UGM volunteers rock!

It's National Volunteer Week, and boy, oh boy, do we love our volunteers. Thankfully, they seem to like us pretty well, too. It turns out, when you're doing meaningful work, the benefits go both ways.

UGM is an extension of the Inland Northwest community. We rely on the partnership of businesses, churches, schools, and other organizations to fill the unique needs of each individual we serve. In 2012, outside groups provided chapel services, put on summer camps, served meals, did painting and construction work, organized storage spaces, laid sod, held food, paper and clothing drives, washed feet, put on slumber parties and did street outreach.

High-impact volunteers multiply UGM’s impact exponentially. They tutor residents, providing remedial math and literacy assistance. They commit to a long-term mentor relationship, walking alongside our men and women as they move back into society. They are fitness instructors, childcare providers, receptionists, doctors, nurses, lawyers, editors, cooks, mechanics and friends. They provide a wealth of time, talent and expertise we simply could not replicate any other way.

Overview of Volunteer Service at UGM in 2012

Total high-impact volunteer hours: 63,014

Total short-term volunteer hours: 6,189

Community Service Hours*: 4,269

UGM Camp Hours: 17,527

Total:  90,999 hours

$ 1,911,888 value according to www.independentsector.org.

Equivalent of 43 full-time staff

* Court-ordered community service performed at UGM Thrift stores, the Crisis Shelter, UGM Motors & UGM Food Services

Kate Gibson, pictured at right, won a college scholarship based on her years of volunteer service at UGM with her family.

If you're interested in volunteering at UGM, check our events calendar and sign up for the next orientation (offered in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene).

~Barbara Comito, UGM staff writer