National Volunteer Week 2024: Volunteers strengthen Richmond

There is no better way to recognize the significant impact of service and volunteerism — on our city, our state and in ourselves — than by amplifying the first-hand stories of Virginians who are making a difference. According to data  collected by AmeriCorps and the Census Bureau, nearly 2 million Virginia volunteers contributed 130.5 million hours of service through organizations, worth an estimated $4.0 billion, in 2021. These staggering figures show the amazing impact we make when we leverage our time and talent for the greater good, but it’s individual stories of service that give a face to these statistics.

As a member of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism, I am driven by a lifelong passion for helping youth and adults engage in their communities. As Senior Vice President of Civic Engagement at the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, I lead a team that creates opportunities for people to give back, using their time and voice in ways that feel meaningful and generate the most impact. I love to see the “aha!” moment when a person identifies a need in the community and realizes they have the right resource to help, and that’s why I am pleased to join leaders and engaged community members across the country in celebrating National Volunteer Week, April 21-27. 

Volunteers play a critically important role in the lives of children engaged in the courts and foster care system, through the Richmond Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. CASA volunteers serve as advocates for children so that they don’t face the courts and foster care system alone. CASA volunteers across Richmond are members of our community, from all walks of life, who are motivated by the understanding that every child deserves a safe, loving home and want to do what they can to help.

“I am a CASA because I want to be a voice for children,” shared one Richmond CASA volunteer in a recent story of service from Serve Virginia, the state service commission. “Being able to look at the circumstances from the eyes of the child and communicate that to the adults in their life gives me a chance to give them a voice. Being a CASA is like investing with exponential returns.” 

I am grateful for the dedication and service of everyday heroes like the Richmond CASA volunteers and other community members who invest their time in service to others, who are helping make our city a more vibrant, better connected and healthier place to live. I know that a robust volunteer sector is an effective strategy to meet critical community needs and improve individual lives.  

In the recent Virginia Community Engagement Index (VCEI) study led by Serve Virginia, data collected from more than 6,000 respondents confirmed that many Virginians are already engaged in their communities, volunteering time and talents. The VCEI found that 67% of respondents regularly volunteer more than once a month, and 82% of all active volunteers have maintained or increased their level of volunteerism over the past year. As importantly, volunteers consistently report that their service is personally fulfilling and additional data shows that it fosters healthy social connection and increased levels of happiness. When people feel fulfilled and that what they do is meaningful, they are more likely to engage and remain engaged in volunteerism.  

Virginians’ willingness to give of themselves in service to others stands as one of our greatest strengths as a commonwealth. It is also an opportunity to continue to build and leverage volunteerism to engage an even larger and more diverse group of Virginians. To do so, we must work together to identify community needs and commit to becoming active in creating solutions through service, volunteerism, and civic action.

This National Volunteer Week, I am taking time to recognize the impact of volunteerism and thank those who serve — you can do the same. The Richmond CASA volunteer’s story, which I shared above, is just one of millions of stories of service happening every day in our communities. This week we join together to thank volunteers for their commitment, and also pledge to do our part to strengthen Richmond and the state through increased awareness and appreciation of service and volunteering year-round.