|
Juneau, AK, April 5, 2007– This April, United
Way of Southeast Alaska will be celebrating Nation Volunteer Month
and National Volunteer week, April 15-21st. UWSEAK
along with the Juneau Volunteer Coordinators Cooperative Group will
be celebrating all community volunteers through a display of photos,
quotes and "thank you's" at Nugget Mall.
United Way is also sponsoring a Spring Day of
Caring for students at UAS on Saturday April 21st.
Students will assist area nonprofits with projects such as painting
at Gastineau Human Services and helping to serve a pancake breakfast
at the Cedar Park Community Center for the Southeast Regional
Resource Center.
This month is also a great opportunity for
community members to visit United Way's Volunteer Center that helps
match potential volunteers with opportunities at nonprofit
organizations across the community. The online Volunteer
Center of Southeast Alaska, at
www.unitedwayseak.org/volunteer/, is a fully searchable database
of volunteer opportunities throughout Southeast. Anyone can
search for a match based on a variety of criteria, such as their
personal interests or community, and any nonprofit can add their
agency’s opportunities on-line.
By developing the Volunteer Center, United Way
has provided a community resource with two unique benefits: local
nonprofits have a centralized place to recruit volunteers, and local
residents have an improved method to search for the opportunity that
fits them best. The service is open to all nonprofits,
regardless of affiliation with United Way.
Since its opening in fall 2006, the Volunteer
Center has grown to include over 150 opportunities from nearly 50
community organizations. "United Way's community-wide volunteer
coordination has helped us time and time again," said Saralyn
Tabachnick, executive director of AWARE.
Community involvement and participation is the
only way to maximize the center’s impact, and United Way encourages
everyone to look for an opportunity to match their interests. The
Volunteer Center is also a great resource for school groups,
individuals, families, churches or civic groups and businesses find
their ideal, personalized way to connect with the community.
According to a study released in June 2006 by
the Corporation for National and Community Service, Alaska ranks 5th
in the nation for volunteerism, with 38.9% of the state population
serving their community as volunteers. When United Way partnered
with McDowell Group in 2005 to conduct Compass II, a community
assets and needs assessment, the results for Juneau were even
higher, with 58% volunteering in the past six months. Compass
II also found that 88% of Juneau residents feel that people here
come together to help each other out, and that 79% feel they can
make a difference in their community, findings that far outweigh
similar questions in other communities.
Discussions during the Compass II research also
revealed that Juneau residents are looking for ways to build on
these strengths, to find more ways to connect to and give back to
their community, and to strengthen the culture of community
involvement. These findings drove United Way’s commitment to
creating a local Volunteer Center, which was then opened up to all
of Southeast Alaska.
United Way of Southeast Alaska is a
volunteer-driven, grass-roots organization that creates lasting
change by bringing people and resources together to address
community-wide issues. Working with its 37 member agencies,
United Way helps children and youth succeed, cares for the elderly
and people with special needs, strengthens families and individuals,
and meets the basic needs of people in crisis. Incorporated in 1979,
United Way of Southeast Alaska is a member of the United Way of
America system that includes nearly 1,400 community-based United Way
organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated,
and governed by local volunteers. |
