April is National Volunteer month and to celebrate we wanted to highlight iHelpChattanooga and to spotlight one of our volunteers who has been giving back since the summer of 2020.
Through iHelpChattanooga, we offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities year-round. In addition to the hundreds of opportunities we offer through our agency partners, we host unique community-wide volunteer projects in the Greater Chattanooga area all throughout the year. We love that Chattanooga is a philanthropic community that’s filled with generous people and with #iHelp Chattanooga, you want to make a difference and it’s our job to make it easy.
Just last year we were able to play a helping hand in fulfilling 6,563 volunteer opportunities through iHelp and had 19,520 individuals registered to volunteer through iHelp – crazy right?
We had the opportunity to connect with one of our incredible volunteers, Madison Headrick, who has volunteered nearly 100 times. Let’s check out her story.
Question: What does volunteerism mean to you?
Answer from Madison: Helping others in my community.
Question: Can you think of a time you volunteered that you’ll never forget?
Answer from Madison: Yes, I think of the times that I volunteered with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. There were so many people in our community that came to pick up their food boxes & were very grateful for what they were receiving. Renee, one of the staff at the Food Bank helped coach and encourage me right out of high school. I have a disability and she always made me feel welcomed and like I can make a difference in my community. She helped shape me for the job I now have. I’m very thankful for her and the Food Bank.
Question: Why do you volunteer?
Answer from Madison: Helping others in their time of need is very special to me. I feel like we are supposed to help each other.
For us and the rest of the team at United Way, our hope is that together, we can create a community where all people achieve their full human potential through education, stability, and health & well-being and giving back to your community through volunteerism is a great way to get started. In the coming months, we will be hosting a 2-day volunteer initiative called Impact Days, to celebrate our 100th year anniversary.
All nonprofits and organizations are encouraged to participate by submitting a project for the community to support. Impact Days will be happening on September 16th and 17th. You can submit a project or volunteer. We hope to see you there!
