We know a lot of people around the company like to use as many as their company-paid volunteer hours as possible.
But it’s sometimes difficult to fit in these commitments around our core responsibilities. The phones don’t stop ringing just because we’re out there doing good.
So the Volunteer Committee has come up with some new ways to make volunteering more convenient and accessible. They include a more detailed list of volunteer resources, more opportunities near our two campuses, and even bringing some volunteer work into the office.
First, we’ve revamped and updated the volunteer landing page on National Life Today. You can page through to find newly organized events, ongoing opportunities or just some basic information about our community partners.
In addition, the Volunteer Committee has been searching for different options for quick volunteering, and also at ways of bringing volunteering events right to our offices.
For example, Metrocrest Services, which provides assistance to families, individuals and seniors, is just three miles from the Addison campus.
We’ve been working with Metrocrest to find volunteer opportunities that are as short as a couple of hours or as long as a half-day.
Please check out the new Metrocrest landing page on National Life Today.
If you’ve got some artistic inclinations and you’re on the Vermont campus, we’re working with the Montpelier Parks and Recreation Department on the city’s Enchanted Forest event.
Hubbard Park will be the site of the forest in mid-October. There will be performances and family entertainment on Oct. 12th. Before that, though, hundreds of pumpkins need to be carved to help set the mood.
If you’d like to help carve, grab a few friends and head to the park any time from Oct. 7th-11th and spend as little or as much time as you can helping to get Hubbard ready for the fun.
We’ve got details about all of this at the city of Montpelier’s landing page on National Life Today.
There’s another Vermont option that’s farther afield, unless you live in Burlington. And then you can maybe just head over from home.
The Intervale Center’s Conservation Nursery could use 10 volunteers on Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to noon and on Oct. 3 from 1 p.m. to 4. And it’s Land Stewardship program could use another 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 14. Please email the Volunteer Committee to sign up for one of these slots. It would be great to have a full team for each of these, so if you can pull one together, let us know and we can finalize arrangements.
We’ve also arranged a number of opportunities with the Vermont Foodbank in Barre: Sept. 20, 12:30-3 p.m.; Oct. 3, 9 a.m.-noon or all day; Oct. 9, 12:30-3 p.m. or all day; Oct. 16, 9 a.m.-noon or 12:30-3 p.m. or all day; Oct. 21, 9 a.m.-noon.
And finally, we’re also working on bringing the volunteering right into our own buildings. There are a few organizations that can bring some work to us. We’ll set up in a convenient place and anyone who has some time to come in and help can do it.
We’re working out details, but you can mark your calendars for Thursday, Sept. 26, through Monday, Sept. 30, as time when we will have projects set up for you to spend time volunteering on here at the office. We’ll be set up in the Blue Ridge conference room on the fifth floor.