VOLUNTEER - ACT NOW!

by Nicole Milbradt, Sr. Marketing Associate & Events Manager

Have you ever wanted to volunteer, but not had the time to make a long-term commitment? Do you want to get more involved but aren’t sure where to start? Do you want to learn more about the challenges facing our community and the agencies working to make a difference? Interested in meeting new people who care about Pierce County and making an impact?

On September 11, 2009, the Volunteer Center at United Way of Pierce County launched ACT NOW, a volunteer initiative that connects individuals and groups with meaningful, short-term volunteer opportunities. ACT NOW coordinates “done in a day” projects at a variety of organizations that can be accomplished by a team of volunteers within a few hours. We choose projects that make an impact on the volunteer and on the community.

ACT NOW is a great way to meet people and network, as well as providing leadership opportunities. Each project requires a volunteer leader called a Project Captain. Project Captains act as a liaison between the volunteers, United Way of Pierce County and the host agency. They make sure the event is running smoothly and the project gets accomplished.

We are also trying to make ACT NOW as easy as possible for the digital age. All volunteers have to do is go to our website and click on the link for our opportunities calendar. Once you find a project you want to participate in, just click on the event, and follow the links to register online. Everyone will be contacted before the project to confirm details and participation.

We are all extremely excited about ACT NOW. We hope that our volunteers will have a positive experience giving their time while they make a difference in our community. We have projects coming up throughout the month of October. For example, we’ll be helping out at the Edgewood Food Bank on Saturday, October 10th. Check out our website at www.uwpc.org/actnow.html and click on the calendar link to find a project that works for you. We hope to see you soon!