Community Navigators Ready to Add Volunteers
We get asked all the time: "Why should I donate to United Way instead of just giving directly to another community agency?"
Here's a perfect reason: United Way of Kaw Valley works on behalf of ALL the nonprofits in our community, creating conversations and opportunities that strengthen our community's response to needs of all kinds.
Our GROW Community Navigator service kicked off this year with the help of Washburn University social work students. In just a few months these volunteers serving at three sites have already made more than 30 successful service referrals, with many more conversations in process. The concept for this service was born in our weekly partner calls that started in the first days of the Covid pandemic. Agencies needed help guiding potential clients through their application processes and locating additional help that their agency did not provide. Navigators have created this new level of interaction, making sure clients have all the information and documentation they need to get assistance as soon as possible.
Currently we have Navigators positioned at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, East Topeka Senior Center and Fellowship Hi-Crest. Soon we will add a Valeo Behavioral Health location as well. And we want to do more, but to expand we will need more volunteers to answer this call to action and join our Community Navigator team! Get all the details on TopekaVolunteers.org!
Community Navigators are just one component of GROW (Growing Resilient Organizations with United Way), our initiative that is helping nonprofit partners increase their capacity to serve our neighbors in need. Other components of GROW include the free volunteer management portal at TopekaVolunteers.org (as well as support from a coordinator at our Topeka office) and VolunteerDouglasCounty.org, as well as our ongoing Board Leadership Training to help prepare community volunteers to become effective nonprofit board members.
Work like this is hard to accomplish on top of providing direct service. That's why United Way of Kaw Valley is uniquely positioned to make a difference in northeast Kansas. GROW is made possible in part by a Volunteer Generation Fund Grant from the Kansas Volunteer Commission through AmeriCorps and by United Way donors (hopefully like you!).
- For more information about Community Navigators, contact Antonio Martinez.
- For more information about TopekaVolunteers.org, contact Jacquie Lightcap.
- For more information about VolunteerDouglasCounty.org, contact KJ Abel-Ruch.
- For more information about GROW or other volunteering questions, contact Jessica Neumann Barraclough, and check out this article on the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library website!