Volunteers lend their expertise on volunteerism

Posted by Ken on March 10, 2010 under Partnerships | 2 Comments to Read

On September 11, 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama delivered a “Call to Service” speech which encouraged the American people to participate in socially transformative initiatives and “come together to shape the course of history.” 

Less than a year later, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch the NYC Civic Corps.  Among the 193 AmeriCorps VISTA members who were sworn in, several came to join The Doe Fund family.

Two in particular, Dana Perry and Christopher Tran, have focused their efforts on volunteer recruitment at The Doe Fund.  In a relatively short time, they have completely overhauled the way we engage with volunteers interested in getting more involved with Ready, Willing & Able.  With their leadership, we now have more tutors, extended computer lab hours, and additional support for trainees in Job Search.  Their commitment to both service and our mission to end homelessness and criminal recidivism has reinvigorated The Doe Fund’s volunteer initiatives program. 

“The impact the VISTA’s have had on our organization has been nothing short of incredible.  They turn their interest into tangible improvements and expansions to the services we offer the ‘men in blue.’”

 – Maire O’Malley, Major Gifts Liaison & Volunteer Coordinator

“Our VISTA volunteers from Americorps are a hardworking, dedicated bunch. But what I’ve been most impressed by is their ability to hone the structures of several of our volunteer events and to create an orientation program for our volunteers from scratch.”

– Calvin Lai, Manager of Foundation and Corporate Giving