Virginia Conference on Volunteerism & Community Service

Make plans to attend the Virginia Conference on Volunteerism & Community Service, April 23-25, in Virginia Beach. The Conference is the largest and most comprehensive event of the year for individuals and organizations working to strengthen their communities through service. Each year, more than 500 participants attend from throughout the Commonwealth. Attendees represent nonprofit and faith-based organizations, public and private schools, colleges and universities, large and small businesses, and national service programs. This year's conference will take place at the Virginia Beach Wyndham Hotel. The keynote speaker will be Tony Brown, bestselling author and commentator of Tony Brown's Journal, the longest-running series on PBS. Register today.

Get to Know Charles Firestone

Governor's Commission on Community and National Service

Charles Firestone has been reaching out to youth in the Tidewater area for more than 25 years. As a coach, president, board member and district representative for Little League sports, Firestone discovered his calling helping kids realize their dreams. He went onto work with physically-challenged youth through the Challenger Little League program. Firestone later became a Junior Achievement teacher spending time working with at-risk youth in Virginia Beach public schools. During his years involved in community service, he was also active with the Rotary in various positions and served on the board of his synagogue. Firestone has been a part of the Governor's Commission on Community and National Service for four years, and has been a part of the selection committee for the Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Awards for three years. Firestone feels strongly about his commitment to service exclaiming, "Youth is my passion, but to serve my fellow man is a privilege."

Making a Difference: Chuck Hoi

As an AmeriCorps member with the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, Chuck Hoi has bounded onto the scene as a lively and popular ESL teacher. This past year, Hoi was the lead teacher at two different class locations, coordinating volunteer teachers and multiple classes at each site. In addition, he dove right into revising and improving computer applications to serve a multitude of functions, including the tracking of student registration, attendance, and test results. "My AmeriCorps service year has been an amazing and unforgettable experience so far," says Hoi. "It's an unbelievable feeling seeing your students progressing through the course of the year and knowing that you had a hand in their English development." Read more stories of service at Virginia's Faces of Service.

Virginia Students Receive National Honors

Several students from Virginia have been selected as the nation's top youth volunteers in the 13th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The awards program is the largest youth recognition event in the U.S. based exclusively on volunteerism. Sarasi Jayaratne of Potomac Falls and Cori Goodwin of Leesburg have been named as Virginia's top youth volunteers for this year and will be honored May 3-6, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Both students will be considered as finalists for an additional National Honoree award. Ms. Jayaratne, a high school senior, collected more than 6,000 books for schools in Sri Lanka that were devastated by the tsunami of 2004. Ms. Goodwin, an eighth-grader, began a fund-raising project which raised $680 to buy three farm animals for an impoverished family in a third-world country. Six other Virginia students were named as bronze finalists and will be honored at local ceremonies. Find out more about these awards.

Organizations May Apply for State Giving Campaign

Nonprofit organizations throughout Virginia may participate in the state employee workplace giving program -- the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC). Since 1997, employees have raised more than $25 million for charities around the world. As part of the program, donors may designate their gift to one or more specific charities, to all charities in their local region, or to all charities in the campaign. The CVC is currently accepting online applications from local, national, and international nonprofits for participation. For a complete list of basic requirements for applying to the CVC, visit http://www.cvc.vipnet.org/.

New Resources for Rural Homelessness Organizations

The Housing Assistance Council has created a new Rural Homelessness Capacity Building (RHCB) program which will support the work of faith-based and community organizations. Through the RHCB program, groups can access tools and resources that will enable them to better serve their rural homeless populations. One-on-one technical assistance, audio web training, and online information will be available for organizations over the course of a three-year initiative. Selected organizations working in high-need communities will also receive grants to pursue training opportunities, purchase equipment, or undertake special projects. Find out more about the program.

Tidewater Service Learning Conference

The Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education (VTC) will host its first conference focused on service learning and civic engagement, April 18, at the Hilton Norfolk Airport Hotel. "Service Learning and Civic Engagement in Hampton Roads: A Higher Education and Community Partnership" is designed to engage faculty, administrators, community organization leaders, community partners, and students in open, informative and resourceful discussions about service learning and civic engagement. For further information about the program and conference registration, visit www.vtc.odu.edu.

Home Depot Partners with Nonprofit Donation Network

Home Depot is partnering with Gifts-In-Kind, a national nonprofit that distributes product donations to community charities. Gifts-In-Kind will link more than 2,000 Home Depot stores nationwide with local nonprofit organizations who may pick up donated products each week. Charities must register for the service for at least one year for a fee of $500 for management expenses and $150 for vetting. As part of the progam, nonprofits are eligible to receive items such as appliances, building supplies, and other household items. As Gifts-In-Kind members, organizations will also have access to a wide variety of other donations such as personal care products and clothing. Find out more.

AmeriCorps Alums Partner for Tax Help

As tax season approaches, AmeriCorps Alums have formed a partnership with H&R Block for a great opportunity that will allow you to file your tax returns at no cost. As long as you can provide and e-mail address and have an adjusted gross income of $54,000 or less, you are eligible to have your taxes prepared for free. Learn more about the program.

Volunteer Vacations on the Rise

In a recent survey of more than 1,600 people, Condé Nast Publications found that approximately 20 percent of travelers have taken at least one "volunteer vacation." Dubbed "voluntourism," these trips incorporate some sort of community service activity into a leisure trip. Of those individuals who hadn't yet experienced "voluntourism," nearly 62 percent said they'd be very likely or somewhat likely to do so in the future. The idea of incorporating volunteer work into travel isn't new, but the scope of such efforts is expanding rapidly. "There's been a huge upswing in the wake of September 11, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami," says Kimberly Haley-Coleman, executive director of GlobeAware.org, a volunteer vacation travel agency. Read the study results and learn more about "voluntourism."

Latest Online Tool for Nonprofits on Facebook

Network for Good has announced a new partnership with Causes, an application on Facebook in which nonprofit organizations can launch online fundraising drives using the networking site to promote their cause to friends and contacts. The partnership with Network for Good will enable organizations to streamline the donation process, manage their database, create tax receipts and help with reporting. Find out more.