On their next furlough day, many state workers won’t just be taking a day off. They’ll be giving a Day of Service. The Thurston County Steering Committee of the Combined Fund Drive, teaming with the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties, is organizing a Day of Service cleanup event in downtown Olympia on August 6. They will be removing trash, digging weeds, and more to make downtown sparkle in the summer sun. All state employees – and all other interested volunteers – are invited to participate. The idea first came from Valerie Pollet of the Medicaid Purchasing Administration...

CHEHALIS – In April of 1985 when the Community Action Council was looking to expand its Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) into Lewis County, Susan Lamoreaux was working temporarily as an intake person. Now 25 years later, she is retiring as the RSVP Coordinator for the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties. “The variety of activities attracted me to this position and the whole concept of service was something that I grew up with so it was an easy thing to connect with and feel passionate about,” said Lamoreaux. At the 25th annual RSVP recognition event held recently...

Being a fund development volunteer can be a rewarding experience! Newcomers are welcome to join us for the third class in a four-part series of seminars on how to sustain a skills-based volunteer program and learn more about how to work with volunteers to help raise funds for your organization. This series of workshops is designed to create collaborations between nonprofit organizations and skills-based volunteers to enhance community services. The third workshop in the series, “The Fund Development Volunteer,” will help participants train volunteers to help raise funds for their nonprofit’s sustainable skills-based volunteer program. The class will discuss: •The...

For the second year in a row, The Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties is promoting a summer long campaign to inspire volunteering in the area. “Anyone can participate and there are a variety of different opportunities to choose from like working on landscaping at Bread and Roses, building a house in Lewis County, creating crafts at Sand in the City, or helping a local nonprofit form an operating plan through Executive Service Corp,” said Sara Ballard, Executive Director of the Volunteer Center. From Memorial Day (May 31st) to Patriot Day (September 11th), the Volunteer Center will feature...

OLYMPIA – Friday, May 21st, community members dressed up in their best evening wear to walk the red carpet and pose for photos at the first ever Voluntonies Award Show, to honor volunteers and hardworking nonprofits in the area. Presented by The Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties, the Hollywood-style volunteer award show, hosted at the historic Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia, offered guests a chance to feel like celebrities while accepting awards for the services they offer on a regular basis. “Volunteers work so hard and give so much of themselves to the community that we wanted...

By Ben McCready, Americorps Volunteer Over the past nine and a half months I’ve been a member of a ten-month program called Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). As a corps member, I became a member of a team of...

By Adam Fletcher When I look at the place where I live, sometimes things seem worse off than ever. There are huge government deficits and growing unemployment; Social Security is running out and we’re drilling for oil in every pristine...