Getting Things Done For Ohio

20th Anniversary of 9/11: A Day of Remembrance Through Service

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 16:12:18 GMT

On September 11, 2001, four airplanes were hijacked and used to carry out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.

This year will be the 20^th anniversary of the attacks. Many organizations join together to help transform the anniversary of 9/11 into a day of worldwide unity and doing good in tribute to those who were killed and injured in the attacks, as well as the many rescue and recovery workers and members of our military who bravely rose in service in response. This year, thousands of Americans of all ages and backgrounds will participate in service projects on September 11. Service projects will range from food drives and home repairs to neighborhood cleanups and disaster preparation activities. In many areas, volunteers will honor veterans, soldiers, or first responders by collecting donations, assembling care packages, and writing thank you letters.

You can participate in this day of service by joining a volunteer opportunity near you! Find opportunities across the country here or in Ohio through Get Connected. You can also start your own project! See below for some ideas:

Collect school supplies and deliver them to a local school (make sure to discover what they need first. COVID may have changed what schools need.).
Sign up to serve or deliver meals to those at risk of hunger.
Work with a local food bank or pantry to collect or deliver donations.
Sign up to be a mentor or tutor (This can be done virtually).
Beautify a local park or community space – fall is a good time to plant trees and spring blooming bulbs.
Arrange a virtual visit to a senior citizen center or send cards to residents/clients of a senior center.
Check with your local fire station and see if you can organize a fall clean up or serve them a meal.
Arrange a visit to a veterans’ center. You can also check with the center to see if they need personal care items and launch a collection drive.
Join your neighbors for a meeting to assess your community's disaster preparedness and take steps to support improvements.
Partner with your local fire department to install smoke alarms in neighborhoods with the highest incidence of home fires.
Help neighbors who could use assistance preparing their homes for the winter months.

Volunteerism renews and strengthens communities, families, and ourselves. As families continue to deal with challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we don’t turn inward, but instead create common cause.

“Even if you just change one life, you’ve changed the world forever.” – Mike Satterfield

A Day On for Service: Get Involved on MLK Day

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 14:24:21 GMT

On January 18, 2021, our country will pause and remember a civil rights hero, Dr. Martin Luther King. Since 1994, MLK Day has been a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” ServeOhio is proud to sponsor and promote this day of service in Ohio in partnership with AmeriCorps and the American Electric Power Foundation. This year, we’re providing funding support for ten organizations who will engage 312 volunteers across the state in celebration of MLK Day. Read about those projects here. Additionally, thousands of volunteers will get involved in their communities to not only volunteer, but to honor the legacy of Dr. King who famously said, “Everyone can be great because everybody can serve.”

Here are a few ways you can serve on MLK Day:

Check out hundreds of volunteer opportunities on Get Connected, Ohio’s statewide volunteer portal. You can search for volunteer opportunities happening on MLK Day or you can find ways to serve your community throughout the year. Want to post a volunteer opportunity on Get Connected? Click here.
Create your own project! This year we all need to be careful about the spread of COVID-19. The good news is that you can still create service projects in your own home or virtually. Here are a few ideas/resources:
1. Make fleece tie blankets to donate to a local homeless shelter
2. Organize a donation drive to support those in need in your community. You could collect food, coats, socks, blankets, or hygiene items
3. Letter writing to older adults in nursing homes. Make sure to call the nursing home first to find out what is needed and what protocols must be followed.
4. Letter writing to deployed troops (operationgratitude.com)
5. Support Health Care Workers and first responders in Your Community - send postcards or have treats & thank you cards delivered. Make sure to call local hospitals to find out what is needed
6. Outdoor cleanups and beautification projects
Additional Resources:
1. Anti-Racist Service Project ideas/resources
2. Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindness
3. Find more resources and ideas from Youth Service America

Are you planning to serve on MLK Day? Post about it using the hashtag #MLKDAY and don’t forget to tag @ServeOhio!

Year in Review: Bright Spots from 2020

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 16:51:18 GMT

It has been a tough year. Like organizations across the country and the world, ServeOhio made major shifts to our programming in 2020 and transitioned to a virtual office. While the challenges were great this year, it was also a year where we saw incredible resiliency, passion for service, and new opportunities. As we prepare to ring in the new year and hope for a brighter 2021, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on the good stuff from 2020.

Ohio AmeriCorps Members Continued to Serve During the Pandemic

AmeriCorps members and programs have been incredibly adaptive in serving the needs in their communities during the pandemic. Ohio AmeriCorps members have served over 8,000 hours in response to COVID-19. These AmeriCorps members performed alternate service activities to meet the needs of the moment. Members supported students remotely by participating in e-learning, tutoring, mentoring, and coaching. They collected and compiled lists of resources to help with basic needs, health services, job, and housing services during the crisis. They also served in food pantries, packaged meals, and delivered the meals to the most vulnerable individuals in their communities. We’re thrilled to report that 643 AmeriCorps members successfully completed their service in 2020 and we currently have 624 members serving to address the most critical needs in their communities. #OHACstillserving

AmeriCorps Members are Volunteer Mobilizers in Ohio

In addition to serving their communities during the pandemic, Ohio AmeriCorps members also recruited community volunteers to serve alongside them. In the 2020 program year, Ohio AmeriCorps members recruited 4,430 community volunteers who gave 35,893 hours of service to their communities to address critical needs. We are so inspired by the incredible impact of Ohio’s AmeriCorps members and volunteers!

Community Resilience Projects

When the pandemic hit in March, ServeOhio was in the middle of the Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) Grant competition which would have supported large volunteer projects on GYSD in April. Since we did not want to promote groups of people coming together in-person, we decided to redirect those funds to support communities who were either directly or indirectly addressing immediate needs caused by the pandemic. We launched the Community Resilience grant competition in late-March which provided up to $2,000 in funding to support community-led projects addressing the needs of the most vulnerable members of their communities. The funds were highly competitive – we received more than 260 applications for funding from across the state. We awarded $60,000 which supported 36 organizations who delivered food and toiletries to seniors, delivered meals, diapers, and school supplies to children, made masks, mailed cards, and so much more. The projects mobilized 1,586 Ohioans (safely and socially distant) and impacted 23,514 of the most vulnerable residents in their communities. Here are just a few examples of the amazing service that took place.

- Cleveland - the Famicos Foundation mobilized 30 volunteers to supply food, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and paper products to low-income seniors and single parents suffering during this crisis.
- Kettering - the Kettering Backpack Program used their Grant to mobilize 20 volunteers to distribute puzzles, books, craft kits and games to help occupy children and encourage family fun while social distancing.
- Columbus - The PAST Foundation used their Community Resilience Grant to purchase materials that allowed 50 student volunteers to 3-D print reusable face masks and face shields for nurses and other professionals at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

These are just a few examples of how individuals and organizations across Ohio have stepped up to strengthen their communities in times of crisis. We continue to be inspired with how quickly communities responded and mobilized members of their community to respond to the needs of their most vulnerable residents.

Launched Get Connected – Ohio’s First Statewide Volunteer Portal!

Over the summer, we launched a new statewide volunteer engagement platform, Get Connected. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the incredible importance of local volunteer service, but many areas in Ohio, specifically rural areas, did not have local volunteer engagement resources. We launched Get Connected to provide volunteer engagement infrastructure in Ohio communities that did not have existing resources as well as to highlight and support the resources that already exist across the state. Built on the Galaxy Digital platform, Get Connected provides volunteer administrators a management system to post volunteer opportunities, recruit volunteers in their local community, and manage their volunteers all within the platform. Volunteers can search for opportunities that best match their skills and interests.

Interested in posting volunteer opportunities on Get Connected? Click here.

Hosted a Virtual Conference on Service and Volunteerism

It became clear in the spring that the 2020 Ohio Conference on Service & Volunteerism could not convene participants in-person in the fall. The conference committee made the decision to host a virtual conference instead and it was a great success! We hosted four interactive webinars throughout October with high quality content that helped volunteer and service professionals navigate the challenges of the moment - the pandemic and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Did you miss it? You can still access two of the sessions on our website here.

Approved State Service Plan for 2020 - 2022

Like other state service commissions, ServeOhio is charged with developing an actionable three-year national and community service plan to establish state priorities relative to national service and volunteer engagement. Read the full 2020 - 22 plan here. Since our inception in 1994, ServeOhio has invested more than $195 million dollars in AmeriCorps and other state, federal and private funds in Ohio’s communities. In that time, over 35,000 Ohio residents have served as AmeriCorps members, providing 56 million hours of service, and earning education awards totaling $118.2 million.

Honored Outstanding Volunteerism in Ohio

The ServeOhio Awards honor outstanding people, groups, and initiatives who make great contributions to their local communities and the state through service and volunteerism. Even though we could not present the awards in person, we honored the 5 recipients via social media during National Volunteer Week. Read about our inspiring recipients here. Want to nominate a volunteer for the 2021 ServeOhio Awards? There is still time – nominations are due by January 29^th. Learn more here.

Wrapped Cohort 2 of the Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Academy

This year, we engaged 12 nonprofits in the Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Academy to increase their capacity to take advantage of highly-skilled professional volunteers. ServeOhio and our partner Common Impact trained and supported each organization in the effective utilization of skills-based volunteers in projects that increase the capacity and effectiveness of their individual organizations. Our third cohort launches this spring and there is still time to apply. Learn more here.

Thank you to all the members, program directors, site supervisors, volunteer administrators and community volunteers who work to make Ohio communities stronger every day of the year. Cheers to a brighter 2021!

7 Reasons to Post Your Volunteer Opportunities on Get Connected

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 12:27:43 GMT

Get Connected is ServeOhio’s new volunteer engagement platform and is the only statewide volunteer portal in Ohio. The site compiles volunteer engagement resources from across the state and helps volunteers find ways to get involved and address needs in their local communities.

Get Connected drives volunteers to local resources first by listing volunteer centers across the state. A volunteer center is an organization in a local community, usually serving an entire county, the compiles lists of volunteer opportunities and other resources with their local partners. Volunteer centers are incredible resources for the communities where they exist, but unfortunately there are not volunteer centers in all 88 counties in Ohio. That is where Get Connected comes in – for organizations seeking volunteers that do not have access to a local volunteer center, they can post their opportunities directly on Get Connected to recruit volunteers. Get Connected is available to nonprofits, faith-based organizations, government organizations, and community organizations in Ohio.

Why Post Volunteer Opportunities on Get Connected?

1. Free Volunteer Management Software

Get Connected is free to use and provides robust volunteer management tools for organizations. Volunteer Managers can track their volunteers and hours, approve volunteer hours, export data in an excel spreadsheet, print schedules and sign-in sheets, and much more!

2. Save time

Auto notifications and user-friendly posting allows your organization to work more efficiently. Easily share your volunteer needs on social media, too!

3. Target Interest

With dynamic searching, volunteers can find opportunities they are passionate about. So the best volunteers come directly to you.

4. Useful Reports

Get Connected makes it easy to track and report on need responses, volunteer hours, and community impact – important data for grants and funding!

5. Build meaningful relationships

Volunteers who “fan” an organization will receive notifications about new posts. So it’s easy for volunteers who believe in your work to access exciting opportunities!

6. Gain exposure

By tapping into our established network, you’ll become more visible, and more volunteers are likely to find the opportunities you’re posting.

7. Useful features

Recruit and engage with volunteers from a single platform using:

Volunteer check in
Agency profile page
Hours tracking
Auto notifications
Easy posting of needs
Volunteer scheduling

Post your volunteer opportunities by clicking here.

The Impact of the Volunteer Generation Fund

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:30:22 GMT

ServeOhio is the proud recipient of funding from the Volunteer Generation Fund through the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) is a program authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to support voluntary organizations and state service commissions in boosting the impact of volunteers in addressing critical community needs.

Our VGF program focuses primarily on training and coaching nonprofits across Ohio to engage skills-based volunteers in well-defined projects to increase the capacity of their organizations to meet their mission. Skills-based volunteering (SBV) is the practice of lending one’s specific professional expertise to community organizations in a way that helps them affect social change. SBV differs from other, more traditional forms of volunteering in that volunteers are engaged in activities that leverage their professional expertise and experience – such as marketing, finance, or human resources. Skilled volunteer support is typically focused on operational or administrative functions - activities that a nonprofit might otherwise have to hire or pay for specialized support. In its second year of operation, ServeOhio’s Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Academy is working with 17 nonprofits across Ohio to help them utilize skills-based volunteers to increase their organizational capacity and create community change.

Additionally, VGF funding helps ServeOhio provide grants for National Days of Service projects that engage thousands of volunteers on MLK Day (January), Global Youth Service Day (April), ServeOhio Day (June), and Make a Difference Day (October). In 2019, ServeOhio awarded over $65,000 in grants to 62 organizations which supported 3,426 volunteers in 9,819 hours of service in projects such as community cleanups, painting murals in schools, facilitating food drives, building community gardens, and more. Additionally, ServeOhio was able to leverage VGF funds to provide Community Resilience Grants to support 36 initiatives that utilized residents and community volunteers to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

We’re proud of the work we’re doing to support volunteer engagement across the State of Ohio and we deeply appreciate the Corporation for National and Community Service for providing funds for the Volunteer Generation Fund.

Metroparks Toledo: A Volunteer’s Happy Place

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 11:00:05 GMT

Research shows volunteering has a positive impact on happiness. For Metroparks Toledo volunteer Janet Burtch, happiness is part of the reason she gives back to her community. Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio Janet has been a dedicated Metroparks Toledo volunteer for over 3 years. She began lending a hand in her community, “to keep Toledo” as Janet says, “a community that cares about each other”. For her, the park system has always been her happy place and she wanted to share that happiness with others. As a member of Volunteer Trail Patrol, she acts as an extra set of eyes and ears for the park rangers. VTP patrol park trails on foot, bike, and horse and keep the parks safe for all visitors. As an avid runner and hiker, the VTP program is a perfect fit! Janet began patrolling 4 out of 16 parks in her first year on VTP. While on patrol, Janet goes a step above and assists with litter pick-up while on patrol. The operations staff has noticed her diligence and consistent attention to detail while maintaining park cleanliness, especially in highly visible and high traffic areas along roads, trails, parking lots and playground. The operations team even nominated Janet for a “Knock Your Socks Off” award because of her outstanding service to others and keeping the parks clean.

“Metroparks is a great place volunteer because there are so many different opportunities”. Janet has volunteered in so many unique capacities. As a Garden Keeper, she has adopted garden beds at 5 different parks and maintains the beds from early spring to late fall. Using her interpretive skill as a Manor House Docent, Janet leads park visitors from around the world on tours of the historic Manor House and weaves a tale of Toledo history. As a Facility Host, she shows off park rental facilities and helps visitors imagine what their wedding or other special event will look like celebrated at the park. And finally, as an Information Table Host, she hosts information tables at festivals, community events and other gatherings to inform the public all that is offered by Metroparks. Oops! One more. She greets staff and visitors while staffing the reception desk at the Visitor Center and is even able to fold t-shirts between helping visitors. She is an outstanding ambassador for the parks! Janet has accumulated nearly 700 volunteer hours in the less than 3 years of service – that’s over 200 hours each year. Staff members are impressed by her positive attitude, dedication to volunteerism, and her willingness to always lend a hand to her beloved community. She cares for her happy place and it shows!

- Hannah Calandra - Volunteer Coordinator, Metroparks Toledo

25th Annual MLK Day of Service

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 13:41:54 GMT

The 2020 MLK Day of Service is almost here – and Americans across the country are rolling up their sleeves in service. Here in Ohio, thousands of volunteers will serve in their communities and turn their day off work into a day on for service. ServeOhio is proud to support ten service projects across the state which will engage 2,286 volunteers dedicated to improving their community. These are the projects.

Canton City School District, Canton – 30 student volunteers will improve the physical condition of the Monroe Neighborhood Community Center by providing a deep-clean of the interior and painting a mural inside the center.
College Now Greater Cleveland, Cleveland – 300 volunteers and AmeriCorps members will collect, package, and distribute care packages that will be delivered to college students in greater Cleveland who are at high-risk of poverty/hunger.
Hamilton Urban Garden Systems (HUGS), Hamilton – 40 volunteers will winterize the HUGS community garden by cleaning out raised box beds, preparing berry beds for winter, trimming and removing tree and shrub growth along the perimeter, and removing larger gardening materials and waste not needed for the 2020 growing season.
I Know I Can, Columbus – 40 volunteers and AmeriCorps members will participate in an intergenerational service project in which students at Easthaven Elementary School and seniors at the Martin Janis Community Senior Center will exchange letters of encouragement and assemble care packages to be delivered to fourth and fifth grade students at Easthaven.
Ohio Hi Point Career Center/Bunsold Middle School Career Connections, Bellefontaine – 34 students at Bunsold Middle School will create and launch “The Monarch Food Locker”, a inconspicuous food pantry for students who are at high risk of hunger.
Ohio University, Athens – 37 volunteers and AmeriCorps members will host a community market in the Trimble area of Athens County. The market will provide free clothing, hygiene products, food, and books for any community member in the area of the Trimble Local School District.
Otterbein University, Westerville – 250 students will participate in a stop-and-serve event to build community while educating students on strategic efforts to address social issues. Students will package trail mix packets for food-insecure elementary school children, create stuffed animal dogs to give to children at a local shelter, and make plarn mats for the homeless in Franklin County.
Shaker Schools Foundation, Shaker Heights – 1,500 students in the Shaker Heights School District will participate in the Shaker Schools MLK Day of Service. K - 4^th graders will make fleece blankets to give to the homeless. 5^th – 8^th graders will assemble personal care and cleaning kits to donate to Bellfaire JCB, Family Promise, and Fostering Hope. High school students will coordinate a volunteer fair where students and community members can sign up to volunteer at a nonprofit, and several high school clubs will have a bake sale that generates funds to donate to one of the District’s nonprofit partners.
The RIDGE Project, McClure – 30 volunteers from the student leadership group Ohio Youth Congress will support and encourage students at Holgate Local Schools by embellishing 51 bathroom stall doors with positive quotes and/or phrases.
YMCA of Central Ohio, Columbus – 25 volunteers and AmeriCorps members will prepare and serve a pancake breakfast for the male residents in the Downtown YMCA transitional housing shelter. Additionally, volunteers will design and paint a mural symbolizing MLK’s commitment to serving others with YMCA residents contributing their handprints to symbolize our continuing connection to the legacy of MLK’s work and spirit. Finally, volunteers will engage residents in a service project assembling Blessing Bags to be distributed as part of the YMCA health worker outreach.

Making time to volunteer for the 2020 MLK Day of Service is a great way to engage with your community while honoring the legacy of Dr. King. Whether you plan on grabbing a paintbrush, mentoring a young person, or helping to clean up a public space in the next few days, know that what you do makes a world of difference. Ready to get involved? Go to mlkday.gov to find resources and volunteer projects in your community.

AmeriCorps Members and Citizens Serve Ohio

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 21:14:56 GMT

This fall, more than 800 individuals graduated from their AmeriCorps programs. You may have seen these members in your community wearing a big “A” on their rolled-up sleeve serving alongside community members to get things done. These commitments included participation in National Days of Service such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Global Youth Service Day and ServeOhio Day to support ServeOhio’s goal of increasing citizens in service. The Days of Service allow individuals of all backgrounds to come together and be part of the solution around building community, providing safe spaces to live and play or increasing access to healthy food, to highlight just a few examples.

In the past year, these members garnered the support of almost 8,000 Ohioans to give nearly 50,000 hours to support local solutions. If you consider an average full-time employee provides at least 2,080 hours of work per year, that’s 24 times the people power to get things done! ServeOhio thanks the hundreds of AmeriCorps members and thousands of volunteers for making Ohio healthier, safer and stronger.

You too can be part of serving Ohio! Find more information about Ohio’s AmeriCorps programs here.

Written by Mary Cannon

5 Reasons to Attend the 2019 ServeOhio Conference

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:00:00 GMT

The annual Ohio Conference on Service and Volunteerism brings together volunteer program administrators, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members and staff, philanthropy managers, and nonprofit leaders from across the state of Ohio. It is the only statewide conference of its kind, and professionals in the service and volunteerism field depend on it to learn new trends, best practices, and to receive high-quality professional development. If you’re on the fence about attending the conference this year, here are 5 reasons you should register now.

Outstanding Opening Plenary featuring a World Cafè Session

Based on prior years’ feedback, we’ve built in more time for conference participants to meet each other, network, and discuss issues pertinent to the volunteerism and service field. To that end, our opening session will include a World Cafè session in which conference participants will work collectively to identify and discover strategies that build resiliency and ultimately strengthen our programs and communities.

High-Quality Breakout Sessions

This year, there are 18 breakout sessions to choose from that are sure to meet the professional development needs of any volunteer and service professional. Each session has a target audience – AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Volunteer Program Administrator, or General – to ensure that participants attend sessions that are relevant to them. Whether you’re new to the field or you’ve been doing this for 20+ years, there is high-quality content to meet your professional development needs.

Networking Opportunities

Where else do you have the opportunity to meet and share resources and information with over 300 volunteerism and national service professionals from across Ohio? We consistently hear from participants that they look forward to the conference all year to reconnect with old colleagues and meet new ones. This year, the conference luncheon will provide ample opportunity to meet new people and share best practices. Also, see reason number 1.

Inspiring Keynote Speaker

We're excited to welcome Brandi Lust as our conference keynote speaker. Brandi's keynote, Pause, Reflect, and Connect: 3 Tools to Care for Ourselves So We Can Care for Others, will focus on building our own resiliency so we can build resiliency in our volunteers, our organizations, and our communities. Additionally, Brandi will present breakout sessions during the conference including Mindfulness Part I and II and Preventing Burnout Through Compassion. All conference participants will receive a copy of Brandi's latest book, Myths of Being Human: Four Paths to Connect with What Matters.

Cost-effective Professional Development

Conference registration includes parking, breakfast, lunch, unlimited snacks, and the best professional development and networking opportunities you can get in Ohio! The early-bird rate of $125 is available until September 18^th. The regular rate is $150 and onsite registration is $175. Registration closes October 9th, so be sure to register as soon as possible!

We hope you’ll join us on October 23rd at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center! Want more information? Click here.

Happy ServeOhio Day!

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 13:32:41 GMT

On June 21, nearly 400 youth volunteers will participate in a total of 13 service projects across the state to commemorate the first annual ServeOhio Day. In its inaugural year, ServeOhio Day exists to encourage and promote hands-on youth volunteer engagement while school is out for the summer.

ServeOhio awarded grants to 13 nonprofit organizations supporting community service projects that build or improve community assets or infrastructure. These include parks, schools, senior centers, community gardens and homes in low-income areas.

"There is a great need across the state for engaged volunteerism, and we continue to be inspired by youth who are eager to roll up their sleeves, help out where they can and have fun while doing it," said William Hall, executive director of ServeOhio. "Our hope is that ServeOhio Day continues to grow each year and inspires Ohioans in all pockets of the state to get involved at the local level."

ServeOhio Day intentionally takes place on summer solstice, the day in the year with the longest period of daylight, to maximize participation in a number of service projects ranging from educating at-risk youth about summer safety to community clean-ups. This year's projects include:

Heart of the City Foundation (Columbus) - 80 youth volunteers will make blankets for patients at Nationwide Children's Hospital, assemble toiletry bags for local homeless organizations, and pack supplies to be sent to the Dayton area for the tornado relief effort.
City of East Liverpool (East Liverpool) - 10 volunteers will sand, paint and repair decking and stairs at the Broadway Wharf.
Lake County Council on Aging (Mentor) - 20 youth volunteers will make cards with seniors at the local senior center, which will be distributed to Meals on Wheels recipients in Lake County.
Organic Connects (Shaker Heights) - 25 volunteers from the REIGN Environmental Youth Leadership Program will perform a stream cleanup, enjoy a nature hike, and engage in a social justice conversation over a family-style meal.
Boys & Girls Club Wooster (Wooster) - 30 teens will learn how to perform basic maintenance and repairs on bikes and will provide repairs on used bikes to be donated to younger students in the community.
Family & Community Services - RSVP Ashtabula (Ashtabula) - 40 volunteers will help to implement the Safe Summer Program, a community event designed to provide education on summer safety for at-risk families.
The Urban Foundation, Inc. (Columbus) - 25 youth volunteers will participate in a neighborhood cleanup and perform improvements and maintenance on homes of veterans and elderly residents of the Walnut Heights community.
Community Refugee & Immigration Services (Columbus) - Over 25 new American refugee and immigrant middle and high school students will develop and maintain community flower and vegetable gardens, paint murals, and beautify Columbus Global Academy.
A Great Work Ministries (Portsmouth) - 30 volunteers will clean and beautify Mound Park in Portsmouth to make it safe for use by neighborhood children.
Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation (Cincinnati) - 40 volunteers will harvest produce from the Walnut Hills community garden and prepare a community meal.
Recovery and Wellness (Greenville) - 20 volunteers will pick up trash, weed flower beds, and provide beautification under the Main Street bridge in Greenville.
Rebuilding Together Dayton (Dayton) - 25 volunteers will complete a neighborhood cleanup in the Edgemont community, collecting trash and clearing overgrowth along sidewalks and alleyways.
Salem Lutheran Church (Toledo) - 15 volunteers will help to create a community space in a current vacant lot in the Vistula neighborhood of Toledo's North End. Volunteers will assemble and install two permanent charcoal grills for neighborhood residents and families to enjoy.

For more information about the service projects or about ServeOhio, visit www.serveohio.org.

First Annual Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Academy

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 13:18:06 GMT

ServeOhio is pleased to welcome nine organizations into the first annual Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Academy (SBV Academy). The SBV Academy is a 12-month training program that equips Ohio nonprofits with the skills, tools, and resources to effectively engage skills-based volunteers in their organization.

What is Skills-Based Volunteering?

Skills-Based Volunteering (SBV) is the practice of lending one’s specific professional expertise to community organizations in a way that helps them affect social change. SBV differs from other, more traditional forms of volunteering in that volunteers are engaged in activities that leverage their professional expertise and experience – such as marketing, finance, or human resources. Skilled volunteer support is typically focused on operational or administrative functions - activities that a nonprofit might otherwise have to hire or pay for specialized support.

Why Skill-Based Volunteering?

Limited funding exists for nonprofit business infrastructure such as strategy, marketing, technology, and finance. In fact, the average nonprofit reports spending only 2% of its total budget on overhead compared to the 35% average traditionally spent by companies to build a strong infrastructure. Skills-Based volunteers can help organizations build internal capacity, providing services that strengthen or expand an organization’s operations or infrastructure – resulting in an improved or enhanced ability to deliver on the organization’s mission. Learn more about SBV here.

Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Academy

While the impact of SBV is well-known, many nonprofits still encounter significant challenges in effectively engaging skills-based volunteers, including identifying appropriate projects, ensuring internal buy-in, and managing engagements. ServeOhio is partnering with Common Impact, a national leader around skills-based volunteering, to implement the SBV Training Academy. The goal is to equip Ohio nonprofits with the skills and tools needed to lead impactful SBV projects that make a lasting organizational impact. The SBV Academy kicked off with a 2-day SBV Boot Camp in May where participants did a deep-dive into all things SBV. Over the next 12 months, participants will receive ongoing support and training from ServeOhio and Common Impact as they implement their SBV projects. At the end of the 12 months, all participants will have implemented at least one SBV project in their organization.

Who are the Participants?

The following organizations are participating in the 2019 SBV Academy:

Cincinnati Arts Association, Cincinnati
Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development/Senior Corps Division, Athens
Freestore Foodbank, Cincinnati
Girls on the Run of Central Ohio, Columbus
Hannah’s Treasure Chest, Centerville
Nature’s Nursery, Whitehouse
ServeOhio, Columbus
St. Joseph Orphanage, Cincinnati
Teach for America Greater Cleveland, Cleveland

How can your Organization Get Involved?

Funding for the SBV Academy comes from a 3-year Volunteer Generation Fund grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. ServeOhio will engage 3 cohorts in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The application for the 2020 cohort will be released this fall, so check the website or sign up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss the notification.

Ohio Youth Lead Community Change on Global Youth Service Day

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 12:00:00 GMT

This weekend, April 12 – 14 marks Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), the largest youth service and civic action event in the world. Over the weekend, youth across the globe will participate in over 800 projects in 85 countries and in 45 U.S. States. Want to see a cool map of all the projects? Click here.

ServeOhio supports nonprofits and community organizations across the state by providing grants for volunteer projects taking place on GYSD. This year, ServeOhio is distributing over $18,000 to support 19 projects in Ohio. These 19 projects will engage more than 1,300 youth volunteers in meaningful service that will improve their communities. Funding for ServeOhio’s volunteer project grants comes from Honda of America, Mfg., American Electric Power Foundation, and the Volunteer Generation Fund. Here are ServeOhio’s 2019 GYSD Projects:

The iBelieve Foundation, Athens – 250 high school and college students in Athens and Highland Counties will participate in feed-the-funnel food packing parties and will package over 100,000 packages of food.
Cincinnati Federation of Colored Women’s Club Reigning Royalty Chapter, Cincinnati – 20 youth from the Reigning Royalty youth program will build a community garden and plant herbs and vegetables on the grounds of the clubhouse.
Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, Cincinnati – 10 youth from the Walnut Hills Youth Council will maintain 36 flower pots in the business district by filling them with soil and seedlings.
St. Vincent de Paul, Cincinnati – 30 students from St. Xavier High School and the University of Cincinnati will reestablish a community garden that was previously dismantled to build a parking lot. Volunteers will plant new produce, as well as weed and maintain existing plants.
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati – 50 University of Cincinnati students will revitalize Coy Park by repainting the storage building/containers and replacing the bleachers.
Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, Columbus – 40 youth and adult volunteers will plant 60 containerized native shrubs in Snouffer Park to enhance the biological diversity of the riparian area plantings.
I Know I Can, Columbus – 80 West High School students will beautify the high school by cleaning the outdoor area, laying new mulch, and planting flowers.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus, Columbus - 15 Boys and Girls Club members, volunteers from Veritas Community Church, and the Milo-Grogan Civic Association will build a shed, weed, and plant pollinators and fruit bearing trees in the Milo-Grogan community garden.
After-School All-Stars, Columbus – 100 student “All-Stars” will create blankets for children at the Ronald McDonald House and for animals at the CHA animal shelter.
Coolville Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, Coolville – 178 Coolville Elementary School students will improve their school garden to meet the needs of their community.
East Cleveland Rise, East Cleveland – 200 students at Shaw High School will repair the Martin Luther King Civic Center by finishing floor demolition, painting, laying tile, and moving in new furniture.
Horizon Education Centers, Elyria – 45 students, families and community members will assemble 1200 feminine hygiene care kits to be distributed to all middle schools in The Elyria City School District to be used by girls in 5^th – 8^th grade.
Recovery and Wellness, Greenville – 30 volunteers in the “We are the Majority” youth program will beautify the city by spreading mulch, pulling weeds and adding flower pots to high-traffic areas.
Hamilton Urban Garden Systems, Hamilton – 21 youth from the Riverview community will participate in the “Plant a Seed and Watch it Grow” program. Students will plant seedlings in the Hamilton community garden and create floral arrangements to donate to Hospice of Hamilton.
Vinton County Middle School Junior Beta Club, McArthur – 50 students from Vinton County Middle School will paint buildings on the Vinton County Fairgrounds and beautify the grounds.
3 R Development, Inc., Middletown – 150 youth will participate in a community cleanup - disposing of old tires, clearing debris, and tilling community garden plots.
Together We Can Make A Difference Initiatives, Napoleon – 15 youth will package band-aids and laundry pods for people in need.
Springfield Promise Neighborhood, Springfield – 50 youth volunteers will enhance the neighborhood community garden by planting produce, installing a new sign, and planting an orchard.
Wellsville Veteran’s Memorial Council, Wellsville – 35 youth from the First Christian Church will revitalize the wall on the Veterans Memorial Park by cleaning, caulking cracks, and painting the wall.

GYSD is organized by Youth Service America. To learn more, click here.

5 Steps to Organizing a Community Volunteer Project

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 19:58:54 GMT

It is amazing what a motivated group of volunteers can accomplish if they are properly organized and have the tools and resources they need to be successful. Developing a high-quality, high-impact volunteer project requires a significant amount of thought, planning, and organization before the first volunteer signs up to help. If planned well, your volunteers will have a positive experience and will be eager to sign up for the next opportunity to help with your cause. If planned poorly, they will probably not volunteer with your organization again and may even discourage others from doing so.

So, how do you properly plan a volunteer project? First – let’s define what we mean by “volunteer project”. A volunteer project is a one-time event that brings together a group of volunteers and has a clear start/end time, no ongoing commitment, immediate impact, and requires very limited training. A good project is high-impact, which means volunteers can see a quantifiable difference from when they started the project to when they finish the project. You should be able to quantify and communicate the difference they made (served x number of meals, spread x bags of mulch, collected x bags of trash, etc.) Projects should also be enjoyable and challenging, allowing volunteers to socialize with others, and helping them learn something new about their community. To put together a great volunteer project, follow these 5 steps.

1. Identify a Project

What are the issues in your community? Have you noticed trash in neighborhoods or parks? Is food insecurity or homelessness a problem? Maybe you want to put a smile on the face of a sick child or older adult. Whatever the issue, you’ll need to develop a project that puts volunteers into action. Remember, a good project allows volunteers to get their hands dirty (literally or figuratively) and to be able to actually see that they made a quantifiable difference. A few things to consider:

- Time of year: weather has an enormous impact on what you can accomplish…it’s probably not feasible to start a community garden in the winter when the ground is frozen. Choose indoor projects (painting interior facilities, cleaning, sorting donations, making blankets, writing cards, etc.) when the weather is unsafe or unpleasant for volunteers to be outside and choose outdoor projects (litter clean ups, pulling weeds, planting flowers, painting exterior facilities, etc.) when the weather is better. If you plan an outdoor project, always make sure to have rain plan!

- Partnerships: Do you have existing partnerships with other community organizations or groups? Collaboration always makes a project stronger, so reach out to see what you can accomplish together.

2. Develop and Scope your Project

Once you have identified your project, you need to plan the details and logistics. Some things to consider:

- Supplies: Most projects require at least some supplies and you’ll need to have a plan in place to obtain them if you don’t have a supply budget. You can ask local businesses to donate supplies for your project or partner with other organizations/groups who may have access to the supplies you need. There are also community-based programs such as Keep America Beautiful affiliates that allow you to rent tools, trash bags, and gloves at no cost. You could also ask volunteers to bring supplies with them.

- Working with vulnerable populations: You need to prioritize the safety of your volunteers and the population you’re serving. One-time projects should not require volunteers to obtain a background check, so your project should NEVER allow volunteers to be alone with clients you’re serving - especially youth, older adults, and people with disabilities. Always work in groups when serving vulnerable populations. For more guidance on screening volunteers who work with vulnerable populations, click here.

- Determine how many volunteers you’ll need: When finalizing details for the project, you need to carefully and realistically determine the number of volunteers you’ll need to complete your project. If your project needs 100 volunteers, you’ll need to develop a plan to recruit that many volunteers. It’s a good idea to ensure that your project is scalable so you can accommodate additional volunteers if they show up but have the ability to scale back the work if not enough volunteers show up. Nothing kills volunteer satisfaction more than standing around with nothing to do, so make sure you have the appropriate amount of work for the number of volunteers.

- Identify Volunteer Leaders: Recruit volunteers to help in the planning stages of the project that can also act as your leadership team on the day of the project. This will help you stay organized, so you won’t be pulled in too many directions on project day.

- Plan backup projects: Your volunteers will be excited to tackle your project and will most likely complete the work faster than you anticipate. Make sure you have more than enough work for volunteers to do so that if they finish early you can give them additional work to do. They’ve committed the time to be there, so make sure you are filling the time with meaningful volunteer work. Also, make sure to have a backup plan for inclement weather so you don’t have to cancel the project if it rains.

3. Recruit Volunteers

Once you’ve planned the details of the project and you have determined how many volunteers you’ll need, it’s time to recruit your volunteers. Make sure to create a description of the project and associated activities so volunteers are clear about what they’re signing up for. Include information such as date/time/duration, address, parking instructions, age/ability restrictions, appropriate attire, contact information if they have questions, and any required wavers. Here are some sources for volunteer recruitment.

- Reach out to your local volunteer connector organization: these are community organizations that recruit and refer volunteers to volunteer opportunities.

- Post the opportunity online: VolunteerMatch and All For Good manage searchable databases of volunteer opportunities that are utilized by volunteers nationwide. It’s free and easy to post your project and it can help you reach hundreds of potential volunteers.

- Build relationships with high school and college groups, businesses, neighborhood associations, and local stakeholders.

- Social Media: Post the position description on your own social media or through your organization. Make sure to include a registration link so volunteers can sign up immediately. Ask supporters to share the opportunity on their pages as well. Social media is a great way to get the word out about your project!

4. Implement a Successful Project

After all your hard work planning and recruiting volunteers, it’s time to implement your project. Some things to consider:

- Communication: a few days before the project, it’s a good idea to send a reminder email to volunteers and reiterate the logistics including date/time/duration, dress code, parking, food/meals provided, and who to contact if they have questions or need to cancel.

- Sign-in Sheet: make sure you have volunteers sign-in so you have an accurate head count.

- Photo Release: if you’re going to take pictures, you’ll need to have volunteers sign a photo release, especially if they are youth.

- Start and end on time!

- Brief orientation: Plan for 5-10 minutes at the start of the project to share the history, goals, and mission of the project and to give any necessary training/safety briefing. You may also want to give a tour, if appropriate, and introduce key project leaders.

- Keep volunteers engaged the entire time.

- Communicate Impact: leave 5-10 minutes at the end of the project to thank volunteers and communicate the impact they made. Do your best to quantify the impact (# meals served, # trash bags filled, # boxes packed, etc.). This will send your volunteers off on a very positive note.

- Thank your volunteers for their time!

5. Follow Up with Volunteers

Send an email or make a positing on social media (with pictures, of course) thanking your volunteers and sharing their impact. This is also a great opportunity to share additional opportunities to get involved. Periodically communicate with the volunteers to keep them engaged with your work and be sure to let them know the next time you have a volunteer opportunity.

If done right, volunteer projects can help you to have an immediate impact on your community and build relationships with supporters and volunteers. Happy planning!

Volunteering in Ohio: What the Numbers Tell Us

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 16:39:41 GMT

Recent data released via Volunteering in America provides some insights on volunteer trends in Ohio and our three major metro areas – Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. The data explores both traditional volunteer activity, as well as, general civic and community engagement. Below are some highlights; I encourage you to view the full database online for more detail and insights.

As a state, Ohio ranks 23^rd with a volunteer rate of 33.2 %; three million volunteers contributing 278 million hours of service last year. The most popular volunteer activity involves collecting, preparing and distributing food; followed by fundraising, clothing drives, general labor and youth mentoring. Ohio volunteer activity is valued at $6.7 billion utilizing the 2017 Independent Sector’s volunteer value of $24.14 per hour.

Cincinnati is Ohio’s highest-ranking city – 14^th among 51 major metropolitan areas in the country – with 35.1% of residents volunteering (490,013 volunteers contributing 48.8 million hours of service). Columbus ranked 28^th with 30.5% of residents volunteering (485,659 volunteers contributing 41.4 million hours of service). Cleveland ranked 29^th with 30.1% of residents volunteering (539,598 volunteers contributing 48.8 million hours of service).

Volunteerism is increasing nationally and in Ohio which also translates into increased civic engagement. Active volunteers are more likely to build relationships with neighbors, participate in civic organizations, attend public meetings, vote in local elections and contribute financially to charities. In sum, being engaged leads to even more engagement – building stronger civic ties and healthier communities.

Leading Volunteers in a Changing World

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 20:59:21 GMT

On November 14^th, ServeOhio hosted over 260 volunteer and service administrators in a day of learning, sharing, and networking at the Ohio Conference on Service & Volunteerism. The theme this year was Leveling Up: From Striving to Thriving and all 24 breakout workshops were designed to move volunteer and AmeriCorps programs to the next level.

Our keynote speaker was Tobi Johnson, an internationally sought-after expert and leader in volunteer administration. Tobi shared valuable insights encouraging volunteer and service professionals to adapt their current volunteer engagement strategies to meet the needs of tomorrow’s volunteers. She shared three emerging trends and simple strategies to stay ahead of the curve.

Trend #1: Ever-increasing Automation and Personalization

Technology, especially the explosion of smart phone usage, has led to an on-demand world where we expect personalized information instantly and lose interest if we do not get immediate results.

Ways volunteer and service professionals can adapt:

1. Use first name merge fields in subject lines and salutations

2. Use email segmenting, tagging, and automation to send tailored, volunteer-centric information

3. Offer easy-to-access on-demand content

Trend #2: Our “Kit Culture”

We all crave products and services that make our lives and decision-making easier. Thus, we’ve seen a rise in popularity of “kits” for everyday tasks such as making dinner (Blue Apron) and even shopping for clothing (Stitch Fix).

Ways volunteer and service professionals can adapt:

1. Organize information to help volunteers choose (availability, interests, timeframe, etc.)

2. Create “Bento-box” offerings/a variety of pre-packaged projects and “deliverables”

3. Develop modularized training

4. Create toolkits for volunteers

Trend #3: Advances in Brain Science

Competition for attention is fierce and we all have limited time and budget. We are in the midst of rapid change, but being human remains constant.

How can volunteer and service professionals can adapt:

1. Collaborate. Collaboration is the new competition

We learned a lot from Tobi and all presenters at the conference. For a list of workshops and workshop materials, visit the conference website. Stay tuned for the date of the 2019 Ohio Conference on Service & Volunteerism!

2018 Make a Difference Day Grants

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 18:55:52 GMT

ServeOhio, along with their Stewards of Service partners Honda, AEP Foundation, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, announce grant awards to support community service projects organized for Make A Difference Day on October 27, 2018. Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of community service, where hundreds of Ohioans plan service projects each year involving corporations, communities, nonprofit organizations and individual volunteers.

The ServeOhio project grants will support local projects throughout Ohio that commit to bringing volunteers together to create or improve community assets or infrastructure such as parks, schools, senior centers, community gardens or low-income homes. The various projects involve a broad spectrum of community participants, include collaborative partnerships, and benefit entire communities around Ohio.

ServeOhio awards these grants with support from their Stewards of Service partners Honda, AEP Foundation, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Each grant totals between $600 and $1,000, for a total of $16,880.

These are the 2018 Make A Difference Day project grant recipients:

After School Discovery, Ashtabula – 35 volunteers will make fleece blankets that will go to the local homeless shelter, domestic violence shelter, and police and fire departments to give to their clients in need this winter.
Connect to Success at Washington State Community College, Marietta – 90 volunteers will combat bullying by painting the Marietta Middle School boys and girls’ student bathrooms with colorful, inspirational, validating messages and murals reminding students of their worth, strength, and the power of individuality.
Columbus Recreation and Parks, Columbus – 50 volunteers will enhance the beauty of Beatty Park and the surrounding neighborhood by completing a litter cleanup and beautifying front garden beds with a mixture of annuals and perennials.
Jackson Area YMCA, Jackson – 25 volunteers will help to reduce social isolation among senior citizens in Jackson by going to seniors’ homes, bringing a meal to share, and providing pet food and weatherization services.
Kinsman Township, Kinsman – 30 volunteers will participate in a community-wide effort to re-roof the Bandstand in the town square.
Local Matters, Columbus – 15 volunteers will increase access to healthy food in the Weinland Park community by winterizing the hoop house at a local settlement house, enabling food to grow year-round.
Muslim Family Services of Ohio, Columbus – 120 volunteers will make 400 blankets and package them for distribution to families and individuals in need including those coming out of homeless shelters and refugees resettling in the community.
Russia Local School, Russia – 50 students, parents, teachers, and administrators will repaint the school mascot on a barn in Community Park.
Sisters of Empowerment, Columbus – 75 volunteers will participate in a beautification and cleanup day in the Linden Community. Additionally, community resource tables will be set up to link residents to area service providers.
Springfield Promise Neighborhood, Springfield– 50 volunteers will restore and refresh a school garden on the grounds of Lincoln Elementary School.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Ashtabula– 25 volunteers will repaint and repair wooden tabletops and seats on nine picnic tables to allow for continued use by the community for many years to come.
The Olander Park System, Sylvania– 75 students, teens, and community members will help with watering existing trees, planting additional native plants in several riparian areas, removing invasive species, and seeding in the parks.
The Volunteer Center of Erie County, Sandusky– 30 student volunteers will address homelessness and poverty by assembling 100 “We Care” bags filled with toiletry/hygiene products, putting together “Trick-or-Treat” bags, and collecting non-perishable food items for distribution.
Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners, Twinsburg – 100 volunteers will participate in park cleanup and improvements at Astorhurst Park. Activities will include removal of outdated signage, removing sign posts and old split rail fences, tree trimming, and litter cleanup.
UC Clermont College (University of Cincinnati Foundation), Batavia– 50 volunteers will winterize and close the UC Clermont County Community Garden. Volunteers will harvest crops for donation at local food pantries, construct cold frames, and prepare the soil for next season.
Village of Garrettsville, Garrettsville – 30 volunteers will clear dead branches, debris, and garbage at Eagle Creek, a historic waterway in Garrettsville.
Village of West Jefferson Parks and Recreation, West Jefferson – 40 volunteers will clean up area parks and Community Center grounds. Volunteers will rework flower beds, plant perennials, spread mulch around trees, and pick up trash.
Wyandot County Public Health, Upper Sandusky – 10 volunteers will build and fill a new garden box at the Wyandot County Community Garden.

Nationally, for over 20 years, millions of volunteers from around the world have united for Make a Difference Day in a common mission to improve the lives of others.

5 Reasons to Attend the 2018 Ohio Conference on Service & Volunteerism

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 15:37:02 GMT

The annual Ohio Conference on Service and Volunteerism brings together volunteer program administrators, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members and staff, philanthropy managers, and nonprofit leaders from across the state of Ohio. It is the only statewide conference of its kind, and the service and volunteerism field depends on it to learn new trends, best practices, and to receive high-quality professional development.

If you’re on the fence about attending the conference this year, here are 5 reasons you should register now.

1. Outstanding Keynote Speaker

Tobi Johnson is an internationally sought-after expert, consultant, and master trainer in volunteer engagement. She is known for her modern thought leadership, highly practical evidence-based strategies, and innovative, “big hat” thinking around engaging, supporting, and acknowledging the work of volunteers. Tobi will provide the opening keynote speech, "Leadership in a Changing World: Adapting Today's Strategy to Engage Tomorrow's Volunteers," and will provide the following advanced track sessions for the conference:

· Communicating Value & Getting Buy-In: Your Plan for Action

· The 2018 Volunteer Management Progress Report: Key Takeaways & How to Use Them to Advocate for Our Field

· The Neuroscience & Psychology of Motivation: Practical Tactics to Boost Volunteer Recruitment, Engagement, & Commitment

Click here to learn more about Tobi.

2. High-Quality Breakout Sessions

This year, there are 24 breakout sessions to choose from that are sure to meet the professional development needs of any volunteer and service professional. Each session has a target audience – AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Volunteer Program Administrator, or General – to ensure that participants attend sessions that are relevant to them. Plus, this year we’re offering an Advanced Volunteer Management track for professionals who’ve been in the field for 5+ years. Whether you’re new to the field or you’ve been doing this for 20+ years, there is high-quality content to meet your professional development needs.

3. Networking Opportunities

Where else do you have the opportunity to meet and share resources and information with over 300 volunteerism and national service professionals from across the state? We consistently hear from participants that they look forward to the conference all year to reconnect with old colleagues and meet new ones. This year, the conference luncheon will provide ample opportunity to meet new people and share best practices. And if you want even more networking time, you can attend session A4 – Thriving Together: A Structured Networking Session, presented by Sean Noe and Amy Rohmiller.

4. New Venue

If you’ve attended the conference the past several years, you know we’ve been happy and comfortable at Quest Conference Center. However, the conference has grown and we’ve decided to move to a larger space at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center (NHCC). You’ll love the beautiful new space, upgraded amenities, and state of the art training facility. I’m guessing you’ll also enjoy the unlimited coffee, drinks and extensive snack bar available all day to conference participants.

5. Cost-effective Professional Development

Conference registration includes parking, breakfast, lunch, unlimited snacks, and the best professional development and networking opportunities you can get in Ohio! The early-bird rate of $125 is available until October 10^th. The regular rate is $150 and onsite registration is $175. Registration closes October 31^st, so be sure to register as soon as possible!

We hope you’ll join us on November 14^th at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center! Want more information? Click here. Ready to register? Click here.

3 Ways to Get Involved on 9/11 Day of Service & Remembrance

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 17:33:24 GMT

Every year as September 11^th approaches, we remember the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01 that took 2,999 American lives. The events that day were catastrophic and the nation watched in grief and sorrow as those towers came down. However, in the days and weeks that followed, Americans came together channeling grief into solidarity, sorrow into action.

Launched in 2002, the September 11^th National Day of Service and Remembrance promotes community service on 9/11 as an annual and forward-looking tribute to the victims, survivors, and those who rose up to serve in response to the attacks. Each year, thousands of Americans volunteer to honor and remember those who lost their lives.

Now is the time to get involved to serve! Here is how you can get involved this year:

1. Find a volunteer opportunity

There are hundreds of projects happening throughout Ohio to commemorate 9/11. Find one at nationalservice.gov or 911day.org.

2. Plan your own service project

Gather a group of friends, family, and neighbors to make a positive impact in your community. Pick up litter in a local park, collect food to donate to the homeless, write thank you letters or bake treats for local police officers and firefighters. The possibilities are endless. Need more ideas? Check out Youth Service America’s resources here.

3. Spread the word

Don’t have time to volunteer? No problem. You can spread the word through social media leading up to and on 9/11 using the hashtag #911day. Find social media ideas here.

Make a difference in your community while honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11. Get involved today!

Connecting to Summer Volunteer Opportunities for Youth

Thu, 17 May 2018 13:40:05 GMT

As summer vacation quickly approaches, many teens are looking for ways to spend their days. Volunteering in the summer can provide exposure to issues facing local communities while also building important skills in teambuilding and problem solving. Most organizations that utilize volunteers have opportunities for youth, but requirements and restrictions vary given the mission and capacity of the organization.

ServeOhio recommends utilizing a volunteer connector – an organization that connects individuals who want to volunteer with organizations seeking volunteers – to learn more about what is available in your community. Ohio is home to over 30 Volunteer Connector Organizations that can help you in your search. If your community does not have such an organization, you can use a national volunteer search engine – such as VolunteerMatch or All for Good – to locate an opportunity near you. Click on the Volunteer tab at www.serveohio.org to see a map of Volunteer Connector Organizations with contact information and for links to national networks.

There are many ways to volunteer and you should look for an opportunity that fits you best. Think about the issues and causes that are important to you; consider the skills that you bring to the opportunity and what new skills you might want to gain; and be open to trying new things and building new relationships. Good luck and have a great summer!

Ohio History Corps Engages Youth

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:00:20 GMT

“Since I graduated with my M.A. in August of 2016, I have incorporated my knowledge and skills in museum preservation and exhibition with public outreach as part of my service with AmeriCorps’ ServeOhio program. As a Local History AmeriCorps Member at Youngstown State University, I have led and coordinated various workshops for smaller institutions, connecting them with professionals specializing in various museum positions, from grant writing to collections care. I have organized eight programs, called “ToolBox Workshops,” with a total of 35 organizations served.

I was also given the chance to supervise the annual V.W. Starr History Across the Humanities conference (HATH), a student run, two-day conference held at YSU’s Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. While I directed students with the logistics behind running a conference, I also managed the marketing and communications of the event to ensure that we increase last year’s attendance. This year, HATH welcomed students from 18 universities and “humanities” professionals from 14 different institutions.

However, my favorite project from the past two years has been coordinating the Northeast Region’s Ohio History Day—a national program that was started in the city of Cleveland. I spent the past year visiting classrooms and speaking to teachers in Region 4 (Northeast Ohio) about this year-long academic program. National History Day allows students from sixth to 12^th grade to delve into historical research, interpretation and creative expression. This was a very special project to me, since I am a product of Ohio History Day—I competed from middle school until high school. For 42 years, YSU annually welcomes almost 300 students with varying projects, such as documentaries, exhibits, and even plays, all competing to go to states. I look at the students and think, “these are future historians, thinkers, and community changers.”

I always think back to how much History Day has influenced my life and, in this particular aspect of my service, all I want is to create a meaningful experience for the students, their parents, and their teachers. Emphasizing that fun and creativity exists in the realm of historical research and that it is not about just learning about the past—but how it molds the present. Ohio History Day for Region 4 was held on Saturday, April 7, at Youngstown State University. We welcomed 257 students, plus their family and their teachers. I went through all three of our buildings that house various categories and could not help but feel such pride and hope for the field. I was surrounded by young historians, all enthusiastic (and somewhat nervous) to present their work. I hope they continue to inspire others with their work and creativity, not just in history but also in many other ways.

National History Day states that the completion is “not just a day but an experience.” It is an experience…not just for the students, but for all of us involved as well.”

-M. Carmella Cadusale

Ohio History Corps

Local History AmeriCorps Member

Youngstown State University