Help Us Celebrate Volunteers in April
One week just didn’t seem sufficient to celebrate the powerful contributions of the volunteers in our community, so we are expanding April’s National Volunteer Appreciation Week to volunteer appreciation MONTH!
Promoting the power of volunteers has been at the core of United Way of Greater Topeka’s mission since we became an organization. Whether it’s finding a volunteer to answer phones or stuff envelopes, promoting workplace volunteerism with a community-wide day of service like Nancy Perry Day of Caring, or educating future board volunteers, United Way takes the lead.
The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized just how vital volunteers are. Getting the very basic things done—distributing food, housing those without shelter, getting help filing a tax return—suddenly became more complicated or even impossible as volunteers stayed home and stayed safe from the virus.
This past year was also a great reminder that we can solve big problems when we collaborate and think creatively about volunteering. We used our expertise to support volunteer recruitment and management for both in-person (Operation Food Secure at the Topeka Rescue Mission) and virtual (Shawnee County Care Line/warm line) volunteer opportunities even at the height of the pandemic.
As we rebuild from COVID, we are also reimagining and reinforcing the role and value of volunteering for individuals, agencies and organizations. We continue to recruit agencies to join the more than 100 already posting opportunities on our online volunteer hub, TopekaVolunteers.org. We are updating and revitalizing our board leadership training to include diversity, equity and justice issues. And we continue to expand our capacity and resources by collaborating with larger volunteer bodies like Managers of Volunteer Engagement (MOVE) and the Kansas State and Shawnee County disaster response groups. And we continue to model best practices in volunteering as we support our volunteers and our partners.
What’s in it for you?
Volunteering is a unique opportunity to change the community with just your time and talent. According to United Way Worldwide, real and lasting change that benefits everyone is only possible when people from all walks of life roll up their sleeves and go where they are most needed. Research positively connects volunteering with physical and mental health. As a society, we work better together when we support one another.
Not only does volunteering increase an agency’s capacity to serve others, it also strengthens collective pride in our community, making it a better place for everyone to learn, work, give and play.
Join Our Celebration!
All month long we will be highlighting volunteering on our social media channels, rolling out new video tips and spotlights and generally celebrating the difference you make with your time and talent. And once we get you all excited about helping, we’ll give you a new and exciting way to connect with your next volunteer adventure at Topeka Volunteers: The Virtual Event! 
COVID tried to ruin our event plans for the second year in a row, but we outsmarted it! Fifty local agencies will be joining us May 4 in Degy (rhymes with leggy) World, an interactive virtual expo space for our first ever Topeka Volunteers event. Build your avatar and come explore the volunteer expo! You can talk with representatives from each agency and watch their videos, hang out with other attendees and even attend some special training sessions in the virtual ballroom. The free event runs from noon to 6 pm. Registration will be required, and we’ll be sending out information soon. We’ll celebrate in person in 2022, but we hope you can join us this year for a truly amazing digital experience