Although April is National Volunteer Month I thought this would be a nice piece to share now. Getting out of the house and helping others might be just the thing for beating those mid-winter blues!
The Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) recently released results from their November 2009 survey: The Status of Minnesota’s Volunteer Programs in a Shifting Environment.
The survey found that:
- nearly 60% of organizations reported an increased reliance on volunteers compared to a year ago.
- over 50% reported an increase in volunteer hours of service.
- 44% of respondents reported increased numbers of inquires from potential new volunteers.
- 52% reported volunteers were more likely to have strong work skills.
Respondents shared hundreds of strategies for volunteer programs to respond to the current times. The survey included responses of 280 Minnesota nonprofit and governmental organizations. For the full survey report go to: www.MAVANetwork.org/shiftingenv.
Are you looking for volunteering opportunities in central Minnesota? Contact one of our HOP participants or check the United Way's website for more ways to get involved in your community!
Ever thought about becoming a mentor? You should. Kinship Partners in Brainerd is looking to match 47 kids with area adults.
Understandably, your first thoughts might be: “What would we do, and how much does it cost?"
I'd answer with this: In my 6 years as a Kinship mentor I have simply involved my partner in doing things that I like to do anyway. And Kinship Partners is very good at matching mentors with a young person that has similar interests. When you have those common interests you don’t have to plan something special, just make room for another person to share the experience with you. The financial cost is minimal (if anything) because you'd probably be doing those same things by yourself anyway.
I look forward to my meetings with Nick. I definitely don’t think of him as a project, or a burden, but as a friend. I would recommend this to anyone who really wants to make a difference!
Read through their latest news release or Kinship's website to learn more about becoming a mentor.
Although April is National Volunteer Month I thought this would be a nice piece to share now. Getting out of the house and helping others might be just the thing for beating those mid-winter blues!
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