Special Days/Weeks Related to Volunteerism - Celebrated in North
America
(Also see Worldwide
listing)
National Mentoring Month (January)
Thank Your Mentor Day
Further information is available at:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy2008/index.html
National Volunteer
Week in Canada (April)
http://volunteer.ca/nvw
Held to coincide with the
American National Volunteer Week dates (see below), Volunteer Canada
provides support and media materials to recognize Canadian volunteering.
Suggestion:
Visit our Collective Wisdom area
to share or read ideas of what to do during National Volunteer Week.
National Volunteer Week
in the USA (April)
http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nvw/
National Volunteer Week, always held in the third week of April
unless the spring religious holidays coincide, has been celebrated
annually since the 1970s, though its visibility has been reduced by
the new "Seasons
of Service" calendar of events throughout the
year. Now sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, National
Volunteer Week "honors and recognizes the individuals who have
made a difference in our communities and alerts others to the need
for more voluntary community service to help solve our nations serious
social problems." Points of Light provides a National Volunteer
Week Promotional Kit.
Contact: National
Volunteer Week Information Hotline. The number is (202) 729-8168 or
800-VOLUNTEER, extension 5. There is also an email address: volunteerweek@pointsoflight.org
Here are the upcoming dates:
2008 - April 27 - May 3
2009 - April 19 - 25
2010 - April 18 - 24
Other "Seasons
of Service" events are:
Join Hands Day (May)
http://www.joinhandsday.org
A nationwide volunteer
day to bring young people together with adults to create new and
better relationships by working as a team within their own neighborhoods.
Future dates:
May 3, 2008
Make A Difference Day
(October)
http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/index.html
Each October, USA Weekend magazine, in partnership
with the Points of Light Foundation, sponsors a day for people to
volunteer and make a difference in the their communities. For more
information, dial the Make A Difference Day Hotline, 1-800-416-3824
or visit the Web site. Upcoming dates:
October 25, 2008
Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day (January)
http://www.mlkday.org/
With "Make it a day ON... Not a day off!" as its slogan,
this commemoration is designed to keep Dr. King's legacy of service
to others alive in communities across the country. The day
of service is scheduled on his nationally-recognized birthday holiday.
Upcoming MLK Days are
January 19, 2009
National Family Volunteer
Day (November)
http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nfvd/
Designed to showcase
the benefits of families working together in service to the community
and encourage those who haven't yet made the commitment to volunteer
as a family. National Family Volunteer Day is held the Saturday
before Thanksgiving and kicks off National
Family Week. Upcoming dates:
Saturday, November
22, 2008
National Youth
Service Day (April)
http://www.ysa.org/nysd/
Occurs each year immediately preceeding National Volunteer
Week and celebrates the positive contributions that millions of
young people are making in their communities. Major sponsors are
Youth Service America and Parade magazine. Next date:
(a range of dates is provided):
April 25-27, 2008
Cesar Chavez Day
of Service and Learning - March 31
http://www.chavezfoundation.org/cesarchavez-day.html
An official holiday in
six states and dozens of cities and counties throughout the nation,
this day honors the life, work, and values of activist Cesar E. Chavez.
Be the Change Day - October 1
http://www.saalt.org/bethechange.php
An annual service day sponsored by South Asian American Leaders
of Tomorrow (SAALT). (Formerly called "National Ghandi Day of Service")
My Good Deed (under One Day's Pay) - September
11
(formerly called
United Day of Service)
http://www.mygooddeed.org/
Sponsored by a coalition of national organizations to establish September
11 as a voluntarily observed national day of service, charity, and
compassion to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on America.
Pledges of service can be registered on their Web site.
Random Acts of Kindness
Week (February)
http://www.actsofkindness.org/people/days.asp
Random Acts of Kindness Week is dedicated to celebrating the little
things we do for others. There is a Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
at http://www.actsofkindness.org.
Upcoming Random Acts of Kindness Weeks are:
February 9-15, 2009
2/27/08
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