Volunteers Make UMWC’s World Go Round

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” In 2019, almost 80 million adults volunteered nearly 6 billion hours, valued at $147 billion. Volunteerism benefits both volunteers and the communities that they help serve. We can surely speak for ourselves when we say that UMWC would not be successful is pursuing our mission without the support of all our volunteers.

Our volunteers are dedicated to assisting with everyday operations for the Open Door Clinic and pharmacy, the Hunger and Nutrition Food Pantry, and the Helen Wright Center for Women. For the new volunteer recognition program, Attitude of Gratitude, individuals are categorized as: volunteers, interns, and meal donors. Within the volunteer category, there are legacy volunteers (those who have volunteered with us for seven or more years and/or 400 or more hours), and star volunteers (those who have volunteered with us between two and six years and/or 200 or more hours.) “It’s just a way to recognize our long-term volunteers,” Meghann Smits, Volunteer Manager said. “Retention is big for us.”

The majority of our volunteers have been with UMWC for more than one year and have given 35,107 hours of their time.

“Volunteers allow us to extend our reach into the community,” Smits said. “They don’t replace our staff, but they help reach more people. They are able to partner with staff to have a bigger impact.”