Volunteering

This section is for people who would like to make a difference, but may not know where to begin. As we launch our web site this month (September, 1998) we are beginning to build our volunteer resource lists.  They include:  national organizations, regional/statewide organizations and local organizations. These groups are always looking for people who want to contribute and make a difference in the lives of others.  You may find these organizations of interest, or they may give you an idea for a plan of your own!

"All across America, companies and volunteer organizations are making commitments to turn the tide for more than 15 million of the nation’s youth at rise, many of whom are minorities. America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth is a national nonprofit organization in the vanguard of connecting corporate and volunteer agency resources and skills with the needs of many young people, who are desperate for proper guidance along with financial and moral support." (Colin Powell Spearheads a Major Community Service Program in America, http://www.minorities-jb.com/african/spearheads.html)

"The organization, chaired by Gen. Colin Powell (USA Ret.), aims to provide at-risk youth with five fundamental resources necessary for them to lead successful lives. Those resources are an ongoing relationship with a caring adult-mentor-tutor-coach; access to safe places and structured activities during non-school hours to learn and grow; a healthy start; a marketable skill through effective education; and an opportunity to give back through community service. ...Any organizations, groups or people interested in joining and/or supporting America’s Promise can contact the Alexandria, Virginia based organization at America’s Promise, 909 North Washington Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 684-4500.)" (Colin Powell Spearheads a Major Community Service Program in America, http://www.minorities-jb.com/african/spearheads.html)

Washington Service Corps and AmeriCorps Programs:

"Gov. Gary Locke today announced a new $7.1 million grant that will fund 700 positions for Washington Service Corps and AmeriCorps service programs throughout the state. ‘I am extremely pleased that we can expand these vital volunteer programs in Washington state,’ Locke said to a group of AmeriCorps members at the Rotary Boys and Girls Club in Seattle. ‘By participating in these programs you make a tremendous difference in our local communities. These programs provide great new challenges and exciting learning opportunities for many Washingtonians.’ The $7.1 million grant from the Corporation for National Service will help fund 200 new positions for a total of 700 Washington Service Corps and AmeriCorps members in Washington state, which is second only to California as the largest group of members in the western United States."(Press Release, Office of the Governor, July 21, 1997)

"One of America’s proudest traditions is volunteerism. That tradition is alive and well. Sixty-six percent of our respondents said they had volunteered in the past year, and 44 percent of those had volunteered in the past month. (American Dream: What Teens Really Want, Reader’s Digest commissioned the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research to ask 1022 American kids ages 16, 17 and 18 a battery of questions, July 13, 1997)