Our guest blogger, Alexandra Ellison, has been one of two Nevada Volunteers’ AmeriCorps VISTAs this past year. She has been a passionate advocate of service on the UNR campus in Reno, working through the Honors Program to promote service and service-learning. Her many high-powered initiatives, including a student-faculty poetry project at the local homeless shelter,…
Lyndsey is part of a VISTA team that has been working over the span of several years to develop the link between the campus and the community through the Honors Program office at UNR. “But we need to find a way for it to continue beyond the VISTAs,” she said. They are looking for grants for a student-run center or other possible ways to permanently house and maintain the resources that are being developed. Whatever solution they find, Lyndsey’s Summer Associate project will be integral to making it work.
That’s why I think this is the best time to join together and bring all of our positive actions into a cohesive community action. I started working with two other non-profit staff members last September to create a Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. I was shocked, last year, to find that Southern Nevada didn’t have a great network for non-profits (though one, the Alliance for Nevada Nonprofits, has recently begun). Also, it seems that the majority of the excited and willing-to-help people that I run into are younger, and we can learn from each other how to be effective leaders and future decision-makers. Over the last year, we’ve seen enthusiasm with every meeting, invitation, and Facebook post. Young people are happy to be a part of something, and we are providing a space for everyone to grow to their full potential.
Karen, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Tom Vetica Resource Center in Reno, Nevada, knows the importance of a smile to those she serves. Helen, an AARP volunteer, sorts mail for the homeless clients of the Tom Vetica Resource Center in Reno. The Tom Vetica Resource Center is like a bee hive, always humming with people…
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All the AmeriCorps National Service Programs in Nevada are being saluted, by proclamation of Governor Brian Sandoval, during AmeriCorps Week, May 14 through 21, 2011. In conjunction with AmeriCorps Week, Nevada Volunteers, the state commission on national and community service, is recognizing five national service participants and a program director for their exemplary service to…
Geri Grant Guest blogger, Beth Bartel, is a Nevada Volunteers Commissioner and a Human Resources Generalist at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas where she combines duties in Human Resources with management of their volunteer program. She is a Certified Volunteer Administrator and Treasurer of the Las Vegas Chapter of the Directors of Volunteers in Agencies…
Tax season is over, but the legacy of one volunteer’s commitment to service will linger. Belinda spent the last few months volunteering for VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), helping low-income individuals in Las Vegas prepare their tax returns. She has a wonderful story to tell which illustrates the ripple effect of volunteering. Belinda said: Today…
National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate volunteers, and Nevada Volunteers has a gem of a volunteer to celebrate. Fred Barrie is a highly-talented professional who is the best example ever of what a skilled volunteer can add to an organization. Skilled volunteers are a valuable asset, bringing know-how and experience to an organization to supplement the expertise of staff. Sometimes a skilled volunteer goes way beyond that capacity, propelling the organization into completely new realms of possibility. That is what Fred has done for Nevada Volunteers, and why we want to give him a colossal National Volunteer Week thanks!
National Volunteer Week, April 10-16, is a time to celebrate those who volunteer. Volunteers are the backbone of any community, providing services that would otherwise go unmet. Although the time a volunteer gives is free, have you stopped to consider the time and energy needed to recruit, organize, direct, and of course, thank them? Nevada Volunteers knows that volunteer coordinators, whether they are paid staff or volunteers themselves, are a vital part of strengthening volunteering in Nevada, and why we focus a good deal of effort in reaching out to them through our website resources and trainings.