The Newtown Nonprofit Council, based at the C.H. Booth Library, was busy in 2021 cultivating a place for local organizations to come together and support one another.

At each monthly meeting, library director Douglas Lord led the “News and Views” portion where he opened the floor for group representatives to share a variety of information.

Nonprofits such as American Legion Post 202, Edmond Town Hall, EverWonder Children’s Museum, Families United in Newtown (FUN), Friends of the C.H. Booth Library, Newtown Historical Society, Newtown Lions Club, Newtown Youth and Family Services (NYFS), Random Hacks of Kindness Jr, and Volunteers Open Worlds (VOW) were just some of the many organizations that participated in the virtual meetings.

Ambassadors for the groups discussed upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, and also formed connections with other nonprofits.

On September 20, C.H Booth Library’s reference assistant and volunteer hub project manager Sarah Patafio announced the public launch of Newtown Nonprofit Council’s Get Connected, Newtown project.

Thanks to a grant from the Jeniam Foundation, the council was able to bring the project to fruition through Galaxy Digital Get Connected.

“On the site, you can include a mission statement, contact information, your logo, some photos, your website and social media, and then your actual volunteer opportunity will be posted directly on the page,” she explained.

Throughout the last few months of 2021, the council worked to spread the word about the volunteer hub and get more people involved with it.

What started as a few organizations utilizing the platform grew into roughly 15 groups by October 18. As of Nonprofit Council’s December meeting, there were around 30 nonprofit groups involved.

On December 20, Patafio announced that the Nonprofit Council would be spearheading an Acts of Service 2022 initiative as a way to get engagement for Get Connected, Newtown. It would also be a way to bring the community together.

There was a discussion about how many acts to achieve should be an inspiring goal and the council selected it to be 1,000 acts of service.

There will be a public meeting on January 21, at 2 pm, for more nonprofits to learn about the “1,000 Acts of Service” initiative.

All are encouraged to check out the site and start getting connected today. The public can visit Get Connected, Newtown and create an account by visiting newtownnc.galaxydigital.com.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.