Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? Nowadays, every food or title has its own special day. We feel National Volunteer Month deserves to not get lost in the mix.
National Volunteer Month is an expansion of National Volunteer Week, which was initiated in 1989 by President George H.W. Bush. Throughout Bush’s presidency, he recognized thousands of volunteers of “points of light.” This inspired the creation of the Points of Light Foundation, which is now a leader in encouraging and organizing volunteerism and change worldwide. Now we have National Volunteer Month! A whole thirty days dedicated to celebrating volunteers and sharing the impact volunteering has on a community. Avery Hall prides itself on being a giving agency. Our organization was founded on putting community involvement and philanthropy first. In honor of National Volunteer Month, we decided to take a stroll down memory lane and reminisce on some of Avery Hall’s past volunteer experiences in our community. Now, allow us to take a deep stroll through our Facebook photos (so you don’t have to!):
First up, a few Avery Hall team members at a Salisbury Zoo clean-up circa April 2013.
In January of 2016, former Chief Operating Officer Kevin Hayes helped with a ramp renovation for the Fruitland Community Center in partnership with the Rotary Club of Wicomico County.Here are a few team members at a 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. An organization that Avery Hall still continues to sponsor. In 2018, some Avery Hall volunteers participated in Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore’s Leadership Day program. Kevin Hayes and Christy Rose had so much fun teaching the Junior Achievement “Our Community” lesson to Beaver Run Elementary School students. Ringing the red Salvation Army bell during the holiday season is one of the first volunteer experiences many people have (or remember). Check out some of our team members ringing their bells in 2018.
In the spring of 2019, our team really got to work! In April, a few of our Benefits team members participated in the Habitat for Human Choptank Women’s Build. Also pictured are Avery Hall volunteers helping at the Camden Community Garden in June.
We loved having the National Folk Festival bring Downtown Salisbury to life! Our team had a blast volunteering in 2018 and 2019.
That brings us to 2020. A heck of a year for sure, but not even a pandemic could stop Avery Hall from giving back! Last year our team packed boxes for Operation We Care, donated Thanksgiving meals to the Neighborhood Service Center, helped provide Christmas for a local family via gift donations to HALO, and sponsored dozens of virtual events.
Needless to say, National Volunteer Month is pretty special to us. We so badly wish that we could be back having these hands-on with our teammates and fellow community members. Until it is safe to do so, we will continue to find unique ways to give and support the non-profit organizations that are so essential to our community’s well-being.
The best way to keep up with Avery Hall’s community involvement is by following us on social media! You can explore a few of the organizations we support here and learn about our Avery Hall Cares Referral Program here.
