Be the Change. Volunteer.
 New Year, New Opportunities!
During 2009 volunteers logged over 4,000 volunteer hours through the Volunteer Center website. Currently more than 4,000 volunteers are registered on the site and if each volunteer gave back just one hour a month to our community that would equal 48,000 hours of volunteer service in southern Nevada. According to the Independent Sector those would equal an estimated value of $902,400. Imagine the change we would see! Don't forget, the hours you track on the Volunteer Center site do not have to be from Volunteer Center projects. If you coach a team, lead a youth group, visit the invalid, those hours count and we want to track them!
The New Year tends to be a time of reflection, reviewing goals and making resolutions. Join us today in pledging your time and talents throughout 2010. Click HERE to pledge your hours and to let us know what is the #1 type of project you're interested in volunteering your time for in 2010. Any other feedback is appreciated and can be sent to volunteer@uwsn.org.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
— Mahatma Gandhi (Indian philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948)
February 15-21 is Random Acts of Kindness Week
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou (American poet, 1928)
Did you know that "Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining, or faith group
attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or
more than doubling your income."1? Random acts of kindness can be as simple as holding the door open for the person behind you, letting someone go ahead of you at the grocery store or paying someone a sincere compliment. The great thing about random acts of kindness is that they can be done anywhere, any time and throughout the year. Check out The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation for ideas that can be implimented at school, at work or in your community. There are also quotes and stories to help inspire you to share some kindness to those around you. Another option is to "Pay it Forward" which became a movement after the film featuring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment debued in 2000. Visit the Pay it Forward Foundation for stories, school toolkits and great ways to get involved. "No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves." - Amelia Earhart (First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 1897-1937)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service a Success!
 "Everyone
can be great because anyone can serve. You don't have to have a college degree
to serve. You don't even have to make your subject and your verb agree to
serve... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love..."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thank you to all the volunteers who made MLK Day 2010 a Day On instead of a Day Off. Volunteer Center staff in partnership with Lake Elementary and Lunt Elemetnary were able to utlize over 300 volunteers who helped clean and refresh both schools and their playgrounds. Volunteers helped to clean classrooms, picked up trash and cleaned playground equipment on Saturday at Lake Elementary. On Monday volunteers helped to clean and lay pavers in the schools courtyard, painted a mural and helped to clean the school. Not even the rain could stop the volunteers from showing up to make a difference in their community. Be sure to visit the Volunteer Center's Facebook page to view the pictures from these projects and to let us know how your MLK Day volunteering went. Pictures from the "I Have A Dream" poster art project will also be posted soon. Thanks again to everyone who particiapted and we hope to see you at another project soon.   
Knit One - Calling all Knitters
 Do you know how to crochet or knit? Would you like to learn how to so your creations can help those in need?
The Volunteer Center is putting together the first ever Knitting circle. Men and women of all ages and abilities will be welcome to join a group in their area and all items created will be donated to partner organizations whose clients could use the warmth and beauty of these handmade items.
Right now we are looking for volunteers who are willing to lead a knitting circle or who have the skills to teach others in the group. Group leaders should be friendly, outgoing and able to commit to attending the group. Teachers should have some experience in basic knitting or crochet and be willing to help others learn. You do NOT have to be highly experienced just willing to learn and help others learn.
To become a leader or teacher please email Heather at HeatherM@uwsn.org for more details. Time commitments, schedules and locations are flexible.
Give a Day. Get a Disney Day
Registration for the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program is now open to volunteers! Go to www.disneyparks.com/celebrate, sign up, and search for a volunteer activity near you.
There's never been a better time than now to start a new tradition of volunteering.
The Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program celebrates the good work of
volunteers by giving each of them one-day admission to a theme park at
Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free. In 2010, we're
inspiring one million people to volunteer a day of service to a
participating organization in their communities.
Now, volunteers can go to www.disneyparks.com
to search for volunteer opportunities made available through HandsOn
Network and sign up for a day of volunteer service. As the nation's
largest volunteer network, HandsOn Network has 250 on-the-ground
volunteer action centers across the country and connects volunteers to
more than 70,000 nonprofit agencies that need their help. Many of the
opportunities will be projects that entire families can participate in
together.
Opportunities for volunteering are being added daily, so continue to check in and see what new projects are available.
If you volunteer regularly with an organization and don't see them
listed in the database, or are looking for other ways to participate in
the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program, click here for more information.
Click here for frequently asked questions about the participating organizations and volunteer activities available
for this program.
We look forward to celebrating the spirit and power of volunteerism with you this year!
 Get involved!
Are you interested in assuming a more active role in your community?
Are you the kind of person who can inspire others to do their best?
Then attend Project Leader Training and become a Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada Project Leader!
The next training is Wednesday, February 17 at 6PM.
Be a Fan - Be our Friend - Follow us
The Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada is finding ways to better connect to YOU! Watch for us on all your favorite social networking sites. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, become our friend on MySpace or tweet with us on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest events and community opportunities. And wait till you see what's coming from us this Fall on Facebook Causes. (Still secret... Shhhh.... Stay tuned!)
   
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Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada, a program of United Way Southern Nevada
About United Way of Southern Nevada
United Way collaborates with volunteers, stakeholders and community leaders to uncover key strategies designed to develop community-based solutions to southern Nevada's most pressing health and human service issues. Beyond quick fixes, these strategies are delivering long-term solutions, aligned with benchmarks and achievement standards, to change community conditions. For more information about southern Nevada's most pressing needs and how United Way's Community-based Agenda is improving lives, go to www.uwsn.org
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