Celebrate Service During National Volunteer Week, April 21-27

April 15, 2013

Next week is National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize the service and dedication of your fire department and Fire Corps volunteers as well as promote volunteerism in your community. This year’s theme is Celebrate Service.

During National Volunteer Week, your department can say thank you to its volunteers and bring attention to the need for community support through activities including the following:

• Honor your volunteers and nominate them for department, local, state, or national awards, such as the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
• Create opportunities to engage members of your community.
• Host events highlighting and promoting what volunteers do for your department and community.
• Share your story and connect with other communities and organizations through the Points of Light National Volunteer Week webpage.
• Utilize local media to let the community members know what your volunteers do for the department and promote the need for more volunteers.

To help organizations plan their events, Points of Light and HandsOn Network offer a National Volunteer Week Resource Guide with planning materials, sample media releases, and more.

Visit the Recruitment and Retention section of the NVFC web site for more resources to attract new volunteers and celebrate the service of existing volunteers year-round.