What can a group of 100 volunteers accomplish in one afternoon?
A lot.
On September 30th the Rescue Mission hosted 100 volunteers from the 2015 Virginia Volunteerism Conference, cleaned, prepped dinner, sorted donations and stuffed Christmas cards for the Mission.
“The Rescue Mission is excited to be a part of a state conference that brings together hundreds of individuals committed to improving their local communities,” said Rescue Mission Volunteer Coordinator, Marcela Jara. “The Mission is honored to be involved this year and to have 100 volunteers coming to work with us and see how our organization serves our community and the needs we see daily.”
The annual Virginia Volunteerism and Service Conference is a two-day conference for organizations and individuals striving to make a difference in their communities. The conference featured several workshops, networking events, and many opportunities to give back to local non-profits. Around 500 attendees became volunteers for the afternoon to assist local charities including Stop Hunger Now, Feeding America Southwest Virginia, and the Rescue Mission.
Jara says, “Volunteers are key to our daily operations at the Rescue Mission and we certainly couldn’t serve the community the way we do without them.”
In 2014, about 5000 volunteers served a total of more than 112,000 hours at the Rescue Mission, roughly the equivalent of 56 full-time employees.
For more information about the conference, you can visit their website at http://www.vavolunteerconference.com/.
