National Volunteer Week

April 15 - 21, 2012
A Message from Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee

Volunteering is an American tradition and I am pleased to celebrate the contributions of all volunteers, but especially those who serve older Americans and their families all across this country. Whether you deliver a meal, look out for the interests of nursing home residents or help seniors recognize and report Medicare and Medicaid fraud, what you do makes a difference.

Many older people, especially the Boomers, are looking for new kinds of volunteer experiences that utilize their skills and abilities honed in the world of work. We value their willingness to share their talents, skills and education to help the aging network and older adults and their caregivers.

To support state and local volunteer efforts in the aging network, the Administration on Aging (AoA) established a National Resource Center for Engaging Volunteers in the Aging Network. The Center will help to significantly expand the use of volunteers in the Aging Network by developing new approaches and adopting emerging effective practices and standards to attract new cohorts of volunteers. The Center will be the “go to” place for the latest research, tools and toolkits, and to learn “What’s Working” to attract new volunteers.

The Points of Light Institute, which sponsors National Volunteer Week, has developed a resource guide for recognizing volunteers and equipping organizations with the valuable tools they need to make their work successful for the 2012 National Volunteer Week. The guide is available at http://www.handsonnetwork.org/files/nvw_resourceguide_2012.pdf.

Thank you for giving of your time, talent and expertise to benefit the lives of older Americans.

Last Modified: 3/28/2012 7:37:47 AM