Volunteer Maryland Announces 100% Retention with Partner Service Sites, Extends 2021-2022 Service Year Application Deadline
AmeriCorps Members Address Critical Needs for Maryland Communities
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Volunteer Maryland – one AmeriCorps program serving in Maryland and a unit of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives – announced that 100% of their partner Service Sites have applied to continue the relationship in hopes of securing an AmeriCorps member to help support their volunteer programs beginning in the Fall of 2021. Last year, more than 35 organizations applied for a Volunteer Maryland partnership, and despite the pandemic, AmeriCorps members were able to significantly support Maryland communities facing critical needs. Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps members serve as Volunteer Coordinators for 11 months to help address critical community needs in Maryland which include education, economic opportunities, and environmental stewardship among others.
“A 100% retention rate among Service Sites hasn’t happened in recent memory. We are thrilled but not surprised, given the increased need of support services that communities are faced with during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Volunteer Maryland Director, Sharon Lewis. “Communities are relying more and more on nonprofits and their resources, especially during these difficult times.”
In 2020, more than 1,800 volunteers were utilized and committed more than 44,000 hours of service to more than 4,000 residents, including more than 650 children. This year, Volunteer Maryland anticipates more sites will submit applications and Maryland will see another increase in volunteerism.
In addition, Volunteer Maryland extended the application deadline to May 21, 2021 for non-profits, government agencies, and schools interested in becoming a Service Site to host a Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps member. For more information, visit Volunteer.Maryland.gov/ServiceSites.
Since 1992, Volunteer Maryland has built more than 350 partnerships with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and schools across Maryland. Volunteer Maryland places and trains more than 700 Volunteer Coordinators to bridge the gap between communities facing critical challenges and citizens who want to volunteer to solve those challenges. Through Volunteer Maryland partnerships, more than 135,000 volunteers have been mobilized to serve 2 million volunteer hours in communities around the state. Members can also move from out of state to serve specifically within the Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps program.
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About Volunteer Maryland
Established in 1992, Volunteer Maryland places Volunteer Coordinators in partner organizations to increase volunteer program efficiencies, recruit volunteers, and develop volunteer programs. In 1993, Volunteer Maryland began utilizing funding from the Corporation for National Community Service to recruit AmeriCorps members to serve as Volunteer Coordinators. Learn more by visiting our website at volunteer.maryland.gov and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives
The Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives mission is to serve as an executive branch coordinating office for the governor that connects Marylanders to economic, volunteer, and human service opportunities by meeting with Marylanders at over 700 engagements every year. This office also houses the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, Volunteer Maryland, Banneker-Douglass Museum, as well as faith-based outreach, and the governor’s ethnic, cultural, and WWI commissions. Learn more by visiting our website at goci.maryland.gov and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
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