By Trista Stout-Walker, VP of Community Impact

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA) appreciates all the volunteers throughout southwest Alabama. Volunteerism is one of the ways that community members can support a nonprofit. Your service is invaluable and supports agencies to achieve their missions and reallocate funding to the greatest needs.

To streamline volunteerism, UWSWA operates a database to highlight local nonprofits and volunteer opportunities throughout our region. The data base is called Volunteer Connect and can be accessed at this link United Way Volunteer Connect (uwswa.org) or Cause Connect in your App Store. It is a great tool to connect individuals and groups to local volunteer opportunities. You can use it for personal use, youth groups, civic groups, school groups, and even fraternities/sororities. Also, Volunteer Connect has a sister service operated through The University of South Alabama named “South Serves”. Like Volunteer Connect, South Serves links students, faculty, and staff from USA to the many volunteer opportunities. This partnership is thriving and together supports the growing volunteer needs in our area.

Volunteer Connect does more than highlight volunteer needs, it connects the community to upcoming events. The Community Calendar showcases local events, volunteer needs associated with the event, and offers RSVP function. Volunteer Connect is truly a one stop shop for seeking volunteers and community engagement.

If you are a nonprofit or other entity looking to join Volunteer Connect, reach out to UWSWA at 251-433-3624. Brad Martin, Lindsay Lum, or I will be happy to walk you through the process of joining our network. Also, if you are an interested volunteer or coordinator, explore the fun at United Way Volunteer Connect (uwswa.org).

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