Celebrating Volunteers!

By Nikki Russo, Dickinson College ’14

National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate our friends in the community who are doing great things through service, and dedicating their time to help advance the common good.  Started in 1974, National Volunteer Week places national attention on the impact and power of volunteerism and service as an integral part of our civic leadership.  The week has grown and receives support from the President, Congress, governors, mayors, municipal leaders, as well as corporate and community groups all across the country.

Today more than 25% of the United States population are volunteers. That is 64.5 million people or 26.5% of our population who have taken the time to volunteer at least once and for at least one organization between the dates of September 2011 and September 2012.

The United Way strives to get even more people out into the community to volunteer so that all of us together can make a bigger impact.  These already impressive numbers show that we can make significant strides to have kids graduate on time, strengthen the financial stability of community families, and improve health for their lifetimes.

If you are already volunteering on a regular basis, we thank you and take this week to recognize your tremendous impact.  Volunteers are the lifeblood change in the United States and all around the world.

For those of you who have not volunteered recently, National Volunteer Week is a great time to start seeing the difference you can make.  The United Way is recruiting one million volunteer readers, tutors, or mentors across the nation to help advance the academic success of the children in the United States.  Pledge to help today and contact our office to learn more on how you can join this initiative.

Thank you to all the volunteers who work with the United Way of Carlise & Cumberland County in mobilizing the caring power of communities. We improve lives, both our own and those of others, through volunteering. We feel very fortunate to have amazing volunteers.  Know that the impact your service has on our community is appreciated and significant!

Here in Carlisle & Cumberland County our 27 partner agencies serve near to 20,000 people in 40 programs supported by United Way.  They welcome your help and in many cases, count on it!  We encourage you to get involved and call a local non-profit to get involved (Link to partner page) or call our office at 243-4805