 Call to Action |
| It's Election Time: Get Out and Volunteer! |
| By Shannon Boren, VolunteerMatch Communications Intern |
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| Good citizenship entails more than casting a vote and paying taxes: it’s about getting involved and making changes, too. This political season, why not make your voice heard and help lead the change you’d like to see locally and in Washington? |
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| Don’t know a lot about politics? Don’t worry! Volunteering is a great way to learn new things and gain experience. You'll need to do a bit of research to find something that's right for you, but here are just a few ways to get involved. |
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Help Out on Election Day
Counties need volunteers to host polling sites and help them run. This includes translators to assist potential voters and people to pass out information and ballots. Many local municipalities are currently recruiting volunteers to help the day run smoothly, and it’s likely your county is too!
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Volunteer for a Campaign
This can be done on a local or national scale. Once you find a candidate you believe in, why not join them in their mission by contacting their headquarters and helping out. From sending out mailers and staffing the campaign office, to calling voters and canvassing neighborhoods, your time will be well spent. |
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Campaigns can also be about social causes. For example, Every Child Matters in Minneapolis, MN, uses volunteers to help educate the public on the importance of voting with kids in mind. Causes like this can be found around the nation and need your help!
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Become a Community Activist
Community organizers and social activists start change from the ground up. You can write letters to government officials making suggestions and keeping them accountable for their actions, hold fundraisers to support the causes you find important, or help others who are leading change in your community. |
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Get Out and Vote
Believe it or not, most Americans do not vote. That's because in our nation voting is a voluntary act (in some countries it's required). So volunteer a few hours of your time by going to the polls and helping to make important local and national decisions. |
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Democracy is a privilege. This political season, don’t take it for granted. And VolunteerMatch can help. For ideas on how to transform your ideals into actions, start your search today! |
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| Disaster Relief Notes |
| In the Wake of Ike and Gustav |
| From the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast, it’s been another busy year of hurricane related volunteering in this country. In the wake of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, thousands of you provided shelter, hot meals, hugs and hope for storm-weary Gulf Coast residents, and many continue to do so. |
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| But although the official end of hurricane season is almost here, the need for volunteers is far from over. Here’s a brief recap of our efforts to help volunteers like you get involved in critical disaster relief efforts, and a brief report of the successes of one of our most active national partners, the American Red Cross. |
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| Because of their efforts in Texas, Red Cross shelters have provided more than 170,000 safe, overnight stays since they were opened. In addition, 37,000 people have received Red Cross comfort kits containing a comb, toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries, and more than 6,000 people have let friends and relatives know their status by registering on the Red Cross Safe and Well Web site. |
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| Likewise, beginning with Hurricane Gustav’s onslaught, Red Cross shelters in Louisiana have provided more than 85,000 overnight stays, more than 30,000 people have been given comfort kits and more than 22,000 contacts have been made with Red Cross mental health workers. |
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| Most important, the American Red Cross workforce responding to Ike and Gustav is 93% volunteers -- meaning none of this would be possible without committed individuals like you! |
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| Here at VolunteerMatch, we implemented some important new programs to help you get involved too. |
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First, we asked all our nonprofits to keep their profiles and opportunities current. Then we activated our Site-wide Alert System during the peak days of Ike and Gustav, notifying visitors about urgent volunteer needs no matter where at VolunteerMatch.org they were.
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| Finally, we made sure our Disaster Relief Volunteering Map to give you an alternate way to find opportunities near where you live. |
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| VolunteerMatch and the American Red Cross our doing our part in disaster relief -- so how about you? Don’t wait for the next disaster to strike to be involved. Everyone has a responsibility to get trained to lend a hand when it’s needed. Search for a disaster relief volunteering opportunity today! |
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| ServiceNation Summary |
| Summit & Day of Action Promote Service |
| By Shannon Boren, VolunteerMatch Communications Intern |
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| Service Nation's September 11 Summit and Day of Action on September 27 both proved to be groundbreaking events. One brought the presidential candidates together in a historic discussion on service in America, while the other showcased the power and potential of service by coordinating over 2,700 volunteer events across 50 states. |
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| At the summit the two candidates, who often conflict on policy issues, had one thing in common when discussing National Service: there should be more of it. Both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain expressed their belief that a willingness to serve the community -- whether through military service or community service -- is a key part of America’s exceptionalism. And both candidates expressed a strong interest in helping more Americans get involved. |
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| Key to both candidates were the expansion of programs like AmeriCorps, which organizes a volunteer corps of trained professionals, pairs them with local and national nonprofits, and offers government-funded cash incentives for educational use. Both candidates also support (and are sponsors of) the Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Act [PDF]. |
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| With an estimated price tag of $5 billion, Serve America proposes to build off AmeriCorps to create new "Corps" comprised of 175,000 Americans that will focus on national needs. It will also create a tax incentive for employers to allow employees to take paid leave for full-time service. And it establishes a Volunteer Generation Fund to help nonprofit organizations recruit and manage more volunteers. |
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| Where the presidential candidates disagreed, however, was the extent to which government should be involved. |
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| "I think we've got to involve more businesses and industries that routinely provide goods and services, rather than rely on the federal government to do it," said McCain. "Let's not get entrapped by the idea that the government has to run these voluntary organizations and volunteer kinds of programs, because a lot of times the job can be done better with our encouragement." |
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| Obama, by contrast, suggested a service plan involving more government support that would usher in new programs and policies to expand avenues of service. He said his administration would provide greater assistance for various government-run programs that would work alongside private sector involvement, as well as actively seek to help create new opportunities. |
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| "We've got to transform Washington and we've got to do some housecleaning," Obama said, "But what we also want to do is to remind young people that if it weren't for government then we wouldn't have a Civil Rights Act. If it weren't for government, we would not have the interstate highway system... and so part of my job I think as President is to make government cool again." |
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| Two weeks later, ServiceNation's partner organizations had a chance to demonstrate what service and commitment looks like for the Day of Action on September 27. The final count isn't in yet, but at least 19,373 participants took part in related events that day, including 24 elected officials! |
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| As both the Day of Action and the bipartisan support for the Serve America Act show, Americans are ready to lend a hand. But with a broken economy and a country in the depths of financial crisis, the question remains what the next president will be able to do to transform desire into action. |
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| Volunteer Spotlight |
| Michelle Sullivan, In2Books |
| Having a pen pal is no longer just for childhood entertainment and cross-country communication, as Michelle Sullivan knows first hand. For the past three years she has been helping students in schools from under-resourced neighborhoods build reading, writing and comprehension skills through In2Books, an online mentoring program that spreads a love of learning to children. |
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| After years of volunteering for purely social reasons, Sullivan decided to find a volunteer opportunity that spoke to her own interests and could make a difference in the lives of students. What she found was e-mentoring, which turned out to fit perfectly with her schedule and interests. |
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| In2Books pairs third through fifth-grade students with adult mentors. Both mentor and student read the same books, preparing the groundwork for written discussions that ultimately help strengthen the student’s reading and writing skills. |
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| "I enjoy getting letters from my student pen pal and discovering which books we're going to read together. It's like being on a fun adventure together," Sullivan said. "I really believe that what In2Books is doing -- developing literacy skills -- is crucial to a person’s success in school and ultimately in life." |
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| One year, Sullivan was paired with two pen pals at once. The experience allowed her to see how much influence the reading assignments really have. |
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| One child was "a real word dynamo," she said, while the other had less developed skills and struggled with his writing. She was worried about the second boy, until they were assigned to read Donovan's Word Jar by Monalisa Degross, the story of a boy who collects unique words. |
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| The struggling boy was so intrigued that he began his own word journal, recording new words each day. |
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| "That’s when I knew he’d caught the spark, the love of discovery, that would drive his learning," she said. "And it did. In each letter he would use some of his new, BIG words from the dictionary and point them out to me so that I could learn them, too." |
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| Sullivan encourages others "to find volunteer work that blends with one's own interests, so you develop a real passion for it versus feeling obligated to do it." |
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| Looking for volunteer opportunities that match your interests and busy schedule? Becoming an In2Books pen pal could be just the ticket. In2Books and thousands of other opportunities await you at VolunteerMatch. |
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