Celebrating our volunteers who support Arizona families throughout National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is April 18-24 this year. We at Southwest Human Development are proud to recognize the contributions of all the volunteers who support us. Whether it be the individuals who deliver books to pediatrician clinics for our Reach Out and Read Program, corporate groups that build Reading Buddies for children in our literacy programs, board and committee members who guide our organization and events or community collaborators who rally their networks to support our drives and campaigns, volunteers are helping us build a better and stronger Arizona community every day.

Established in 1974 by President Richard Nixon, National Volunteer Week began as a presidential proclamation urging Americans to give their time to the community. Since then, every president has recognized the importance of service by renewing this pledge.

Volunteering has obvious positive impacts on our community, but those who volunteer also know the immense benefits to their own wellbeing. In fact, Points of Light found that “93% of volunteers report experiencing an improved mood as a result of volunteering.”

This year, especially, volunteering has been an integral part of keeping people connected. When the pandemic began, Southwest Human Development had to come up with new ways to engage our volunteers and donors. We implemented the volunteer card campaign to help us thank our donors for giving to campaigns like our COVID Basic Needs Drive in this time of great need. Volunteers created beautiful handwritten donor thank you cards, which allowed us to connect with new volunteers and to show our donors gratitude in a new way. Volunteers have also built more than 200 Reading Buddies and delivered books to 75 Reach Out and Read clinics!

Southwest Human Development celebrates all the volunteers that support our mission during National Volunteer Week and every day. Our most recent volunteer e-newsletter highlighted the contributions of volunteers and provided details about how to get involved. Looking for ways to experience the benefits of volunteering? Attend one of our re-orientations, open to new volunteers or those looking to reconnect with us.

Volunteers are invaluable to Southwest Human Development’s mission of creating positive futures for Arizona’s children. Please join us in expressing gratitude for all they do for our community every day!

If you or your organization is interested in volunteering with Southwest Human Development, contact Annette Sutfin at (602) 633-8416 or asutfin@swhd.org.