VANtage: May 2024
Alaina Reimer | Published on 5/8/2024
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE:
Dear VAN Members,
Congratulations to all the soon-to-be grads! My son is about to finish Kindergarten himself! He's reading, he's 'riting, he's 'rithmeticking. He's learned a lot. And not just from schoolwork. He's learned how to be brave. I won't share his secret. I think back to when I graduated from high school. I was scared going to college. But my mantra was "Lots of other people have done this. So can I."
I think back to when I graduated from Ohio State. I looked around the Horseshoe at thousands of other grads who were about to compete with me for jobs. I taught myself to value what I had accomplished, even if it looked like maybe I wasn't so special. Turns out my diploma wasn't what set me apart. I figured out it was volunteering. I shared that with a lot of friends who were struggling to find work.
We pick up little things that might be helpful to others. This month's topic is one I know will be helpful to a lot of our members. It's a long time in the making. I'm happy to present some of my secrets-that-I-don't-want-to-be-secrets. I hope you'll join us this month for a discussion on volunteer sources that you may not know about or know you can use.
Galen Roth, CVA
Volunteers Manager at the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio
VAN President
MAY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Topic: Alternate Volunteer Sources with Galen Roth, CVA
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024
Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Columbus Metro Library - 96 S. Grant Street Meeting Room 1A
Details: You've exhausted your regular channels of recruiting volunteers. Your organization is growing or adding programming. Or you've got some tasks that you can't imagine anyone would ever do for free. Let's explore some of those outside-the-box sources of help. Where to go, what to know, what to prepare beforehand.
Bring a friend to join you! The first meeting is always free!
SAVE THE DATE for VAN's June Professional Development session on Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 9 am.
JOB POSTINGS:
Our website is full of job listings in central Ohio! If you're a VAN Central Ohio member looking for a position working with volunteers, you can click here to access the page. There are many local openings including positions at Canine Companions, BESA, Ronald McDonald House, and MORE! Postings are updated throughout the month, so log in and check back often!
VAN BOARD OPPORTUNITIES:
Are you passionate about volunteer administration? Are you looking to give back in a big way while learning and growing professionally? Then joining the VAN Board may be the right fit for you! We are currently seeking value-added members to join our team in the following openings: Membership Co-Chair and Professional Development Co-Chair. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to take that next step in leadership and professional growth. If interested, please email groth@furniturebankcoh.org with a copy of your resume.
OTHER UPDATES & HAPPENINGS:
- NEW VAN Membership Pricing Structure: you asked, we answered! The VAN board is excited to announce that we have a new annual membership pricing structure available. New members can head here to pay their annual membership fee!
- Individual Membership (unchanged): $75/person
- AmeriCorps (NEW): $50/person
- Organizational (NEW): $175/organization
- Columbus Academy Annual Service Day: Friday, Aug. 30 from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm - Does your organization need a group of approximately 10 teen volunteers (who come along with 1-2 adult chaperones) to help with various service projects? Reach out to the Columbus Academy's Service Board Advisor, Christy Bening at beningc@columbusacademy.org for more info.
- Interested in earning your CVA credentials? Check out THIS webinar explaining the process on Wed. May 15, 2024 through Better Impact.
- Service Learning Institute: offered through Serve Ohio as they seek to increase engagement with school districts and after-school programs. Grants are available to help implement service-lerning activities after completion of the training program. Attend an informational webinar on May 17 - learn more HERE.
We hope to see you at an upcoming VAN PD Session soon!