'Tis the season to take to the roads for causes you believe in. Here are a few updates from charitable walk world.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

I wrote about the local branch of the Society's first-ever participation in the Society's annual, national "walk for the poor" back in September.

Annie Steinmetz-Fuller, one of the organizers of the walk, which took place on the Sunday after the far-flashier Women's Fitness Celebration, tells me that the walk raised close to the 10K organizers had set as a goal.

Nominations sought: Governor’s Brightest Star Awards

These awards recognize people, organizations, schools, small businesses and corporations that are deeply engaged in volunteer work that benefits the local community.
Serve Idaho, a division of the Department of Labor that focuses on service and volunteerism, administers the awards and is asking for public input.

To nominate the outstanding volunteers you know, fill out a nomination form online.

Fall walk season is upon us.

It kicks off this weekend of course with the Women’s Fitness Challenge, and St. Vincent de Paul’s walk for the poor, on Saturday, and Sunday respectively.

And next Saturday, Oct. 3, is a huge day for community-minded walkers.

First, there’s our perennial favorite, the Idaho Humane Society’s 17th Annual See Spot Walk for people and their canines. The one-mile trek through downtown benefits the animals at the Humane Society.  

Michele Roe, 22, an Idaho native, was living in Oklahoma City when her back started hurting. She was gradually losing sensation in her legs, and after months of chiropractic treatment, she was referred to a hospital, only to be diagnosed with cancer — stage 4. An MRI and other tests revealed the cancer had surrounded her spine, and other parts of her body.

Some of you may have seen a recent story I wrote in the Statesman about Interfaith Sanctuary’s “Circle of Friends” project to help people with the transition out of homelessness.

Circle volunteers have pledged to be there to help people get settled in new apartments, and weather some of the logistical, as well as social aspects of re-entering the mainstream community.

Local nonprofit organizations: now is the time to send your Letters of Intent to United Way to apply for a Community Fund grant for 2010.

Nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of people in the community are eligible to apply. United Way makes awards in three focus areas supporting education, income, and health.  

I just received a press release from Dale Dixon at the Better Business Bureau. The BBB is warning donors to be especially careful when it comes to telephone solicitations.  

The Make-a-Wish Foundation of Idaho is reporting that they’ve been getting calls from people in the Treasure Valley who have been solicited by telemarketing scammers claiming to be with the foundation. The telemarketers apparently ask for donors’ credit card numbers, then get “extremely belligerent” before hanging up.

Beki Parham, a VISTA volunteer from Minnesota, is spending the year with the Idaho Foodbank as Community Garden Coordinator. Her goal is ambitious — developing a resource base for local community garden projects to be a hub, and jumping-off point for community gardeners.

Eventually, Parham wants to offer a small resource library, contacts, seeds, tools, and whatever else she can collect to aid both beginning, and experienced community gardeners.

Eagle resident Darlene Roman and her family are facing a sobering medical situation.

Darlene’s sister, Marcella DuChene, was diagnosed as a child with Alport’s syndrome, a degenerative kidney disease. Darlene and Marcella’s father also died of the disease.

The public got quite a non-profit treat Sunday, the all-free street circus known as Boise’s first Curb Cup. I was on foot. There were so many people — tens of thousands by one estimate — that I found it a challenge to squeeze my way down 8th Street to the Statesman booth on the Grove. Curb Cup organizer Mark Rivers, the developer behind BoDo, hinted that this may not be the final Curb Cup.

Lovers of the free, festive, and creative, let’s unite and hope that it’s not.