In 2009, there were 63.4 million Americans who volunteered in their community, working an estimated 8.1 billion hours of service valued at nearly $169 billion, that according to the Corporation for National & Community Service.1 Yet, these numbers come as no surprise to the WE Movement because volunteerism and corporate social responsibility are embedded into the fabric of the American psyche.
The WE motto, "Offer What You Can. WE Will Do the Rest." Making a Difference By Coordinating Community Resources Across the Nation, is the mission of the WE Movement and its bottom-line commitment to helping others. After all, whether it is a physician assistant volunteering at a community health clinic or a retired school teacher tutoring at-risk youth at the local YMCA, collectively “we” have so many opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people from all walks of life.
The WE Movement is embarking on a national campaign to raise awareness, change attitudes, increase access to supports and services and improve local communities…one person at a time. The WE Movement has pledged to sustain a vigorous campaign to gather as many recipients and providers it can in order to broaden the networking effort of bringing these Providers and Recipients—"those that have" and matching "those who do not"—together for the purpose of making a difference through coordinating community resources.
Said Laura Bryna, host and international recording artist about the WE Movement: “The WE Movement is a wonderful organization that brings people together to help those less fortunate. Through this movement, pretty much any one can offer help to those who need it. I'm excited to be a part of this effort because it focuses on giving, one of my favorite things to do. Being a part of WE allows us to reach so many people on all levels of need...not just financial, but in all aspects of life.”
Last year, President Barack Obama called on all Americans to “participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities…America’s new foundation will be built one community at a time – and it starts with you.” The WE Movement agrees!
As demonstrated in the graph2 below, community involvement by volunteers spans numerous demographics; “we” is comprised of men and women, as well as younger generations and older adults over age 65. But our collective volunteerism is only part of the solution to addressing the many ills facing our society. It involves a national coordinated effort – much like the United We Serve initiative launched by the President – to make the meaningful difference. The WE Campaign is doing its part by offering its community-based outreach effort that functions through an online "search and match" networking program (HELP4U) that coordinates benefits offered by “those that have"—individuals or companies with products, goods and services they wish to donate gratis—to “those who do not"—those less fortunate, as well as to groups or associations in need who could make good use of the donated goods, products or services.
It also goes far beyond what “we” can do as individuals – but what “we” can do as a community, including the commitment of corporations through their corporate social responsibility policies, or nonprofit organizations making available supports and services to under-served populations. The WE Movement embraces the belief in a company's accountability to community. Likewise, nonprofit organizations offer help and hope to many differing populations on a daily basis when they engage in activities to fulfill their respective mission statements, whether it’s in the areas of health care, financial services, housing, legal guidance, youth programs or education, just to name a few.
The WE Movement invites you to join the Movement at http://www.wemovement.org/signup_form.aspx. WE have joined, will you?
1. Corporation for National & Community Service, Volunteering in America: National, State & City Information, June 2010.
2. Corporation for National & Community Service, Volunteering in America: National, State & City Information, June 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment