UMaine Volunteer Week Activities April 23-29
Contact: Lynette Dexter at (207)581-1349
ORONO, Me. — The local celebration of National Volunteer Week, scheduled this year for April 23-29, will focus attention on the extraordinary efforts that members of the University of Maine community put into making the world around them a better place.
A series of volunteer activities is scheduled for that week, including Volunteer Appreciation Night on Sunday April 30, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Bodwell Lounge at the Maine Center for the Arts. UMaine’s Barbara Higgins Bodwell ’45 Center for Service and Vounteerism oversees all the events, including Volunteer Appreciation Night, at which students, faculty members, staff members and volunteers will be recognized. The annual highlight is the presentation of the center’s five awards; The Active Citizen Award, The Dean Lucy Award, The Community Partner Award, The Barbara Bodwell Award, and The Black Bear Volunteer Award.
“Service beyond self, a giving and caring attitude, will strengthen our bonds as human beings and help create the caring, kind, and compassionate communities we all want,” says Robert Dana, UMaine’s dean of students . “For me, a volunteer spirit sweeping across this campus and the country as a whole is the first and most important step to actually engaging others and beginning a process where we all treat each other with dignity, equity, and respect.”
National Volunteer Week began in 1974, when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing an annual celebration of volunteering. Every president since has signed a proclamation promoting the week. This year’s theme, “Volunteers Work Wonders” sets the stage for local and national organizations not only to applaud the efforts of volunteers but also to encourage others to get involved in helping strengthen their communities.
UMaine students and staff members will volunteer at the following area activities and events during National Volunteer Week:
Monday, April 24 – Ronald McDonald House Dinner 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 26 – BEANO at Orono Commons 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 27 – Showing of “Invisible Children,” a documentary film, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 100, Corbett Business Building
Friday, April 28 – Powerhouse Teen Center, a teen support program in Bangor, 7 p.m
Saturday, April 29 – Orono Land Trust Clean Up 9 a.m.-12 noon
Recent studies on volunteers have shown that over 64 million Americans have volunteered their time — nearly 29 percent of the population.
National Volunteer Week seeks to inspire by example, honoring the service of our country’s most committed volunteers and sharing their achievements to encourage more Americans to volunteer.