Author: JoLynn Miller
Published on: May 2, 2023
April was National Volunteering Month and as a wrap up, here are some amazing things about volunteering you may not have known!
Volunteering is part of the fabric of our nation. From the very beginning, community members banded together to help each other out.
One of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, started the first volunteer firehouse in 1736 and other efforts followed, often in support of the Revolutionary War. In the 1800s religious organizations fed the homeless and helped those less fortunate.
Also, in the 1800s many well-known organizations were formed. These include the YMCA, American Red Cross, and United Way. During the 1900s volunteering increased with organizations like Rotary, Lions Club, and Kiwanis.
Many of these volunteer organizations were focused on helping people in need, but youth serving organizations also got their start in the early 1900s; organizations like 4-H, Camp Fire Girls, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts.
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