Contact:
Trisha Federspiel
City of Dubuque Volunteer Coordinator
563-690-6048
tfedersp@cityofdubuque.org
www.cityofdubuque.org
Sept. 6, 2012 - For Immediate Release
Volunteer Dubuque!
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Volunteer Dubuque!, a volunteer matching service, is being developed and tested by the City of Dubuque to make volunteering more accessible to Dubuque residents. This community effort, when finalized by March of 2013, will operate as a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities for residents, non-profits, and civic agencies.
Volunteer Dubuque! is striving to make volunteering even more personal and impactful for our local agencies. As a tool, Volunteer Dubuque! hopes to create a community where service is a standard that fosters social cohesion, neighborhood interaction and community engagement resulting in a safer, inclusive, and prospering Dubuque.
Volunteer Dubuque! matches volunteers with opportunities that best suit the individual’s skills, interests, and availability. Prospective volunteers have the opportunity to register as an Emergency Response Volunteer if they are interested in lending a hand during the event of an emergency or disaster. In the near future, Volunteer Dubuque! will assist agencies with volunteer management like orientation, task descriptions, volunteer recruitment, as well as volunteer engagement.
“While we are still in the process of training agencies on how to use the web site, we have a broad range of volunteer opportunities available for interested volunteers. For example, we have one-time opportunities such as Make a Difference Day, a consistent need for long-term mentors, or opportunities that are geared to work around your schedule, like teaching a class at the Multicultural Family Center,” said Trisha Federspiel, City of Dubuque Volunteer Coordinator.
The Volunteer Dubuque! online site was established with funding for the software provided by the Iowa Commission on Volunteering and Service. To establish the online center, the City of Dubuque applied for AmeriCorps* VISTA positions (Volunteers in Service to America), national service programs designed to provide volunteers to areas of poverty. The City of Dubuque Human Rights Department is part of a collaborative group that is working towards establishing a physical volunteer center for the community.
The Volunteer Coordinator (AmeriCorps* VISTA) for the City of Dubuque maintains the Volunteer Dubuque! web site. She partners with agencies who have volunteer experiences to share as well as agencies who may have eager volunteers waiting to make a difference in the community.
Volunteer Dubuque! will be featured at the First Annual Volunteer Fair, a two-day event taking place at the St. Mark Community Center, 1201 Locust St., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 12 and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept 13. The fair is part of an effort to engage and inform area residents and businesses about the volunteer opportunities available in the Dubuque community.
For more information on Volunteer Dubuque!, contact Trisha Federspiel at 563-690-6048 or tfedersp@cityofdubuque.org, or visit www.cityofdubuque.org/volunteer.
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A PDF version of this news release is available online at http://www.cityofdubuque.org/newsreleases
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