2007 Prayer Vigil for the Earth
Welcome and thank you for supporting the Prayer Vigil through volunteering! We have many interesting and important volunteer opportunities and your contribution to the Vigil is greatly appreciated! We hope you will also share the joy and profound experience of the Vigil in a deeper way by being part of it.
Please take a few minutes to read this handout. It’s a guide so you can best assist us during the Prayer Vigil and shows the variety of areas where we need your help.
To volunteer, please contact Sue at 703 620-2577 or e-mail her at oneprayer4@aol.com.
• Logistics Team:
We need six strong, hardy individuals to form a team to travel early on Friday morning into Virginia to pick up critical equipment; on Sunday we need people to drive the equipment back to storage. This requires two drivers with experience driving a light to medium size truck (U-Haul or Avis). We will coordinate building the team. Contact Ben Perchik at 703-314-7989 or perchikb@aol.com.
• Friday Set-Up Day of Prayer Vigil Circle: 10:00am – 5:00pm, October 19.
All are encouraged to participate! Just come to the Vigil site on the Washington Monument grounds (the corner of 17th St. & Constitution Ave). Note that parking on the street begins after 10 a.m. You can also take the METRO and to Foggy Bottom and walk down 23rd Street to the Prayer Vigil site, which takes about 10-15 minutes. Or, you can get off the METRO at Smithsonian and walk 10-15 minutes west towards the National Monument.
• Van Drivers & Transportation:
To pick up Elders and presenters at local airports on Thursday and Friday, as well as drive them back to the airports Sunday and Monday. Different people can pick them up or drive them back. Either way, it will be a special time with some unusual, interesting people. To make supply runs during the Vigil, contact Ben Perchik at 703-314-7989 or perchikb@aol.com about these driving needs.
• Security:
These volunteers "patrol" the Vigil site inside and outside the Circle and report any problems to the Information Tent or to an Organizing Committee member (BLUE badges). Security Volunteers are important to keep the integrity of the Prayer Vigil Circle and the on-going program from disruptions and discourtesies.
The Security Volunteers:
- Ensure the public enters through the East Gate area
- Answer people’s questions,
- Help explain what the Prayer Vigil is all about
• Children’s Activities:
We need a new children and youth activities coordinator. So, if you enjoy working with kids of all ages, please contact our former children's coordinator, Bill Jenkins, at 301-699-8704 or worldofmuse@aol.com. He can provide you with more information on the coordinator's role.
• Welcoming the Public at the East Gate Entrance:
Volunteers are needed to welcome visitors at the entrance to the Prayer Vigil Circle throughout Saturday and Sunday (24/7); 2-3 hour shifts are suggested. This is a fun job. Just sign up at the Information Center as soon as you arrive Friday and Saturday morning.
• Information & First Aid Center:
We always need volunteers here, which like the entrance, needs to be staffed around the clock. Contact Sue at 703 620-2577 or oneprayer4@aol.com.
• Fire Tending Teams:
We invite you to be on a fire-tending team for 2-3 hours during the Prayer Vigil. You don’t need to have experience fire-tending. Just come and join a 2-3 person team who will be present continuously Friday and through the weekend. There will always be an experienced fire tender present. You will help keep the fire burning, invite participants to make prayers at the fire and help where needed. You can sign up for more than one shift. This is a central and wonderful place from which to experience the Vigil. Contact Bill Rolph at 703-785-8534 or billrolph@comcast.net.
• Sunday Disassembly of Site: 1:00pm - 5:00pm.
We need as many people as possible to take the equipment to the trucks, dismantle tipis and other structures, and clear the Prayer Vigil Circle area. This clean-up is when we leave all the large, industrial strength plastic bags in a pile for the Parks Dept. to pick them up and return the site area to a clean state.
To volunteer, please contact Sue at 703 620-2577 or e-mail her at oneprayer4@aol.com.
Thank you!
