April 2011 eSpirit
Let your actions speak louder than words.
When Volunteers of America was founded 115 years ago, in 1896, volunteerism in the modern sense of the word was not as wide spread as today. Our founders, Maud and Ballington Booth, and other early members of our organization came to call themselves Volunteers of America because they volunteered their whole lives to help people in need. This included not only their time, but also their hearts, their spirits and their professional skills.
National Volunteer Week, founded in 1974, has been about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It is by working together that we have the strength to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.
Today, most Volunteers of America programs are staffed by full-time, paid professionals who have adopted this same ideal of service as their full-time mission. But that doesn’t mean we don’t also depend on an army of modern-day “volunteers” who offer their free time to support our programs in Pennsylvania, as well as across the nation. Last year in Pennsylvania, 2,657 volunteers devoted more than 17,250 hours to those we serve.
There are many reasons to volunteer, from personal satisfaction to improved mental and physical health. Volunteer!
Alan R. Garner, President
Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania