725.
• July has the greatest number of burglaries; February has the least.
• Only 17%, or 1 in 6 people, volunteer in a program that prevents crime.

Make it more difficult for burglars to do their job...

Take action today!

1. Get to know your neighbors.
2. Organize a community watch program to protect your neighborhood. Obtain training and necessary information from your local law enforcement agency.
3. Post a Neighborhood Watch sign in a visible window of your home and encourage neighbors to do the same.
4. Ask neighbors to be observant and report suspicious or unusual activities.
5. Let your neighbors know when you'll be out of town and leave a contact number where you can be reached.
6. Make your home safer by installing an alarm system, placing rods in the frames of sliding windows and doors, leaving outdoor lights (CFL's) on at night, setting indoor lamps with timers, and adopting a dog.

You matter!

A safe neighborhood is created when the people who live in the community look out for one another and their property. Keeping a watchful eye, noticing and reporting unusual activities, and talking with neighbors to make them aware of neighborhood happenings all help create a crime watch program and a safe community.

(Adapted from Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza)

Monday #15- Rideshare

Make Today Matter...

Traffic is overrated!

Facts: 

• Only 10.2% of workers rideshare.
• 52.5 cents per mile is the average cost to drive a car due to fuel, maintenance, tires, depreciation, and insurance.
• $2,520 can be save annually by each person in a 2-person, 40-mile roundtrip rideshare.
• 12,000 gallons of gasoline would be saved each year for every 100 people who paired up into a daily rideshare.
• 18 lbs of CO2 is produced by burning 1 gallon of gasoline.
• A 10% nationwide increase in transit ridership would save 135 million gallons of gasoline a year.
• 34% of roads are in poor or mediocre condition due to heavy usage and lack of proper repair.

Save your car, the roads, and your tax dollars!

Take action today!

1. Find a rideshare partner. Ask a co-worker, student, or friend.
2. Check with your company or school to see if there is an organized rideshare program.
3. Follow these guidelines:

- Meet new rideshare partner(s) before your commute.
- Discuss preferences like seating arrangements, music, eating, cell phone usage, and smoking.
- Set up a probationary period to try out the arrangement.
- Provide information about your rideshare partner(s) to someone else in case of emergency.
- Create an equitable driving and cost arrangement.
- Be punctual.

You matter!

Do something meaningful with the $2,520 you save!

Ridesharing reduces gasoline usage, vehicle wear, traffic, stress, pollution, and dependency on foreign oil. With every 100 people who pair up daily and rideshare for a year, we keep 1,848 lbs of hydrocarbons, 1,320 lbs of carbon monoxide, 792 lbs of nitrogen oxides, and 2,376,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

You might even make a friend or two...

(Adapted from Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza)

Monday #14- Create, Support, Appreciate ART!

Make Today Matter...

Facts:

• 93% of people believe that the arts are vital to a well-rounded education.
• Regardless, only 29% of schools have been able to maintain time and funding for art programs.
• Children spend more time at their locker than in art classes.
• People learn to be more tolerant and open to other people when creating or appreciating art.
• Art promotes individuality, bolsters self-confidence, and improves overall academic performance. 
• Art is a reflection of people and cultures since the beginning of time.
• Students who take 4 years of arts and music in high school average 100 points higher on their SATs than students who took only a half year or less.

Take action today!

1. Create an original piece of art today. If you don't know how or where to start, visit your local craft store and ask for help.
2. Sign up for an art class with a friend.
3. Visit a local museum, art gallery, or sculpture garden.
4. Volunteer to support an art activity at a local school or senior citizen program.
5. Communicate with your school-district administrators, state, or national legislators by either writing a letter of appreciation for current funding or requesting funding for the arts.

You matter!

Sit down with friends and family and take some time to be a kid again!

With minimal supplies, you can create a unique piece of art and give it to someone as a gift. If creating art is not your thing, then support the people who do love it by visiting a museum, donating art supplies, buying art from a local artist, or writing a letter to the people who control school and government budgets. 

Just as there are many ways you can express art, there are also many ways you can support and appreciate it.

(Adapted from Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza)

Monday #13- Donate Books!

Make Today Matter...

Facts:

• 61% of low-income families have no books in their homes.
• 43% of adults with the lowest level of literacy proficiency live in poverty.
• Only 4% of adults with strong literacy skills live in poverty.
• 55% of children have increased interest in reading when given books at an early age.
• Children with a greater variety of reading material in the home are more creative, imaginative, and proficient in reading. They are also on a better path toward educational growth and development.
• There is only 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods, compared to 13 books per child in middle-income neighborhoods.

Take action today!

1. Go through your bookshelves and pull out books that you will never read again or have owned for more than 2 years and haven't read yet.
2. Pack the books in a box.
3. Call your local library, schools, foster homes, or children's organizations to see if they need books.
4. Deliver the books.
5. If you don't have any books at home, purchase some to donate or find an organization that accepts financial donations and will purchase books and deliver them where they are needed.

You matter!

The majority of children in low-income neighborhoods often lack libraries and bookstores. Having access to books is the key to literacy. By donating your books, especially children's books, you can impact some of the 12 million children who don't have books at home.

Are you really going to read them again?

(Adapted from Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza)