Organizers hope volunteer day becomes yearlong event
Barb Schweihs of UPS has already been to the Giving DuPage Web site where she signed up her team for two volunteer efforts on Friday, Sept. 12. Along with her co-workers, she will complete two projects for Catholic Charities in DuPage County.
Schweihs has been involved in "DuPage Remembers and Gives - A Day of Volunteerism" since its inception in 2002. The event was launched as a way for people to give back to their community and commemorate the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"It is a real pleasure to be connected with this group," Schweihs said. "We have participated in 'DuPage Remembers and Gives' since it first began after 9-11-01. It really does help us to remember and to allow us to do something good for all the sadness that day has brought to so many Americans."
Last year, UPS volunteers were among 2,200 people involved in 71 projects throughout DuPage County as part of the event.
This year, the days of volunteerism will be Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13. UPS is one of many local companies and organizations that will be giving back in the form of community service.
Others include Boy Scout Troop No. 373, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Flexible Steel Lacing, Hall Erickson, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Lutheran Church of St. Luke, Wheaton Wesleyan Church, Wood Dale School District 7 and the City of Wood Dale.
The Giving DuPage Web site has dozens of hands-on and collection drive projects available for volunteers on those days.
However, the theme for 2008 is "Volunteerism is an Everyday Event."
So, while teams and individuals will be "giving back" to the area's agencies during these countywide days of volunteerism, the real goal this year is that the momentum will continue.
Two new initiatives will support the theme of ongoing giving during this weekend.
Partnering with Cantigny on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14, Giving DuPage will host its first Volunteer Recruitment Fair. More than 40 local organizations will be meeting visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday, Sept. 13 and Sunday, Sept. 14 to share information about volunteer opportunities at their sites.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Cantigny for this event. While learning about a wide range of volunteer opportunities all around the county, visitors to the Volunteer Recruitment Fair will also be able to see the Revolutionary War Re-Enactment and Emergency Preparedness Fair taking place concurrently at Cantigny during that weekend," said Giving DuPage Manager, Kathy Blair.
Giving DuPage also will premiere and distribute its new Annual Giving Guide at the Volunteer Recruitment Fair. The Annual Giving Guide is an enhanced version of the Holiday Giving Guide that has been created and distributed by Giving DuPage for the past five years. The Holiday Giving Guide featured volunteer and giving opportunities specific to the holiday season. Holiday Giving Guide users requested something that they could use year-round and something that would include agencies that did not have holiday opportunities; the Annual Giving Guide addresses both of issues. Nearly 90 local agencies will each a page in the Annual Giving Guide that features their contact information, mission and both seasonal and ongoing volunteer opportunities.
"The Annual Giving Guide will be a quick and handy resource for those who do not have immediate access to the Internet, but the Giving DuPage Web site remains the best source for updated agency information and volunteer opportunities in our community," Blair said.
The Giving DuPage Web site includes a volunteer match to connect volunteers with local agencies. The Web site has more than 190 agencies registered; however, not all of the agencies have volunteer opportunities posted.
Giving DuPage is a public-private initiative promoting giving and volunteerism in DuPage County. Sponsors for the upcoming events include: McCormick Foundation, M & M Orthopaedics, Oxford Bank and Magnetrol.
To view projects, visit www.givingdupage.org or contact Giving DuPage at (630) 407-6458.
Who will be there
The following organizations will be at Cantigny Park this weekend for Giving DuPage's volunteer recruitment fair:
American Cancer Society
Cantigny
CASA of DuPage County
CNS Home Health & Hospice
CoACH Care Center
Court Friends Guardian Monitor Volunteer Program
Downers Grove Park District
DuPage Children's Museum
DuPage County Animal Care & Control
DuPage PADS
Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region
Evangelical Child and Family Agency
Forest Preserve of DuPage County
Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
Service Center
Giving DuPage
Humanitarian Service Project
Junior Achievement
Lifesource Chicagoland's Blood Center
Literacy DuPage
Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry
LOVE Christian Clearinghouse
Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois
MADD Northeast Illinois Region
MERIT Hospice
MetroMentors of Metropolitan Family Services
Metropolitan Family Services In-Home Senior Respite
Moms In School
Northern Illinois Food Bank
Operation Support Our Troops
People's Resource Center
RFB&D (Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic)
Senior Home Sharing Inc.
Senior Suburban Orchestra
St. Patrick's Residence
Teen Parent Connection
The Diveheart Foundation
The March of Dimes
The Morton Arboretum
The Salvation Army
The Simple Gifts Foundation
University of Illinois Extension
Wellness House
West Suburban Humane Society
Western DuPage Special Recreation Association
Woman2Woman Community Services