5th Annual "I Volunteer!" Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (3/28/2008): Volunteer Connection of Boulder County’s 5^th Annual I Volunteer! Day 

(EDITORS: We would be happy to do an interview regarding this wonderful community-wide event for a possible editorial or feature story.) 

Contact:  Sue McCullough, Event Coordinator (services@volunteerconnection.net)  

Laura Kinder, Executive Director (laurak@volunteerconnection.net) Volunteer Connection of Boulder County2885 Aurora Ave, Suite 32Boulder, CO 80303(303) 444 4904 

Event: 5^th Annual I Volunteer! Day

Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008Time:              8am – noon

Where: Various service agencies throughout Boulder County

Website: www.volunteerconnection.net 

Volunteer Connection of Boulder County will host the 5^th Annual I Volunteer! Day on Saturday, April 19, 2008 from 8am-noon. This county-wide celebration of service in honor of Earth Day and National Volunteer Week epitomizes what Volunteer Connection has been doing for nearly 40 years -- connecting volunteers with volunteer opportunities. The event is held every year as an opportunity for Boulder County citizens to give back to the local community while gaining familiarity with the great work of local nonprofits. 500+ volunteers will devote over 2,000 hours of service to more than 35 different service agencies throughout Boulder County. Projects range from building a box turtle pen with the Colorado Reptile Humane Society to prairie restoration with Boulder County Parks and Open Space to making blankets with Project Linus.A drop-in site at Calvary Bible Church in Boulder offers multiple projects that may be better suited for families with young children, people with disabilities and those unable to meet the entire four hour time commitment at a specific project site. A bilingual site is available at the Sister Carmen Community Center so that the Spanish-speaking community may participate, as well as a Sunday Project at Parenting Place for those unable to attend on Saturday. The event is in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley and Flatirons Habitat for Humanity’s Habitat Builds Colorado day, as well as the CU Volunteer Clearing House’s Better Boulder Better World event.  Over 200 CU-Boulder students are expected to participate.All participants will receive a T-shirt featuring custom artwork donated by local artist Harriet Peck Taylor, water and snacks. 

Volunteer Connection is proud to announce the following Boulder County service agencies are participating in the 5^th Annual I Volunteer! Day: 

Association for Community Living, Attention Homes, Balanced Choice Health Care, BeadforLife, Boulder County AIDS Project, Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative, Boulder Emergency Squad, Boulder Housing Partners, Cal-Wood Education Center, Carriage House, Chinook Clubhouse, Colorado Reptile Humane Society, Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center, Eco-Cycle, Frasier Meadows Retirement Community, Growing Gardens, Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley, HospiceCare & Share Thrift Shop, Lafayette Parks Open Space and Golf, Lafayette Senior Center, Longmont Ending Violence Initiative, Medicine Horse Program, Parenting Place, Project Angel Heart, Project Linus, RSVP of Boulder County, Sister Carmen Community Center, The Acorn School, The Living School, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and WildEarth Guardians. 

Thank you to the following sponsors: Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, Camera, Yellow Scene, Roche Colorado, Scripps Howard Foundation, Amgen, Jared Polis Foundation, Kingsbery Baris Vogel Nuttall, Longmont United Hospital, White Wave Foods, Breadworks, ClifBar, Great Harvest Bread Company, Community Shares of Colorado, Eco-Products, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Harriet Peck Taylor, KGNU, McGuckin Hardware, Noodles & Company, Rocky Mountain Presence, and Sunflower Farmers Markets. 

Registration is available online at www.volunteerconnection.net. 

Volunteer Connection has been promoting volunteerism and connecting volunteers with volunteer opportunities in Boulder County since 1969.  380 service organizations are currently registered with the searchable online database and are recommended through a one-on-one referral service. Volunteer Connection also publishes volunteer opportunities and a weekly “Volunteer of the Week” column in three local newspapers.  Volunteer Connection provides affordable volunteer management trainings for local service organizations and is ready to respond to local disasters by providing spontaneous volunteer management. 

Our Mission: Volunteer Connection engages people as volunteers and strengthens volunteer-based programs, improving the quality of life in Boulder County. 

Our Vision: Volunteerism thrives in Boulder County so everyone thrives.