Nevada Volunteers ♥ Nevada’s Volunteers!

Nevada Volunteers wanted to share the love and gratitude of nonprofit’s volunteers and volunteer programs. Each day from February 1st to February 14th, we selected one highlight and shared the love through Facebook and Twitter. Here’s the collection of all those that participated. We had such a great response and it truly inspired each of us in the Nevada Volunteers office reading about the great things that volunteers are doing for our communities!

Kelly Penfold with ACCEPT

Kelly Penfold has been volunteering for ACCEPT for about two years now. Her last few months of volunteerism hours has been 20 – 25 hours per week. She is courteous, efficient and a blessing to our organization. In fact, she was just hired on as a part-time employee effective February 1st because of her dedication over the last two years. Volunteer service can eventually lead into a position with a non-profit! Thanks Kelly for all your volunteer hours and welcome aboard as an employee. (more…)

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Good For You!

Do you volunteer? Good for you! You are one of the four in ten Americans who volunteered this past year.

But do you know that you are doing yourself a big favor?

Volunteering is just plain good for your health, your sense of well-being, even your job, according to a survey of more than 4,500 Americans by Volunteer Match and United-Healthcare.

How?

Consider this volunteer’s story. Mac has been volunteering in Reno with VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. In early February, he had a thrilling success story to report. Mac said:

I had a client this week that was about to lose her place to live at the end of this month. She has a son. I prepared her return and she got a refund of over $4,000.00. When I told her that her refund would be e-filed and in the bank by the 25th, she broke down and cried. She said I saved her and her son from being homeless.

(more…)

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Volunteering for VITA!

April 15th has always been just a normal calendar day for me. My family hires a CPA to take care of our taxes every year, so they have never been much more than a passing thought in my daily life. But as I have grown up and taken on more “adult” responsibilities, I have looked at my own taxes and realized that they are incredibly difficult! It is confusing language, difficult math, and lines leading to more lines. It’s nearly impossible to make heads or tails out of any of it. But as I have branched away from relying on my family and done more of my own taxes each year, I have come to learn how to file basic taxes. I have had the chance to learn because I am surrounded by people who know how to help me, but I also know that I am lucky in that and not everyone has those same people around them. I found myself wondering how others learn how to correctly file their own taxes. (more…)

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MLK Day 2011: A Day On, Not A Day Off

“Service above self will be the cornerstone of my administration as Governor,” Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval proclaimed. He joined approximately 70 AmeriCorps members bright and early in Las Vegas, Nevada on Martin Luther King Jr. Day morning to celebrate the Day of Service.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Nevada Volunteers’ AmeriCorps members gathered together to build three special homes in honor of the 25th anniversary of the holiday recognizing one of America’s great heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 40 years after his death, Dr. King’s example continues to guide Nevadans in addressing the state’s most critical issues.

The event in southern Nevada brought together AmeriCorps State members from Great Basin Institute’s Nevada Conservation Corps, Luz Community Development Coalition, and the United Way of Southern Nevada, along with AmeriCorps VISTA members serving southern Nevada nonprofit agencies. The Governor jumped in to lend a hand with the AmeriCorps members, at one point even aiding them on the roof by nailing on shingles. (more…)

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Last Chance to Give!

Nevada Volunteers knows you care about continuing Nevada’s service and volunteer efforts. That’s why we are reminding you that this is your final chance to make a tax-deductible donation for 2010. Remember, all gifts to Nevada Volunteers are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Thanks to your generous contributions, Nevada Volunteers has raised $1,300 for the Nevada AmeriCorps programs this holiday season and has had the ability to share our AmeriCorps members inspirational stories with you. But we need your help if we want our communities to continually receive the chance to grow and prosper. We hope you’ll join us as we work to continue Nevada AmeriCorps programs, helping Nevadans to enrich their lives through service and our communities to benefit from their incredible efforts.

Please don’t miss this opportunity to give back to our communities through admirable programs. For more information about Nevada’s AmeriCorps programs, visit blue.nevadavolunteers.org. (more…)

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Thank you for the “E” in AMERICORPS!

A huge thank you goes out to the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation for their generous donation of $100! This gave us the “E” in AMERICORPS! For every $100 in donations, we are able to add one more letter. To date, the “Amass for AmeriCorps” program has raised $1,300 for Nevada’s AmeriCorps programs!

Words cannot express how grateful we are to each of you for your contributions.

Our next fundraising goal is “R.” “R” is for receive – without our Nevada AmeriCorps programs, our Nevada communities would not receive help in core areas such as education, human needs, environment or public safety.

The end of the year is quickly approaching. The last day to give to the “Amass for AmeriCorps” is December 31st at 11:59pm. We know that we can spell AMERICORPS one more time and $10 from 10 friends will get us closer to that goal. Plus your end-of-the-year donation will earn you a tax deduction! (more…)

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM NEVADA VOLUNTEERS!

“Amass for AmeriCorps” has struck a chord in our hearts, reminding us that the true spirit of the holidays comes from people who continue to give of themselves to improve communities throughout Nevada.

As the State Commission that promotes volunteerism, Nevada Volunteers sees the variety of avenues to contribute to our communities. This made us wonder, what are you doing this holiday season to give back? How are you giving of your time, talent, or treasure to those in your community?

This holiday season, Nevada Volunteers is grateful for all the volunteers in our great state. Without these everyday heroes, our communities would no longer continue to prosper and grow. And because of these individuals, our communities are able to offer those in need a special holiday.

From all us at Nevada Volunteers, we thank the great volunteers in Nevada and wish you a happy Holiday! We look forward to hearing of your wonderful contributions to our communities! (more…)

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Roadpost #14: Impacts

How do you describe it? The impact volunteering has—not on the person who receives the help, but on the volunteer. Volunteering is good for your health, good for your resume, but there is also an emotional charge that comes with service which can uplift you in profound and transformative ways. That feeling is at the heart of one of the stories a young volunteer named Kevin told me.

Kevin, one of our UNR student work group participants, was an AmeriCorps member before entering college, working with inner-city kids in Philadelphia. He was fresh out of high school and had no idea what to study, so he decided to give back through a national service program. One of the boys Kevin had worked extra hard to encourage took him aside one day to ask his advice, and in the course of the conversation, the boy told Kevin, “Wow, you are so smart. You are my hero.” (more…)

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Roadpost #7: The Perfect Antidote

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icfjxV0YovM]

It’s a difficult time to be looking for work. Melanie knows. She’s been doing it, and trying to keep a positive attitude. Some days it is not so easy, but Melanie’s found the perfect antidote: volunteering.

“If you volunteer,” Melanie told me, “you have a reason to dress up a bit and get out of the house to socialize and be productive. It’s a break from job hunting while still being an opportunity to work… plus it helps to shape the week.”

So what is Melanie doing in her volunteer time? One place she volunteers is the Great Basin Community Food Coop. She has fun there. You can see from the video.

She also does service in the library of a local charter school, where she had previously been the librarian. When the school closed the position due to funding cuts, some people couldn’t believe Melanie would go back and do the work for free. She did, nonetheless. “I got to fill a niche, and I am appreciated there.” (more…)

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