National Volunteer Week: Spotlighting Service Across the Country

April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week! Organized by the Points of Light Foundation, it is “an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle society’s greatest challenges, build stronger communities and be a force that transforms the world.”

In celebration, here are just a few of the incredible volunteers from our chapters throughout the United States who are making the world a better place through their service to others.

First up is a volunteer from our Delaware chapter, Judy Travis, a Jefferson Award Honoree in 2018.

For 19 years Judy Travis, and her “army” of volunteers, have provided personalized Christmas stockings to members of our armed forces in harm’s way. Stockings For Soldiers - Delaware, Inc., founded by Judy and with her 1,000 volunteers from over 31 states, make and send nearly 10,000 personalized stockings to troops in seventeen (17) countries each year weighing over 32,000 pounds. In addition, in 2022, they sent 6,000 Star Packs, 400 knitted hats, and over 9,000 personal greeting cards-many made by children at local schools. Judy’s efforts have also included the local community where 1,300 pounds of stockings were donated to K9 heroes and their handlers at local law enforcement agencies and shelters. This annual 8-week community-based project is a labor of love for Judy and her volunteers. Our thanks to Judy, and all of her volunteers, for their amazing work!

Next, we turn our attention to our New York Chapter, and 2022 Jefferson Award Honoree King Singh! King was honored with the 2022 Jefferson Award for establishing the King Fights Cancer Foundation, which has helped more than 250 families in and around his Queens Village home delivering over 1,500 toys to homes and hospitals.

Last fall, the Students In Action team High School of World Cultures raised over $800 for the Foundation. King's father Michael was also a Community Power Hour speaker at our NY Winter Conference and their family spent the day with us speaking to students and advisors, creating ripples of good throughout the local community. Thanks to all these wonderful volunteers for their service!

Our next spotlight for National Volunteer Week comes from our South Carolina chapter: Tiffany Doolittle.

She is the Director of Marketing for Dagwoods Deli and Bumsteads Pub in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She has been a dedicated local board member for Multiplying Good in the Grand Strand since the board’s inception. Tiffany is one of the first to volunteer for our Students In Action conferences, helping in so many ways to make sure the conference goes off perfectly. She has been instrumental in the support of the Grand Strand ChangeMaker classes, serving as the sponsor for our “Lunch and Learn” series. Outside of Multiplying Good, Tiffany volunteers and supports MANY community events across the Grand Strand. South Carolina is honored and lucky to have Tiffany and her dedication and passion for our mission as a premier volunteer for Multiplying Good.

From our San Francisco Bay Area chapter, we celebrate Roberto Hernández, a Bay Area Jefferson Award Recipient, for his work.

He is the CEO of Carnaval San Francisco, which cultivates and celebrates the diverse Latin American, Caribbean, and African Diasporic roots of the Mission District and the San Francisco Bay Area. He has led a campaign to bring 90 affordable housing units and an arts center to the Mission District. The project will help bring long-term sustainability for Carnaval artists, musicians, and dancers which will preserve their cultural roots and traditions for the next seven generations. Thanks to his leadership and the tireless efforts of volunteers, they are building a new source of hope and courage in their community!

As we continue our celebration of National Volunteer Week, we turn our attention to our Indiana Chapter and the Students In Action team at Frankton High School.

It is not unusual for team members to complete over 50 hours of service per year, and some even reach 100 hours. They recently raised funds for an inclusive playground for the elementary school, which will help those kids with disabilities to have access to the playground and truly live their best elementary life. Not only did they reach their goal of over $25,000, but that amount was matched by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters who are making their communities more inclusive!

The Saugus Students In Action team in our Greater Boston Chapter started out as a small yet mighty group, tackling sensitive issues in their school including cultural insensitivity, lack of representation, and racial profiling.

Recognizing that knowledge is power, the team facilitated peer-to-peer workshops to raise awareness about the importance of diversity, cultural sensitivity, and racial equity. To ensure that their peers' voices were heard, they also conducted surveys about the climate of Saugus High as it pertains to race relations and shared the results with their administration.

From our Pennsylvania Chapter, we honor the 2023 Pittsburgh Regional Winner of End-of-Year Celebration, Brownsville Area High School. They built upon their peer mentoring program, Falcon Friends, that connects high school students to 6th graders to talk about mental health, by introducing Snack Packs. It is a program that provides non-perishable food, hygiene products, and items to foster social/emotional learning to any middle school student in need to nourish and sustain them through each weekend until the next school week and peer mentoring session.

Throughout the course of the 2022-23 school year, Brownsville Students In Action engaged nearly 100 non-SIA volunteers and impacted 400 people through their service. “Our Falcon Friends and Snack Packs programs will keep growing due to the ongoing need for basic necessities in our area. By providing nutritious food, hygiene products, and mental health enrichment during school, and now over the weekend, our students are having their needs met consistently and sustainably, which contributes to the health of the whole person.”

Congratulations to Brownsville Students In Action, and all of the participating teams, for sharing your stories of service to impact and inspire others, creating a ripple effect and MULTIPLYING GOOD in your communities!