Greetings!
Keep in touch with your Volunteer Services
Office. What have volunteers been
up to? What are the current
volunteer trends? Is your favorite volunteer in the spotlight? Read on to be
informed!
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Make a Difference Day- a week of making a
difference!
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 During the week of October 19-24, 2009 hundreds of volunteers made a difference in their communities engaging in service projects throughout
the county. Projects included river,
trails, park and playground clean-ups; planting gardens; and writing letters to
our soldiers in Afghanistan. Some members of the Prince George's County Planning
Board and staff got involved at the Gwendolyn Britt Senior Center planting a
shade garden and engaging in fun-filled activities with the seniors at the
center.
Thank you the hundreds of dedicated
volunteers and staff who worked side by side to make a difference in their
communities.
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Building Blocks
and Step-Up Program!
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 The Building Block training program has been a popular fall
program! This program is designed to assist teens ages 13-17 as they venture
into the world of volunteering and future job positions. Teens learn life long
skills in proper work ethic, developing interpersonal relationships, team
building, developing the true meaning of service to the community, personal
skills and goal setting. Blocks are interactive and FUN! Fall sessions are
full! Spring programs will start in March!
Graduates of the Building Block program are
invited to register for the Step-Up program, the next "step" in the Building
Block series. Here, they engage in interactive learning experiences and service
projects. Step-Up programs are held on designated days when public schools have
planned closings.
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Fall into 'Episodic"
Volunteerism
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 The Volunteer Services Office supports volunteer involvement
in many ways. The Department of Parks and Recreation welcomed hundreds of episodic
volunteers who gave thousands of hours volunteering this fall at festivals and
other one day events. These volunteers perform an important duty and we thank them for their support:
- University
of Maryland, College Park Scholars (Service Day)
- Air
Fair 100
- Hispanic
Festival
- AARP (Service
Day)
- National
Conservancy (Service Day)
- National
Public Lands Day (Service Day)
- Kinderfest
- Community
festivals and events
- Festival of Lights
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Click here to
volunteer-it's a great value!
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There are currently 386
volunteer opportunities posted on the website. It's easy to volunteer! Visit
our website at www.pgparks.com, click on
volunteers and follow the easy steps. Volunteers can pick opportunities from
several special interest categories and register on-line! In fiscal year 2008,
the Department welcomed over 11,000 volunteers who gave over 175,000 hours of
service and that value is over 6.7 million dollars! Now that's invaluable!
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Coming Soon!
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 Summer Volunteer positions for playgrounds, day camps, nature programs and other summer opportunities will be available on line March 1, 2010. Look for those and other opportunities by visiting our website. |
Did you know?
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The Independent Sector has
determined that the national hourly value of a volunteer is $20.25. Maryland's
volunteer value is $21.20 and our state is in the top 10 of states that
volunteer and give. Forty-four percent (44%) of adults volunteer; 89 million
American adults that volunteer equals 9 million fulltime employees at a value
of 239 billion dollars. Sixty
seven percent (67%) of youth volunteer. The level of youth engagement is a
powerful predictor of several adult behaviors: the propensity to volunteer, the
propensity to give and the amount one gives.
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