Volunteer work

“ I must, however, say something further as to the importance of the appointment of some lady or gentleman acting as Referee; that is, as a center for all the volunteers working as visitors. For if volunteer work is to form a useful part of our scheme of dealing with the people, we must accept those as workers whose work is necessarily intermittent. This must be done in order that we may secure a sufficient number of workers, and not waste, but gather in and use all the overflowing sympathy which is such a blessing to giver and receiver. ”

“ I call on all Americans to join together to celebrate the invaluable work that volunteers perform every day across our country, and to commit themselves to do more for their neighbors in need through the many volunteer programs available in their communities. ”

“ Many earnest workers in charity feel that social conditions could be wonderfully improved if, to every family in distress, could {13} be sent a volunteer visitor, who would seek out and, with patience and sympathy, strive to remove the causes of need. Such a visitor must have the courage and self-control to confine his work to a few families, for it is impossible to know many well, to understand all their temptations and difficulties, and so help them effectively. ”

“ Every day, countless volunteers across America work to address the fundamental necessities of our people-educating our youth, protecting our environment, caring for those in need. From children who help older Americans after school to volunteer firemen who guard our neighborhoods while we sleep, these dedicated individuals bring a sense of hope and security to everyone whose lives they touch. ”

“ The Volunteer workers and speakers in any locality can be made many times as effective, if there is some one man responsible to the national office for the methodical arrangement of the work and the systematic utilization of their services. It is also highly desirable that every Volunteer be given a bountiful supply of the very best literature on economic subjects. ”

“ The volunteer service of the present time means, to those who find themselves enrolled in it, something more than a mere pastime; and if those who hold it in small esteem could but know of the faithful, conscientious, and untiring work that, from year's end to year's end, is being done in armory and camp, they would leave unsaid, it seems [Pg vii] to me, the half-contemptuous words that too often come to the ears of the hard-working, long-suffering, and unrewarded citizen-soldier.
It has been said that the best is none too good for the service of the Commonwealth. ”

“ Already, by the performance of a common duty, and the experience of a common humanity, these volunteer corps are become centres of cordiality between class and class; and gentleman, tradesman, and workman, the more they see of each other, learn to like, to trust, and to befriend each other more and more; a good work in which I hope the volunteers of the University of Cambridge will do their part like men and gentlemen; when, leaving this University, they become each of them, as they ought, an organizing point for fresh volunteers in their own districts. ”

“ Apart from the work of investigation, which, as we have shown elsewhere, is not a task which can suitably be entrusted to voluntary workers, there are many matters connected with the welfare of the school child in which the volunteer's services can be of the greatest value. ”

“ By helping others, volunteers also help themselves. They learn new skills, expand their professional networks, connect with neighbors, and experience the satisfaction that comes from serving a larger cause. Service can provide a pathway to employment, education, and other career-building opportunities. As we reopen our economy and build back better, volunteerism can help the unemployed find work and make our communities more resilient and prepared. ”

“ The advantages of such a system of voluntary workers, acting in connection with, and under the guidance of, the Local Authority are many. The volunteer worker, as has often been pointed out, can bring to bear on individual cases a patience and an enthusiasm which the 146official has no time to bestow. ”

“ National Volunteer Week offers us a chance to thank the many volunteers whose work and compassion add so much to the quality of our lives. It also gives those who have never volunteered the opportunity to learn more about the many organizations that would benefit from their time and talents. ”

“ Since without roads there could be no communication between neighbors or between the various specialists offering services, a few days a year devoted to this work was not too high a price to pay for the benefits received. If there were children in the community, their educational needs were taken care of by a volunteer who had some competence for teaching. In short, voluntarism took care of a need that had not yet grown important enough to engage the services of a full-time specialist. ”

“ Volunteer service is one way parents can spend time with their children while encouraging them to learn the value of helping others. The USA Freedom Corps' "How I Spent My Summer" initiative includes volunteer opportunities where parents and children can work together to meet the needs of their communities. ”

“ So popular is the naval service the only embarrassment is that men volunteer so rapidly we have to work overtime to give them hardy, adequate housing and proper training. ”

“ The investigation of every case requiring relief was undertaken by volunteer workers, assisted by skilled officers, and was not in the steam pig-killing style, but patient and exhaustive with true human brotherhood; in deserving cases the relief given was sufficient to make a guardian’s hair stand on end, but was given with the view to helping the man to a means of livelihood. ”

“ Citizen service can take many shapes—it can mean volunteering nights or on weekends in a religious group or neighborhood association, or devoting full years of your life to service like those the Peace Corps or the Jesuit Volunteer Corps members do. ”

“ The Volunteer movement, in which men take part of their own free will, and which has been of so much benefit to the country; the erection and support of hospitals, libraries, art galleries, colleges and universities; the furnishing of the people with amusement and recreation—are illustrations of what may be done by members of the community directly. ”

“ During National Volunteer Week, we celebrate the spirit of compassion and generosity that drives us to care for others, and we recognize America's volunteers. Our volunteers are often unsung and unseen, but they are heroes.
One of our Nation's greatest strengths has always been our citizens' unique commitment to improving the lives of others. The principles of charitable compassion and philanthropic collaboration were at the heart of our Founding Fathers' efforts to build a culture that serves the greater good. ”

“ And many volunteers got started in the same way: because someone asked them.
This holiday season, I ask every American to look for a challenge in your own community, and step forward to lend a hand. You can learn about thousands of service opportunities by visiting the USA Freedom Corps website, usafreedomcorps.gov. Many Americans volunteer with their families, allowing them to spend time together while improving the lives of others. And if you find a need that no one else is meeting, you might want to start a group of your own. ”

“ The American people see these needs -- and they are responding, as always, with great generosity. Just this week, a government report found that more than 63 million Americans volunteered over the past year -- about 4 million more than in the year before. On average, volunteers gave 52 hours -- more than a full week of work -- of their year in service to others. This increase in volunteering is evidence of the new culture of service we are building in America, especially among young people. ”

“ The spirit exemplified by America's volunteers will help create a culture of responsibility and caring that will inspire us to achieve greatness as a Nation. During National Volunteer Week, I encourage all Americans to learn more about how they can serve, to volunteer to help those in need, and to encourage the volunteers across the country who are answering the call to service. ”

“ Americans keep this proud tradition alive every day across our country. They are protecting us in uniform, feeding the hungry, tutoring children, comforting seniors, and reaching out to veterans. They are providing critical support to schools, shelters, hospitals, and nursing homes, through faith-based and community organizations, at home and abroad. Volunteers change lives and strengthen our Nation and our world. My Administration is committed to supporting and supplementing the crucial efforts that Americans make to volunteer. ”

“ It might come through our natural relations as employers or neighbors or church members, or it might come through the district office of a charity organization society, for these societies usually make a specialty of training volunteers and of establishing friendly relations between volunteer {14} visitors and needy families. But come as it may, an introduction can be made for us, and we need not enter the poor man's home as an intruder. ”

“ Volunteering provides the opportunity to join and better a community. Every American who volunteers can become an integral part of a school, a hospital, or a neighborhood. Those who give of their time also join our Nation's proud history of service and help preserve this tradition for generations ahead. During National Volunteer Week, we express heartfelt thanks to all who have worked hard in this effort, and we urge more Americans to reach out and meet the manifold unmet needs of fellow Americans. ”

“ These organizations engage and connect Americans from every walk of life. Through the generosity of our citizens, we are reminded that each one of us has a role to play in improving our communities. During the recent International Week of Service, service organizations across the globe came together to assist others and make an impact. This effort is a shining example of how our Nation's generous volunteers continue to lead the world in helping those most in need. ”

“ She must be an expert in educational, physical, religious [Pg 326] and civic questions and she must be able to lead and to organize so that clubs and groups may be produced which shall meet needs extending all the way from athletics and recreation through social and general community life up to distinctly religious and devotional service. She must be able to use volunteer leaders and to mold them into a sympathetic cooperation for the bearing of one another's burdens which ultimately will lead them to share one another's successes. ”

“ They have before them not only the valuable information of the Charity Organization Society, gathered, sifted, and examined by their paid officer and representative Committee, but also the detailed account of a volunteer, who brings to bear on the case a fresher and more personal sympathy than a paid agent ordinarily possesses, who has much more patience to listen to, and probably more patience to elicit the little facts on which so much may depend. ”

“ You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. ”

“ According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 60 million Americans volunteered in 2015, giving an estimated $185 billion in service to their communities. The latest data shows that our Nation's seniors lead the way in time spent volunteering, and we are immensely thankful for their commitment. ”

“ Our Nation's commitment to civic engagement continues to thrive. American volunteers keep students on track for graduation, care for seniors and veterans, and rebuild communities after terrible storms. Beyond our borders, our volunteers often place their lives at risk as they help those affected by war, poverty, and disease. ”

“ Volunteering even made them moral, and religious—teste the Times, September 3, 1803: “Since the formation of Volunteer Corps, the very manners of many have taken a more moral turn: public-houses are deserted for the drill, our churches are better frequented, profane swearing is banished, every man looks to his character, respects the Corps in which he is enrolled, and is cautious in all he says or does, lest he should disgrace the name of a British Volunteer.” ”

“ The purpose of this chapter is to foster and expand voluntary citizen service in communities throughout the Nation in activities designed to help the poor, the disadvantaged, the vulnerable, and the elderly. ”

“ While he rose her voice obeying did the young volunteer,
Did the true volunteer, did the loved volunteer,
While you were still delaying died the brave volunteer.
'Tis a ghost and but the shadow of a young volunteer,
He is dead and stilly sleeping, what should be haunting here?
'Tis but the storm winds flutter old dreams you dare not utter
And false the hopes they mutter, and pale the volunteer,
'Tis a dream volunteer, yea, a dead volunteer,
Old leaves that fly and flutter round a dead volunteer. ”

“ Their acts of kindness have a profound effect on people's lives and on the future of our country. To recognize those who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to volunteer service, my Council on Service and Civic Participation presents individuals, families, and groups with the President's Volunteer Service Award. ”

“ Local efforts may be less well known than major undertakings like Just Say No and Project HOPE, but to the very heart and soul of the American volunteer spirit, many of you'll be able to think of good works being performed in your own communities. ”