Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley Accepting Nominations for Mayors’ Volunteer and Top Teen Awards

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley is accepting nominations now through Tuesday, March 1^st for the 2017 Mayors’ Volunteer Awards and Top Teen Awards. The awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to service through volunteerism in the Cedar Valley.

The Mayors’ Volunteer Awards honor the exemplary contributions of individuals ages 19 and older who dedicate their time and talent to volunteerism in Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Evansdale and surrounding communities in Black Hawk County.

The Mayors’ Top Teen Awards honor youth ages 13-18 attending a school in Black Hawk County. The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa also selects one junior from each of the accredited high schools in Black Hawk County to receive the $1000 Mother Moon Service Scholarship.

All nominees and recipients will be recognized at special events on April 11 at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

Nomination forms are available online at www.vccv.org or may be requested by contacting the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 319-272-2087 or information@vccv.org.

The awards program is sponsored by the cities of Cedar Falls, Evansdale and Waterloo, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber Ambassadors, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, the RJ McElroy Trust and the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley.

Nomination form

January is Mentoring Month

Throughout January and year-round, mentoring is a critical component in young people’s lives, helping them make decisions that ultimately lead to improved opportunities and connections, which have an impact on real life.

9 million kids in America grow up without a mentor to offer real life guidance.

• Having a mentor empowers young people to make smart choices that put them on a path to making better life decisions.
• Students who have mentors are more likely to stay in school.
• Hashtag activism can raise awareness of important issues, but mentoring delivers real-life impact. 

Mentoring, at its core, guarantees to young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing day to day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity. Yet one in three young people will grow up without this critical asset.

Young adults who were at-risk for falling off track but had a mentor are:

•        55% more likely to enroll in college

•        78% more likely to volunteer regularly

•        90% are interested in becoming a mentor

•        130% more likely to hold leadership positions.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MENTOR?

Before becoming a mentor, here are a few things to understand about the role of mentoring. Most of us have had a teacher, supervisor or coach who has been a mentor to us and made a positive difference in our lives. Those people wore many hats, acting as delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, and friends. Mentors assume these different roles during the course of a relationship, and share some basic qualities:

• A sincere desire to be involved with a young person
• Respect for young people
• Active listening skills
• Empathy
• Ability to see solutions and opportunities
• Flexibility
  
  

BENEFITS
Mentoring relationships are a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Many mentors say that the rewards they gain are as substantial as those for their mentees, and that mentoring has enabled them to:

• Have fun
• Achieve personal growth and learn more about themselves
• Improve their self-esteem and feel they are making a difference
• Gain a better understanding of other cultures and develop a greater appreciation for diversity
• Feel more productive and have a better attitude at work
• Enhance their relationships with their own children

Above all, a good mentor is willing to take the time to get to know their mentee, to learn new things that are important to the young person, and even to be changed by their relationship.

GET STARTED
You have made a wonderful and very important decision in choosing to become a mentor. If you’ve reached this conclusion, you’ve done enough research to have an idea how different each mentoring situation can be. Before you start to look at the programs that are available, think about and identify your own interests and needs. Finding a mentoring program you’re excited about and comfortable with can require some time and thought, but the good news is that there’s something for everyone. The following steps will help walk you through the process of choosing a mentoring program that is right for you. To help you decide which type of mentoring program you want, ask yourself the following questions:

• What time commitment can I make?
• What age of youth would I like to work with?
• Would I like to work with one child or with a group of children?
• Would I like to team with other adults to mentor a child or a group of children?
• What types of activities interest me? Do I want to help a youth learn a specific skill, pursue an interest, help with schoolwork or just be a caring adult friend?
• What mentoring location would I prefer?

While thinking about these questions, remember to be open and flexible to all the different mentoring programs and focus areas that are out there.

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley works with a number of agencies looking for mentors: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley, Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, and the Waterloo Community School District are a few.

For more details on mentoring, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org.

Thanks to National Mentoring Month, http://www.mentoring.org/.

Volunteering for Different Age Groups

There is really no age requirement for volunteering. In fact, the earlier that volunteering begins and continues throughout childhood, the more likely a person is to participate in community activities as an adult. Whether a participant reaches out to one person or a village across the world, he or she has made a significant difference in the life of another. This article presents a few of the many volunteer ideas for different age groups.

1. Volunteer with Pre-school Aged Children

One tip to keep in mind is to tailor the volunteer activity to your child’s personality, abilities, and interests. For example, if your child is very young, volunteer activities that require hours of physical work may not be a good fit. If she loves to be active and would prefer to be outdoors, participating in a park clean-up or riding a tricycle or bicycle in a bike-a-thon might be a fun way for her to help others.

You may also want to consider activities that allow you to volunteer together as a family. Working together as a family to help others is not only a great way to set an example for your child, but it’s also a wonderful way to spend time together and have fun doing something that benefits others.

2. Volunteer with Elementary School Children

Encouraging kids to get involved in the community and volunteering to help those who are less fortunate can cause children to develop a sense of gratitude and self-worth. The value of doing charitable acts for others is terrific, and kids will feel a sense of pride when they know that their actions are making someone else's life happy. Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available for kids, as long as you know where to look! When you begin to teach your kids about giving, talk to your kids to find out what types of activities they are interested in and take their ages and abilities into account. 

The Service Learning process and projects that are ultimately selected and accomplished is a great way to implement volunteering for elementary age children.

3. Volunteering for Middle School Students

Raising children who are civically minded isn’t easy. But you can expose your child to volunteerism and encourage your preteen to give back in a number of ways. When kids volunteer, good things happen. By volunteering or by helping others, your child learns valuable life skills, but he also learns how important it is to support organizations he cares about, and causes that interest him.

There are many ways your child can make a difference.

Start with projects that he or she can incorporate into a preteen’s busy schedule, and then add bigger projects that require more time. You might also want to consider volunteering together. That way you can spend quality time together, and set a great example for your preteen.

One of the great things about raising a preteen is that they are at an age when they can take on more responsibility and even give more to their schools, communities and other organizations. One of the ways tweens can contribute is through service projects. Some middle schools even require that their students give back by participating in community service projects either as a class or on their own.

By participating or volunteering, your child can learn leadership skills, a little about the community in which he lives and even a little about his own interests and passions. He or she may also learn a little more about how organization and support groups operate, and how challenging it can be at times to work through the proper channels to get the job done.

4. Volunteer Ideas for High School Students

In High School, volunteering takes on the potential of a new purpose. Not only does it allow the student to gain insights, be productive and participate within the school and community, it provides a venue for resume building, material for college applications and completes a well-rounded picture for one’s application.

Students in high school are able to accept more challenging volunteer positions and larger group volunteer activities.

5. Volunteer Ideas for College Students

College students fill the void between high school and adulthood in volunteerism. They are capable of adult responsibilities, very large group activities and volunteering through travel, either domestically or internationally. National volunteer efforts such as AmericaCorps or the Peace Corp are also options for college students. 

6. Volunteer Ideas for Parents and Families

Modeling volunteering is the best way to get your family involved for a lifetime of volunteering and community service. Always keep the needs of the youngest child in mind, particularly if the adult is otherwise distracted.

Family volunteering allows your family to learn the importance of charity and giving of one-self. It encompasses, perhaps, the broadest area of needs.

7. Older Volunteers

Older volunteers have the time and resources to give freely of their time and talent. Encouraging them to share their skills is a great way to place skilled volunteers in non-profits or agencies where their lifetime skills may be well utilized.

After retirement, however, it is important to know if an older volunteer desires to share their skills or try something completely new and different. A thorough volunteer interview allows for the best potential placement.

Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley for more information about volunteer placements at (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org.

MLK Day – A Day On!

Dr. King stressed volunteer service as a means to social justice. As he famously said: “Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Millions of Americans will come together on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, January 16, 2017, in a day of national service and dialogue to honor the memory of Dr. King. Dr. King had a dream that one day all people would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as called for in the Declaration of Independence. Dr. King called for social justice and opportunity. He asked that we bridge differences and come together in unity.

According to the Points of Light Foundation, we have a unique opportunity to unite as in volunteer service and issue a call to action to do what we, as Americans, do best – lend a hand, help our neighbors – and build better communities. Since Dr. King was assassinated, tremendous social progress has been made, but much remains unfinished. Americans believe that people have the power to make positive change – in cities struggling with poverty and high unemployment rates – in families where people are going hungry – and in school districts where more than half of our children aren’t graduating from high school.

With many communities struggling to access financial and human services, volunteer service can be a powerful force. Neighbors helping neighbors, young helping old, employees offering skills and companies investing in communities where they do business. We dream of a day when everyone is actively involved in making a better America. This year, Points of Light, in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service and sponsored by the GE Volunteer Foundation, will create new and meaningful ways to harness the passion of our nation’s citizens in honoring the memory and promoting the vision of Dr. King

MLK Day is a great opportunity to get hands-on in your community. You might have a passion for service. Dr. King’s life and legacy was about his commitment to service and social justice. If you would like to connect your service project specifically to Dr. King, below are a few ideas:

• Poverty: Organize a canned food drive for your local shelter. Expand the drive to include donating blankets, gloves, etc. to keep the homeless in your community warm during the winter months.
• Education: Organize a school supply drive.
• Community: Learn about the history of the community where you live. Identify cultural and religious groups in your community that might be neglected. Discuss how you can learn about their culture and help support them in preserving it.
• Youth: Organize a toy drive to provide less fortunate children in the community with toys and games.
• Military/veterans: Assemble care packages for military members overseas. The Community Blueprint is a set of tools and practices that provide a framework for communities to produce positive, measurable outcomes for veterans, military members and their families.
• Women’s empowerment: Identify gaps in your community where women don’t have equal opportunity. Develop a plan to provide literacy classes, teach English, offer vocational skills, or train on financial literacy.

You can also join local volunteer initiatives. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and First Presbyterian Church will once again sponsor a Martin Luther King Family Day of Service. Families are invited to participate Monday, January 16 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 505 Franklin in Waterloo. Participants will complete projects that will be donated to community agencies. Families are encouraged to volunteer together on this important day.
 
For more information on this event or to learn more about service, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, email or visit www.vccv.org.

The MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” It’s a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems.

You're Invited! Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and First Presbyterian Church will once again sponsor a Martin Luther King Family Day of Service.

Families are invited to participate Monday, January 16 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 505 Franklin, Waterloo. Participants, from kindergarten through 5th grade, and their families will complete projects that will be donated to community agencies.

Families are encouraged to volunteer together on this important day. Dr. King taught that everyone has a role to play in making our community strong.

For more information on this event or to learn more about service, contact Jean Seeland at the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, email or visit www.vccv.org/.