Volunteer Rolls of Honor, professional and educational opportunities and more!
Left to right: Lizzie Johnson, Alex Savage and Grace Doyle, members of First Parish Church and MLK Day of Service volunteers, spend MLK Day morning preparing and distributing grab-and-go bags for community members in need.
Volunteer Fare: Your February Volunteer Maine Update!
Happy February, everyone! We are a little more than a month into the new year and each passing day brings us closer to a much-needed thaw. With that being said, we can not just sit around for the next couple of months. There is so much going on, especially for all of us at Maine's service commission!

It is actually quite an exciting time here at Volunteer Maine: Nominations are now open for both the adult and youth Volunteer Rolls of Honor, we have an exciting project-based opportunity to help launch a Maine-focused service initiative, we have not one but two opportunities to hone your volunteerism skills, plus some extra news and notes to pass along.

Check out the rest of the newsletter for more information on all of the opportunities mentioned above. If someone in your network would find this info helpful, please forward our newsletter. Thanks and enjoy!
2019 Volunteer Roll of Honor Recipients
Want to recognize a Maine volunteer hero? Nominations due April 10

You can say "Thanks for all you do" to a deserving volunteer by nominating them for either the Maine Volunteer Roll of Honor or Young Maine Volunteer Roll of Honor. The best part? It is non-competitive - everyone who qualifies will be recognized!

The Adult and Youth Volunteer Rolls of Honor are part of a statewide effort during national Volunteer Recognition Month (April) to show appreciation to those citizens who go above and beyond in terms of the time they devote to serving their communities.

Any local organization can nominate someone who meets the criteria: town office, school, nonprofit or public agency. There is no cost to the nominator or person honored thanks to our civic-minded sponsors. Visit our website for more information and to nominate.
Are you the right person to help launch a new Maine-based service program? Apply today!
Decorative promotional image for Volunteer Maine Development Associate position.
Are you passionate about community volunteer service? Can you convince people to support a cause through clear written arguments as well as persuasive speaking? Do you have nine months to devote to creating something special? Then Volunteer Maine and the Maine Volunteer Foundation want to talk to you.

The Volunteer Maine Development Associate is a nine-month position focused on two goals: identifying resources to support the new Maine Service Fellows program; and, completing the plan for implementing Maine Service Fellows.

The Maine Service Fellows program is a new full-time, stipended service opportunity for individuals with volunteer and community development experience. Fellows will help rural, underserved communities design and implement volunteer-driven responses to persistent or emerging community problems.

Interested in the opportunity? The full position description is available on our website -- just click the link for more information.

Attend the Maine Service Fellows program design think tank March 13:

If you represent an organization that helps rural, undeserved communities and would like be a part of the design of the Maine Service Fellows program, please join us for a think tank on Thursday, March 13 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bangor Savings Bank, 5 Senator Way location, in Augusta . The more input the better! If you would like to attend, just fill out the following Survey Monkey form - LINK .
Increase your volunteer management expertise: CMV 101 winter session registration closes Feb. 27
Promotional Image for Certificate in Management of Volunteers course
Developed and offered by Volunteer Maine, our Certificate in Management of Volunteers course is designed for everyone responsible for designing, implementing, or sponsoring volunteer programs.

**PROMO CODE ALERT! Use the code "MVFref" at checkout to save $50!**

As the basic course, it is built around the novice level competencies for managers of volunteers. It also is a good refresher for anyone re-entering the field or individuals who expect to take on leadership roles in their communities or agencies.

Take the first step to becoming a better volunteer manager today! Just visit our website to get started.
We can help fund your learning: Apply now for a professional development grant
You may or may not know this, but Volunteer Maine supports professional development of managers of volunteers by awarding funds to cost-share their educational or training activities.

Which activities are supported? Some examples are online courses, educational conferences, seminars, workshops, or preparation for professional certifications that relate to the Competencies for Managers of Volunteers.

The next deadline is March 6, 2020. Visit our website to check out all of the details.
Service and volunteerism news and notes from Maine and beyond:
  • Maine volunteers once again helped to make the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service a day on, not a day off! We are working on a full report on the various service projects across the state, so keep an eye out on our website and our social profiles for the recap. Until then, check out some photos of service-in-action in our media gallery.
  • Speaking of MLK Day, a special thank you to the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation for once again funding the Maine Youth Act Mini-grant program, which bolstered the efforts of three MLK Day of Service projects. Check out some of the media coverage below:
  • Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier/Press Herald - MLK Day of Service at First Parish Church
  • The Republican Journal (Waldo) - 'Game Loft takes part in emergency preparedness service project'
  • WABI - The Game Loft's Zombie-themed emergency preparedness activity
  • WMTW - Coverage on Portland Housing Authority and First Parish Church MLK Day of Service projects
  • The fifth year of the Read to ME Challenge is underway! This simple but powerful campaign challenges adults to read to children for 15 minutes, capture that moment via a photo or a video, and then post it on social media and challenge others to do the same. Visit the Maine Department of Education Website to learn how you can join in on the fun.
  • Kudos to the Maine Partnership for Environmental Stewardship AmeriCorps Program for their efforts to keep Mainers warm during the winter! WABI TV in Bangor and NEWS CENTER Maine each stopped by a recent window insert workshop, put on in collaboration with Window Dressers Inc. Learn about this important service on the WABI website or the NEWS CENTER Maine website.
  • Finally, an interesting view point from the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute on America's changing volunteer landscape: "While the future of philanthropy is a hot topic today, few recognize that both volunteering and giving rates began a long decline early in the 21st century. Even fewer discuss how informal behaviors such as talking to your neighbors and doing favors for them are also fading." Read the full blog post on Independent Sector.
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