Out of the Ordinary Volunteer Opportunities

Here at the GOSV we've kicked off the new year by promoting service in Maryland and celebrating the successes of 2011. This month we released our 2011 Annual Report, highlighting the accomplishments of our office and the leadership of the Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism. We invite you to read the report and find out more about the great work being done in our State.

 

As we enter March, the GOSV is excited to spread the word about National AmeriCorps Week which begins on March 10. We know "AmeriCorps Works" and are excited to show how our AmeriCorps members continue to meet the needs of Maryland communities.

 

The GOSV is also excited to continue promoting AmeriCorps to organizations. Through our free monthly AmeriCorps Funding Webinars, we provide organizations with information about the GOSV's grant-making function and the structure of AmeriCorps funding at the state level. Our next webinar will be on March 14 at 2:00 pm. To find out more, visit www.GOSV.maryland.gov or register here.

 

After you have participated in the webinar, we invite new organizations interested in becoming a part of AmeriCorps to apply for an AmeriCorps Planning Grant. Applicants may apply for $25,000 to explore the need for and feasibility of creating an AmeriCorps program. If interested in participating, we encourage you to review the application instructions at the Available Funding tab on our website.

 

The past two months have been a great start to 2012. Stay tuned as we look at how Maryland's commitment to service shines this year! 

 

In 2011, over one million Marylanders gave their time and talents to make a difference in their communities. Our citizens served in classrooms as tutors; planted trees in their neighborhood parks; participated in hurricane cleanup efforts; and found other worthy ways to meet the needs of our citizens. As we reflect upon the service of the past year, Governor Martin O'Malley and the GOSV continue the long-standing tradition of recognizing Maryland citizens for their significant volunteer contributions through the Governor's Service Awards. 

This year, the Governor's Service Awards ceremony will recognize volunteer service during 2011 (or longer for lifetime achievement). The awards will be presented to selected recipients and invitees at a luncheon in Timonium on May 9, 2012.

 

Nominations may be submitted for outstanding volunteerism in the following categories:

 

National Service Participant (AmeriCorps*State/National,VISTA, NCCC, Senior Corps)

 

  

To honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County partnered with the Banneker-Douglass Museum in historic Annapolis for a day of service. This was the fourth year that the museum and the volunteer center partnered to create a service event for the community.

 

The celebration attracted 300 volunteers, including 130 children. Family-friendly service projects included making Valentine's Day cards for service members and their families, and cards for people in nursing homes; assembling scrapbooks for Bello Machre; sewing costumes for the Chesapeake Children's Museum; and preparing materials for school programs at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The museum also created a special project for children, during which they wrote their dreams on clouds to create a community mosaic. The mosaic will be displayed in the museum through the end of March as part of an exhibit entitled "Selections from In Each Other's Shoes."  

 

Genevieve Kaplan, Education and Public Programs Manager at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, said that the MLK Day service project was "a great day that brought together people regardless of background, who wouldn't typically interact with each other to help the community."