Dear VAN Members,

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! We hope this finds you having a lucky day in Central, Ohio and gearing up for our next Professional Development session THIS Thursday! Also, please don't forget about the VAN Awards so we can highlight folks making a difference in our communities and organizations!

March Professional Development:

• Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
• Time:9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
• Location:Columbus Metropolitan Library, 96 South Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215-Meeting Room 3B
• Agenda:The morning session kicks off at 9 a.m. with a light breakfast, coffee, and an engaging professional development presentation. The session concludes around 10:15-10:30 a.m., followed by a dedicated time for questions and networking.
• Topic:Mobilizing Volunteers Around Your Mission -presentation by Emily Rial & Susan Swinford of Columbus Food Rescu

VAN AWARDS:

VAN Award Nominations- please help us lift our profession and the important work our organizations support in the Central, Ohio community. Nominations will be carefully considered in the below 5 categories with winners being notified in early April and recognized at our April 17 PD Session just in time for National Volunteer Week! The deadline has been extended, pleaseMake your nominations by April 8, 2025HERE.

1. Mary Merrill Excellence Award: recognizes a central Ohio professional administrator of volunteers for their outstanding contributions to the field and promotion of volunteerism in the community. Any individual who manages volunteers in a public, corporate or non-profit organization is eligible for nomination. Self-nominations are also accepted.
2. Corporate Champion Award: recognizes a for-profit organization that promotes and commits to employee volunteerism. This organization should demonstrate excellence in community service through volunteerism. Self-nominations are also accepted.
3. Executive Leader Award: recognizes a high-level leader in an organization for their support of their organization's volunteer program. The nominee should respect and value the work of the volunteer department staff and volunteers, as well as ensuresmoney is available for volunteer program management and acknowledge the importance of volunteers within the organization. Self-nominations are also accepted.
4. VAN Member of the Year Award: recognizes an outstanding individual who exemplifies exceptional dedication to VAN. This member should demonstrate a high level of commitment by attending professional development sessions regularly, actively contributing to meetings and discussions, and is actively engaged in the organization.
5. Outstanding Youth Service Award: recognizes a young person (18 and under) who has made a remarkable impact through volunteer service. This nominee should demonstrate exceptional dedication, creativity, and passion in addressing community needs andinspiring others.
6. Make your nominations TODAY!

JOB POSTINGS:

Our website is full of joblistings in central Ohio! If you're a VAN Central Ohio memberlooking for a position working with volunteers, you canclick here to access the page.There are many local openingsincluding positions at theAlzheimer's Association,BESA,and MORE!Postings are updated throughout the month, so log in and check back often!

OTHER UPDATES & HAPPENINGS:

• New Volunteer Administrators!Check out this FREEVolunteer Engagement 101 course! The spring 2025 cohort begins on April 23 with virtual classes being held each Wednesday morning.
• National Volunteer Weekis April 20-26 this year! Check out resources from Points of LightHERE.
• Columbus Blue Jackets Volunteer Appreciation:as part of your National Volunteer Week and showing appreciation to your organization's volunteers, consider sharing this awesome deal to watch a Blue Jackets hockey game for buy one, get one ticket deal for volunteersHERE.
• Points of Light Conference:ThePoints of Light Conferencewill take place on June 3–6, 2025, in New Orleans. Join NGO, corporate, education, government and civic leaders committed to increasing volunteering and civic engagement around the world through cutting-edge strategies, cross-sector solutions, global conversations and a bold commitment to strengthening communities.
• Project Fundingfor Days of Service:check out available grants through Serve Ohio for various days of service funding. The next one up is ServeOhio Day taking place on June 21, 2025 with grants ranging from $250-$1,000 - the deadline to apply is March 25!

Need to renew your VAN Membership orknow someone who might be interested in joining VAN? Visit us online at vancentralohio.org!