YouthLink Celebrates National Volunteer Month
One thing is for sure over the past tumultuous year – a global pandemic has not slowed down Minnesota’s desire to volunteer. As demonstrated by the work done on behalf of YouthLink, residents of the north star state, ranked second in the nation (behind Utah) for its rate of volunteerism by the Corporation for National and Community Service prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, found new and creative ways to give back to their community.
In April, designated as National Volunteer Month since 1974, YouthLink honors everyone who freely gave of their time and talents over the past year to help us support young people experiencing homelessness on their journey to self-reliance. Since April 2020, nearly 1,000 volunteers have given YouthLink more than 800 volunteer hours, which equates to nearly $22,000 from a measure created by the membership organization Independent Sector that states volunteer time is worth approximately $27 per hour.
Two of these volunteers are D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch and her son Micah Lesch who live in Minneapolis and help sort donations in YouthLink’s clothing closet. “We heard about YouthLink through our church and we’re interested in the work they do so it seemed like a good organization to get involved with,” said D’Ann. “I really like how they offer accomplishable tasks and every time we come we can see that the clothing closet has been used so it’s really heartwarming.” Micah, a junior at Washburn High School in south Minneapolis, says the pandemic has influenced him to get involved. “Over the past year, I’ve had so many learning experiences that it really made me reflect on how I could make a difference in my community,” he said.
In addition to onsite volunteers serving in limited capacities because of the pandemic, remote opportunities over the past year have included community members making kits (outreach kits, toiletry kits, art kits and new parent kits) and corporate partners, local churches and other groups hosting donation drives for our most immediate needs. Would you like to experience the benefits of volunteering? Simply visit our website at https://youthlinkmn.galaxydigital.com/ to learn more. Not only will you know you’re making a positive impact on your community, there is also one other reason to get involved according to D’Ann – “I really like sorting, I think it’s kind of fun!”
