Fred Rogers has famously been quoted for saying: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Have you ever thought about the history of volunteerism and why we celebrate our volunteers? Turns out, his mother was right when she said to “look for the helpers.”
In recent history, we have several examples of how moments of crisis have influenced how we think, acknowledge, and celebrate volunteerism. In 1943 the Women’s Voluntary Services in Canada started the first National Volunteer Week to raise awareness about the vital contributions women were making in World War II. The President’s Volunteer Service Award was established after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Most recently, in April 2020, Points of Light announced “the first-ever ‘Global Volunteer Month’ to recognize the thousands of people around the world who serve as points of light in their own communities – and in light of COVID-19.”
As we approach Global Volunteer Month taking place in April 2021, we will once again “look for the helpers.”
Opportunities to Help
- Celebrate Good Deeds Day on April 11
- Participate in National Volunteer Week
- In the US and Canada from April 18-24
- In Australia from May 17-23
- In the UK from June 1-7
- In New Zealand from June 20-26
- Check out this list of Virtual Volunteering opportunities
Resources to Help
- Learn how to get involved with Global Volunteer Month
- Find ways to volunteer at home
- Recognize your volunteers
- Use The Corporate Citizenship Guide to learn more about Employee Engagement & Corporate Volunteerism
- Read about Tapping the Power of Virtual Volunteers from ACCP member Medtronic Foundation
- Find Tips to Activate Employee Volunteer Programs During COVID-19
- Challenge your thinking and current understanding of the act of volunteering.
Share with us how you your company are celebrating Global Volunteer Month by tagging @accprof on Twitter or sharing on LinkedIn.
