NAPO
NAPO members held countless workshops, seminars, ask the organizer panels, garage makeovers, recycling and collection pickups and shred-a-thons across the country. And while the activities had varying objectives – some were aimed at clearing clutter and others taught organizing tips and tools - each event had a common thread. The goal of Get Organized Month 2009, as in years past, was to raise awareness among the general public of the benefits of getting organized and hiring a professional organizer.
NAPO celebrates success in numbers
NAPO’s roughly 4,300 members and dozens of chapters collaborated to offer more than 85 organizing-related information sessions, events and expos, which attracted upwards of several hundred community members in some instances! As part of a personal computer collection day at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, nearly five tons of computers and computer equipment were dropped off.
In addition to piquing the interest of the general public, NAPO’s GO Month became a buzz word in the media. Several hundred radio, TV, print and online media reports focused on either Get Organized Month, or members’ involvement with specific organizing projects. Visit www.napo.net for a complete listing of media coverage.
Organizing for a cause
Giving back to the community in which NAPO members live was an integral part of Get Organized Month 2009. Here is a sampling of GO Month outreach initiatives:
· NAPO members from the North Coast Ohio chapter helped organize the Ronald McDonald House; the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital; and the Medina County chapter of the American Red Cross.
· The NAPO Greater Manchester New Hampshire chapter helped the Anne-Marie House - a homeless shelter that provides services and support - achieve a more organized space.
· Professional organizers in Long Island assisted the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center in Wyandanch, N.Y., to become better organized. A December 2007 fire had destroyed the center’s food and clothing departments, resulting in those areas being housed in much smaller quarters. NAPO members sorted clothes and hung clothing to make it more accessible.
· Sixteen organizers from the NAPO South Florida donated their time to aid Daily Bread Food Bank in making over their offices.
· NAPO-Ohio reorganized Columbus’ Waste Not Center. The nonprofit center collects items people no longer need and makes them available to teachers, artists and nonprofit groups. The organizers gave the inventory a semblance of order by departmentalizing the in-stock goods. Signage was also added.
· Professional organizers in Kansas City assisted Kansas City Hospice House - a nonprofit group that provides medical and nursing care - in reorganizing its space.
· In cooperation with the Room to Dream Foundation and Shawmut Design and Construction, NAPO President Standolyn Robertson and a team of eight organizers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire donated over 100 hours of time in a family’s home organizing each room and educating the family on ways to make and maintain a healthy environment. Their efforts made a significant impact on the success of the project and changed the landscape of the home dramatically.
What is a professional organizer?
A professional organizer enhances the lives of clients by designing systems and processes using organizing principles and through transferring organizing skills. A professional organizer also educates the public on organizing solutions and the resulting benefits. Professional organizers help individuals and businesses take control of their surroundings, their time, their paper, and their systems for life.
To locate one of NAPO’s professional organizers in your area, you can use NAPO’s free online Professional Organizer Directory, searchable by zip code, city/state, and organizing service, at: www.napo.net.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
