On May 11, Partners In Outreach held its first Volunteer Appreciation Dinner since 2019. 50 volunteers joined together to celebrate the wonderful work they have done for the community over the past year and to enjoy the company of their fellow volunteers. As a 100 percent volunteer-run organization with no paid employees, the planning, organizing, and execution of the PIO programs fall to those who decide to lend a hand.

There are many different ways people bring their talents and gifts to Partners In Outreach. Each program is meticulously planned and coordinated so that when volunteers arrive to assemble and execute, they can begin to work right away. There is an extraordinary amount of data and materials that need to be purchased, tracked, and inventoried over the year, before the Easter baskets, outfits, and Summer Camp bags are assembled and distributed.

The classroom reading partners and tutoring requires direct contact with schools and volunteers. The books are chosen, purchased, and distributed and each successful event is tracked for the Partners In Outreach records. Additionally, the Laughs 4 Literacy comedy night raises money that is needed for the programs throughout the rest of the year. Comedians are hired, the venue is secured, and the details are sent to the community in the hopes of another successful fundraiser. Don’t forget to save the date for Friday, Oct. 13 for this year’s Laughs for Literacy!

At this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, we had guest speakers, Kate Magee and Kara Todd, from Believe & Achieve. Believe & Achieve is a local non-profit with programs that provide basic needs to local children and families. Magee and Todd spoke about our collaborative efforts and introduced more classroom reading volunteer opportunities.

There are countless ways to get involved and use your skills to help the children of the community through Partners In Outreach. There are varying degrees of responsibility ranging from commitments for a school year to at home projects requiring as little as an hour or two. If you would like to give back and get to know some like-minded friends, visit the website to volunteer.

Learn more at Partners in Outreach.