What is CareCalendar?

CareCalendar is a web based system to organize meals and other help for families during a time of illness or life changing event, such as the birth of a baby or death of a family member.

CareCalendar can also be used for long term situations, including homebound and caregiver respite care needs.

Helper Benefits

Stay informed: Read status updates and view photos

Sign-up to help: See what needs are unfilled and sign yourself up for them.

Receive e-mail notifications: Get reminders about needs that you signed-up for and any unfilled needs for the day

Get maps and driving directions: Know how to get to the recipients location, turn by turn.

Access when convenient: CareCalendar is available around the clock. As long as you have access to the Internet, you can get to CareCalendar. No need to worry about interrupting the coordinator's day when you can easily look it up for yourself.

Meal Coordinators &
Help Team ** Leaders

Coordinate meal sign up, and other needed assistance, without the frustration of making dozens of phone calls. The volunteer helpers can see the needs and sign-up for items that fit their schedule.

As a CareCalendar coordinator, you can:

Reduce the amount of time needed to coordinate the effort: Volunteer Helpers can access the CareCalendar when it's convenient for them. No need for phone tag or explaining the needs over and over again. Helpers can see what is needed and when and sign themselves up to fill the need.

Create a personalized calendar: CareCalendar sites are created specifically for each recipient with personalized features and information. All CareCalendars are password protected for privacy.

Let needs be known:

• Meals for a new mother
• Yard work for a friend recoving from surgery
• Rides to doctor appointments
• Get children to their activities
• and many more!

When a family member is sick or recovering, the entire family does not have to place life on hold. Asking for help can be very difficult for some people. CareCalendar makes it easy to let the needs be known in a way that removes the feelings of burdening others. Helpers can see what is needed and sign-up for what they would like to help with.

Provide status updates: Has the situation improved? Worsened? No change? Friends want to know the current situation, but don't want to be a burden by constantly calling.

Have you ever had to give the same update to several people? It can be an emotionally draining task during an already stressful time.

Now, whenever you have an update, you can "blog" it. Enter updates as often as you like and concerned friends will know how to find out the latest news. While this may seem to be "cold" and impersonal, you may be surprised at how well it is received by others.

Upload photos: Great for showing off the newborn baby or letting family and friends see what is happening when they can't be there in person.

For larger groups, like a church or civic organization, a photo can help people recognize the recipient.

Control access: Each CareCalendar is password protected for privacy and can only be viewed by entering the correct information. Sensitive needs can be setup to allow only pre-approved Helpers the ability to sign-up for them.

Communicate easily: Contact with all registered Helpers can be done at once via email. Also, phone numbers and email addresses for each registered Helper available when you need them.

Include others: Think larger than just your group. It shouldn't be just about what your group can do, it should be about what the recipient needs!

Family and friends like to help when there is a need. People from other groups like to help. Many people like to help and they shouldn't feel excluded and unappreciated because they are not in your group.

With CareCalendar, little or no additional effort is required to include others while filling the needs of the recipient, which is what it's all about - Bringing communities together to care for loved ones.

Enjoy flexibility: For those people that want to help but don't have access to the Internet, they can still phone you and you can enter their information on CareCalendar. When on the go, you can also print out a paper copy of the calendar to take with you and enter the changes the next time you are able to get online.

** What's a "Help Team"???
A "Help Team" is a group that provide assistance during a time of need. This could be in the form of meals, housework, yardwork, childcare, transportation, visitation, and many others. While these teams are commonly associated with churches, they are also formed in many other social and civic organizations, both formal and informal. These teams and ministries go by many different names, including:

• Congregational Care
• Courtesy Meal Ministry
• Helping Hands
• Helps Ministries
• Hospitality Care Team
• In-a-pinch team
• Meals for Moms
• Servant Hearts
• Sunshine Moms
• Sunshine Committee
• Support Suppers

CareCalendar is a donor supported ministry of the Bortel family and is provided free of charge for individuals and non-profit organizations when used to provide help for families and individuals during a time of need. Please contact us for approval before using CareCalendar for any other purpose.

Advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available. This is a great way for your business or organization to get local exposure - especially churches, restaurants, midwifes, birth centers, hospitals, civic organizations and more. See our sponsor page for more details.