April is Global Volunteer Month! That means United Way of Weld County will spend the whole month celebrating those who give their time to help inspire positive change in the community.
In 2023, United Way volunteers spent almost 4,000 hours giving their time and talent, and 2024 has been off to a fantastic start. Recently, nearly 70 volunteers supported the Northern Colorado Children’s Festival to help with festival logistics. It was a great day for children, families, and volunteers alike.
Additionally, 74 agencies utilize the Weld County Volunteer Connect webpage to recruit volunteers all across Weld County. We not only want to celebrate the United Way volunteers who give back to their community, but we also want to encourage others to celebrate the many volunteers who serve at numerous agencies and organizations across the county.
United Way is lucky to have volunteers help in numerous capacities throughout different programs. For instance, the Housing Navigation Center’s cold weather shelter has had volunteers every single night since its opening in November, helping serve hot meals to people experiencing homelessness. Without these volunteers, this work could not happen.
Volunteers have provided great support at the Covering Weld Diaper Bank since its start in 2020. They help package diapers every week for distribution to families in need all over the county. These invaluable volunteers have helped immensely with distributing over 1 million diapers in Weld County in just four years. It’s astounding to think of how much good they will continue to contribute as the diaper bank grows.
Another important volunteer support at United Way is the board of directors. Fun fact: most boards across the globe are made up of volunteers. United Way’s board is comprised of twenty experienced professionals in Weld County who generously dedicate their time to making the community a better place to live. Their support and stewardship help keep United Way’s momentum moving forward in Weld County.
At United Way, volunteers also support large events like Building Blocks, the Northern Colorado Children’s Festival, and Weld Project Connect. In recent years the desire for volunteer projects to be completed at home or in an office space helped to ignite Service-to-Go projects. These projects include kits supporting hygiene, literacy, birthdays, and keeping warm. Volunteers give their gift of time to help families and individuals in their community access the resources they need to succeed.
It’s important to remember that one in six residents of Weld County utilize some resource that United Way funds, and volunteers are involved in so much of that work. In fact, many of these volunteers also utilize these services or have relied on them before, inspiring them to return and give their time to the same cause. United Way’s mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community, and that is exactly what our volunteers do. They are caring power, mobilized.
If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity, visit volunteer.unitedway-weld.org to see what opportunities are available to you throughout Weld County. You can already register as a Navigator for Weld Project Connect on October 17, 2024. Volunteer Navigators help connect guests who attend Weld Project Connect with the resources they need to succeed, grow, and thrive.
To all who have chosen to selflessly donate your time, heart, talent, and passion to support others in Weld County: THANK YOU. Your heart and compassion are making our county, and world, a better place.
Brianna Hardy is the Volunteer Coordinator at United Way of Weld County.
