Volunteer options at Giving DuPage

Thank you, Daily Herald, for your Dec. 9 front-page coverage of the increasing needs of our nonprofit organizations and the need for volunteers in our community.

As a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in DuPage County, Giving DuPage operates much like the Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago referenced in the article. Local agencies post their volunteer opportunities on the Giving DuPage Web site www.givingdupage, and potential volunteers can search the Web site for their perfect opportunity. There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities from a vast array of agencies posted on the Giving DuPage Web site at any given time. In addition, copies of Giving DuPage's 2008-2009 Annual Giving Guide, which is a 96-page compilation of holiday and ongoing volunteer opportunities at 87 local agencies, are widely available at sites throughout DuPage County. Opportunities to "give back" are plentiful and cross a variety of causes. This year, as you make your New Year's resolutions, consider that studies have shown a direct correlation between volunteerism and positive emotional, physical and mental health. Improved personal and community health might very well be a resolution that sticks in 2009. And the kindness and compassion that is palpable during the holiday season will prevail year-round.

Kathy Blair

manager, Giving DuPage, Wheaton