Various local and national nonprofit organizations are celebrating National Volunteer Month, which highlights the contributions of volunteers and inspires others to become involved in their services.
The American Red Cross, for instance, is encouraging every eligible blood donor to roll up their sleeve and help lend an arm to benefit patients in need, said Aly Barraza, the communications manager for the Massachusetts chapter of the Red Cross.
Barraza said while the Red Cross raises awareness on the importance of donating blood year-round, the organization views National Volunteer Month as an added motivation for people to help out.
“There’s always the encouragement there throughout the year because every two seconds someone needs blood, so the need is constant, no matter what month it is,” Barraza said.
The primary mission of the Red Cross’ blood donation branch is to help hospital patients in need, and there are many different uses for donated blood, Barraza said. For patients in the United States, volunteer donors are the only source of blood, and are therefore vital to the Red Cross.
“You’re helping accident victims, victims of trauma situations, burn victims [and] cancer patients can benefit from not only blood transfusions but platelets, which are a product of blood,” Barraza said.
Barraza said the Red Cross has volunteers who have made lifetime commitments to donating blood, and applauded them for their dedication to helping those in need.
“It’s incredible to see and that’s the type of folks we want to highlight during National Volunteer month, to show that with every pint, they’re helping to save more than one life,” Barraza said.
Jessica Garretson, the associate director of volunteer services at Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston, said they honor National Volunteer Month because volunteers play an influential part in aiding the shelter’s mission, which includes providing women with an environment that enables them to seek opportunity and find security.
“We were founded by a small group of volunteers back in 1974, and they’ve really been integral to Rosie’s Place,” Garretson said. “We’re really a multiservice center, providing a wide range of services for women who are struggling and in need in our community.”
Over the course of a year, volunteers collectively donate more than 60,000 hours of their time, the equivalent of about 29 full-time staff people, Garretson said. The volunteers extend their services in a multitude of ways, from leading art workshops to teaching language classes.
“We have volunteers who help out on a one-time basis, so that would be they come in and help serve a meal,” Garretson said. “Other individuals might make a longer term commitment, maybe they go through training and learn how to teach English.”
From assisting the organization in meeting immediate needs to instilling a lasting change in the lives of women who seek shelter at Rosie’s Place, Garretson said without volunteers, none of their work would be possible.
“[Volunteers] help create that warm, welcoming space and the women really appreciate that people are donating their time to help make a difference in their lives,” Garretson said. “We really couldn’t do things the way that we do them, and definitely not the Rosie’s Place way.”
Patrice Keegan, the executive director of Boston Cares, a nonprofit that builds relationships with other nonprofits and schools to meet their designated goals, said in the organization’s first 25 years of operation, volunteers made over 10 million meals for people suffering from food insecurity.
Keegan said Boston Cares celebrates National Volunteer Week, which takes place from April 23 to 29. In honor of this week, Boston Cares hosts several awareness events, including a corporate volunteer project and their annual Global Youth Service Day, a national day of volunteer service for young people in particular.
Several Boston residents said volunteering holds intrinsic value, from standing in solidarity with minority communities to lending a helping hand to those in need.
Hilary Read, 27, of Allston, said giving back to the community is a part of human nature and is especially important given the modern political climate.
“It’s humanity,” Read said. “You have to help each other out, it’s the only way we’ll survive. I give blood and donate to the Red Cross. I have one friend that … was involved with the Peace Corps a couple of years ago. I would encourage other people to volunteer.”
Chris Meier, 35, of Kenmore, said while he is returning home to Europe in a month after being in the United States for a year, he would have taken the opportunity to volunteer if he could have, and said he believes National Volunteer Month is important because it raises awareness.
“I’m originally from Europe and I think that in the United States, it’s very nice that fundraising and helping others is a big thing,” Meier said. “We as a community need to help those poorer people or those who have less than we.”
Leah Rice, 29, of Allston, said her experience with volunteering traces back to her high school years, and has evolved into a valuable component of her current job.
“Realizing that people need your time and seeing that you’re committed to their cause makes [volunteering] all the better,” Rice said.
