Series: Good Without God « Morgantown Atheists

Volunteer With Pick Up America Sunday

This entry is part 9 of 10 in the series Good Without God

Bill shared the following email with me this evening:

Dear Bottle Bill Supporters,

A group of recent college graduates has decided to put their professional lives on hold to walk across the country and clean litter from our roadsides. Pick Up America has already gathered 27 tons of trash over 540 miles of road from the coast of Maryland and will be traveling on Midland Trail (Route 60) from Montgomery to Charleston this week. Through their journey, they are documenting the negative aspects of our nation’s throwaway mentality (see more at www.pickupamerica.org). While they are in town, they are hoping to find volunteers to help them. They are also looking for anyone who has a pick-up truck to help them remove their recyclables from the side of the road. (so we can recycle!!)

If you’d like to volunteer please call one of their members to coordinate. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Rail Trail Cleanup 2: September 3

This entry is part 10 of 10 in the series Good Without God

We met Friday, September 3 at 5:30 pm at Hazel Ruby Park to clean our Rail Trail. This was our second cleaning. Everyone brought gloves.

~Update: Thank you to everyone who showed up to clean our Rail Trail! We had 10 people and with all those busy hands we finished in no time. It had been raining and thunderstorming not long before we met but we took a chance. We were “blessed” with no rain while we cleaned.

Thanks again!

Let’s meet at the roundabout where our trail starts (Decker’s Creek Trail), at Hazel Ruby Park behind Wings Ole’. There’s a small parking lot to the left where the trail starts.

Any questions, just email me.

We’d love your support and help!

A Map

If the weather is poor, we’ll reschedule. Stay tuned to this post for any change of plans, email me, or call me (Neece) Read the rest of this entry »

Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning

This entry is part 8 of 10 in the series Good Without God

~Update: After our book club meeting 12 of us walked, talked and picked up trash along the Rail Trail. Thank you to everyone who came along and helped out! You made it fun and easy. We picked up quite a bit of trash.

Rachel took some pictures so once she emails them to me I’ll post them here and on our Facebook group page.

Thanks again, everyone! It was a great success!

Everything is moving forward with our Adopt a Trail program! After our regular meeting August 15, we’ll go to Hazel Ruby Park together and clean up the trail for the first time. If you can’t make the regular meeting but want to help out, I suggest calling one of us ahead of time to figure out when we’re heading over. (Rough guess? Around 7pm-ish)

We have adopted the first half mile of the Decker’s Creek Rail Trail.

Please comment below if you plan on coming along to help out. The trail is relatively clean so it won’t be hard. It would be great if you could wear your Good Without God shirts, too. We’ll get a group picture.

Don’t forget to bring gloves!

Any questions, just email me.

Adopt a Spot or Adopt a Trail

This entry is part 7 of 10 in the series Good Without God

Hey everyone!

~UPDATE: See full post for an update on the trail that is available in the city, on Decker Creek trail.
~Update 2: Let’s go check out the trail on Sunday. If you want to bike the trail with Butch and I, that would be great. It will be a leisurely bike ride (or maybe a walk if everyone wants to do that instead), around 11 am. Here is a Facebook Event for it. We need a meeting place (someone in Motown needs to decide the best place to meet). Email me for details or join the FB event.

Yesterday we went to Gerald’s 4 spots on Rte 7 (Earl Core Rd) and verified that the stretch of road the spots are in are already adopted. So Butch and I went a bit further (past Greer) and found 2 other spots, one which we prefer (because it’s a bit bigger and looks nicer, ie: better view and safer looking with more room for us to be on the side).

Here are 4 pictures of the one we liked, along with a map and Google Map street view. As you can see in one of the pictures, there’s trash there, so it needs a bit of attention. The image of the grass just shows, from the spot, the creek within easy walking distance:

Here’s the Google Map: Read the rest of this entry »

Help Pick Our Adopt-A-Spot

This entry is part 6 of 10 in the series Good Without God

Gerald has found four “spots” along Earl Core Rd. that look promising for us to choose from. While it would be nice to adopt a road, we have been unsuccessful in finding a two mile stretch that isn’t dangerous and therefore unsuitable. Our next best option is to Adopt a Spot which is a right-of-way on a state road, 1/4 mile long or less.

Here are Gerald’s directions: Pioneer Rocks is along Earl Core Rd. Earl Core Rd. is the road that goes through Sabraton, but this is going along it in the other direction. Instead of going through Sabraton, go towards where the Comcast office is (along Earl Core Rd and Summer School Rd, which is the one going up the hill next to the Comcast office). Continue along Earl Core Rd., through Dellslow, for about a mile. After about a mile, you will cross a two lane bridge that goes over Decker’s Creek. The first left after you cross the bride is Tyrone Rd, where the Botanical Gardens are located. Stay on Earl Core Rd. and continue going up the hill to the first spot. They are all on your right.

Gerald tried to pick wide places, since people speed on that road. All these spots along Decker’s Creek are between the entrance to Tyrone Rd. and Greer Limestone.

SPOT 1: The first spot is the fourth pull over spot. I like it because there is a path down to the creek:

SPOT 2: The second spot is at the top of the hill. It is hard to tell from the pictures, but there is a large rock on the hillside that you can see when coming up the hill. You can’t really see much of it in the picture or when you are standing at the spot, but it does have a nice view looking down the hill at the creek: Read the rest of this entry »

Good Without God, Take Two

This entry is part 5 of 10 in the series Good Without God

After careful thought, we decided to look into two programs to give to in the name of Morgantown Atheists for our Good Without God campaign.

For the main program, we are going to Adopt a Road!

Your job, especially if you’re in Morgantown, is to scout out 2 miles of road that meet the following criteria:

Any public road is acceptable except highways and unsafe roads. So find something we can maintain safely.
It has to be a minimum of 2 miles.
- It has to be one continuous 2 mile stretch, not an L or T shaped section.
It has to be able to be cleaned safely.

Alternative if we can’t find a 2 mile stretch:

We can also Adopt a Spot:
- A state roadside right-of-way
- No longer than 1/4 mile in length

Please let me know of any and all possibilities as soon as possible so we can get started before it gets too hot. Email pictures and other information to Neece.

We are going to do these programs in the name of Morgantown Atheists, after careful thought and discussion.

Our second program is easier. We are going to collect pop (soda) tops for Ronald McDonald House in Morgantown:

Starting now, collect as many aluminum can tabs as you can and bring them to the meetings. Then we’ll get a few of us together and take them to RMH when we have a decent amount, hopefully on a regular basis.

If you can, get your co-workers to contribute to this good cause as well. You can put up a can or something where you work where people can drop them, just as an idea. If you want a little sign to print, let me know and I’ll design something and email it to you.

Not all of us drink soda, but beer tabs will work too. The Ronald McDonald House uses them to contribute towards their rent. It’s nearly effortless and for a good cause.

Any questions, call or email Neece.

Our Secular Service Endeavor

This entry is part 3 of 10 in the series Good Without God

Our Secular Service Endeavor is now called “Good Without God” and has it’s own page: Good Without God.

Update: We chose our worthy charity at our Spring Equinox Celebration (see the pictures of our Nature Walk on the farm)! The overwhelming vote was for the West Virginia Botanic Garden.

Here is their Mission Statement: The West Virginia Botanic Garden (WVBG), in harmony with nature, seeks to enhance the quality of life through public enjoyment and education involving inspirational landscapes and displays of a rich variety of ornamental plants appropriate to the region.

Morgantown Atheists is hosting this endeavor, but we will donate our Service in the name of Morgantown Coalition of Reason. So if you are a Morgantown Bright, a UU member, or a member of any of the other Morgantown CoR groups, please consider joining us for this worthwhile ongoing project.

Update: Sunday April 11 from 2-4 pm at the WVBG is Volunteer Orientation. If possible, please come and learn about how the Morgantown CoR can best help the Botanic Garden. (map and directions)

We designed a shirt for all of us to wear. I ordered one for everyone that told me their size. If you didn’t write your name down you can order a shirt here.

I talked to Erin the Volunteer Coordinator and she seems excited to meet us and have our help. Here is the newsletter I received from her:

Read the rest of this entry »

Talk To An Atheist on Atheist Hotline

This entry is part 4 of 10 in the series Good Without God

For some time we’ve been working behind the scenes on a way for atheists and people questioning their faith to talk to someone who can give some friendly atheist advice. We have started a voice mail system, an email address and a website called Atheist Hotline!

Ways to Contact Us:

You can call, email or post a question on the site now. The phone number is to a voice mail system. We are volunteering this service so we will get back to you as soon as we can. Leave your email address if you call, too please. It will be easiest for us to get back to you by email.

Our Goals:

Let atheists know they are not alone
Clear up common misconceptions about atheists in general
Provide people with information resources when needed
Personal experiences from atheists to help you with your perspective
Carefully helping people who are questioning their faith – in need of reason, etc.
Carefully helping atheists who have troubles with their family
Offering moral support to atheists and people questioning their faith
Friendly advice from atheists

What we’re NOT: Read the rest of this entry »

Haitian Earthquake Relief Through CFI

This entry is part 2 of 10 in the series Good Without God

The Center for Inquiry is accepting disaster-relief donations through its S.H.A.R.E. program to support those providing care to the survivors of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Jan. 12 near the capital city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

All donations—100 percent with no operating costs retained—will be sent directly to the secular aid group Doctors Without Borders , which suffered the loss of all three of its medical facilities and is working against difficulties to provide the basics of first-aid care and stabilization.

The needs of those who’ve lost their family members, their homes, and their livelihoods will be very great. Your assistance will make a huge difference for the victims of this tragic disaster. Please join us and other humanists and skeptics as we help those in need in this time of crisis.

A contribution of any amount would be greatly appreciated by everyone at the Center for Inquiry. Thank you for your continued support of our work, and please consider a donation to S.H.A.R.E. in honor of those in Haiti who need help.

Please make your contribution to S.H.A.R.E. directly by clicking here or on the button above. All funds sent to S.H.A.R.E. are tax exempt in the United States.

S.H.A.R.E. has been recently renamed the Skeptics and Humanist Aid and Relief Effort and has now become a program of the wider-reaching Center for Inquiry, responding to the need to continue providing an alternative for those who wish to contribute to charitable efforts without the intermediary of a religious organization in this time of great need.

Go here to donate through CFI.

Donation Drive For Thanksgiving

This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Good Without God

Hello fellow Nonbelievers!

Update: A huge Thank You to everyone who made our first Secular Service Event a great success! Matt at the Bartlett House was amazed at how much stuff we brought in, and commented on the name of the Morgantown Coalition of Reason when he filled out our receipt for their records.

One of the goals of Morgantown Atheists is to help others in our community. As the holidays approach, now is a great time to launch our first Secular Service Event.

We have opened this event to all of Morgantown Coalition of Reason so Brights, Freethinkers, UU’s and Thomas Paine lovers join in and help out!

Between now and Saturday, November 21, please collect any of the following items to donate to the Bartlett House and the Salvation Army in Morgantown.

We will donate on the 21st in the name of Morgantown Coalition of Reason, and the participating groups that make up the CoR, to help the less fortunate for Thanksgiving. Meeting location is The Blue Moose at 1pm.

The Salvation Army:

Old clothing

The Bartlett House requests the following:

Styrofoam plates and cups
Napkins
Shampoo
Conditioner
Disposable Razors
Toothpaste
Washcloths
Deodorant
Blistex
Cough Drops
Gloves for children under 15 years

Comment below to let us know you’re going to participate.

Volunteer With Pick Up America Sunday

Our Rail Trail Cleanup 2: September 3

Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning

Adopt a Spot or Adopt a Trail

Help Pick Our Adopt-A-Spot

Good Without God, Take Two

Our Secular Service Endeavor

Talk To An Atheist on Atheist Hotline

Haitian Earthquake Relief Through CFI

Donation Drive For Thanksgiving

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Pages

Meta

Categories

Series

Subscribe to and Contact Us

Get Email Updates

Tag Happy

Links

Where To Find Us

Atheist Associations