The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Volunteer efforts produce equivalent of $126.6K in labor
MIDDLETOWN >> Although almost over, this week is National Volunteer Week and we want to say thank you to everyone who serves others by volunteering. You are helping to make Middlesex County a better place to live, work and raise a family.
At Middlesex United Way, we are very fortunate to have the support of many incredible volunteers. From our board and committees to our Young Leaders Society and Women’s Initiative, our volunteers provide their talents, time and services, allowing Middlesex United Way continues to grow stronger every day. Our volunteers provide us an enormous value. Last year, we were fortunate enough to have a volunteer-tostaff ratio of about 100 to one, with 800 volunteers. Throughout the year, our volunteers dedicated 5,242 hours of service worth an estimated $126,594.30.
We couldn’t do our work without our volunteers, and we know many other nonprofits couldn’t either. We receive weekly calls and website visits from individuals looking to get involved in some way or another. We are able to match hundreds of volunteers each year with other local nonprofits that are seeking help through our Volunteer Connection page, where local organizations can post their volunteer needs.
You’ll find a listing of opportunities with many local organizations, such as event planning volunteers, tutors, visitors who would like to spend time with seniors, food pantry volunteers and more. Recently, through our Volunteer Connection page, we helped River Valley Services gain two new board directors from its posting/ advertisement on the page.
Right now, you can find hundreds of opportunities to volunteer, including Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut, which is looking for tutors to work with adult students once a week for two hours on English literacy and math skills. No experience is necessary, as all volunteers receive free training. You can also browse opportunities from Mosaic Group, which are currently looking for volunteers to provide a variety of help in areas such as working on the garden, refinishing furniture, organize closets, painting and more. To search for all volunteer opportunities, visit middlesexunitedway.org/ volunteer.
Volunteering doesn’t always have to be an individual project. In fact, we encourage workplaces to recruit groups of their employees to work together through volunteering activities. Next month, we have two workplace teams from Change Inc. and NRG Energy visiting YMCA Camp Ingersoll in Portland to complete a camp clean-up day. Any help is always appreciated and volunteers often leave with a feeling of accomplishment and pride in helping their community.
To find out more information on how you or your organization can get involved, please contact Sheryl Dougherty at 860346-8695 or Sheryl.dougherty@middlesexunitedway.org.
Thank you to all of our volunteers, and happy volunteer week!