Atheists Come Out for City Cleanup in Vinton, Iowa

After recent storms devastated the city of Vinton, Iowa, guess where the volunteers for the cleanup effort are coming from?

A [University of Northern Iowa] student group, the UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers (UNIFI), will be traveling to volunteer in the city cleanup on Saturday, July 23, 2011. The students will be meeting up with local secular groups and coordinating their efforts with the Vinton authorities.

“Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, and we’re glad to be able to offer it and make a difference,” UNIFI President Cory Derringer said of the event. “Our principal message this year is that atheists and nontheists can be ‘Good without God,’ with events oriented toward public service, volunteering and charitable work.”

The members of UNIFI are setting an example for how to step up and help out. God’s not going to make anything better, so it’s up to all of us to make a difference. Religious groups don’t have a monopoly on this sort of charity work.