Vitality Project, United Way join in efforts

Published 11:45 am Friday, May 22, 2009

To aid in the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project initiative that encourages people to volunteer, United Way of Freeborn County leaders on Wednesday introduced a volunteer database that can help people match up their gifts and interests to agencies where those gifts are needed.

United Way of Freeborn County Executive Director Ann Austin said local United Way leaders actually started talking about forming the database last fall as a way to get people engaged in the community. The timing happened to fit in well with the Vitality Project, which encourages volunteering as a means to live longer, healthier lives.

Studies show that people who volunteer have lower rates of cancer and heart disease, as well as lower health care costs, according to Vitality Project leaders. Volunteers are also less likely to be depressed.

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A handout about the United Way volunteer database and Freeborn County volunteer opportunities was handed out during the first Finding Your Purpose workshop Wednesday as part of the Vitality Project.

Though the database has already been up on the local United Way Web site, it was the first opportunity for many to hear about it.

“It’s a really great tool to use,” Austin said. “We’re just hoping it’s going to engage more people in the community and find an outlet for their passions and skills that may not be used in other parts of their lives.”

Currently, there are 39 opportunities available through 33 agencies.

Austin said the database is a free service called Volunteer Solutions offered to United Way agencies across the country, where organizations in the community can post volunteer opportunities online and volunteers can search for them.

To get the database ready for the Web, Austin met with a group of women to identify volunteer organizations throughout the county and the contacts for each.

The group conducted a trial run of the database in March to see how the agencies would like it and to see if it was workable for the community.

Austin said it was a success.

Volunteer Solutions is similar to the Workforce Center’s career matching application, she said, in that it matches people with volunteer opportunities based off of their skills and talents.

The director said she is excited to have the Vitality Project leaders promote the site in the purpose workshops.

“This is the first step,” Austin said. “It’s identifying all the need that’s out there. It’s up to the community to figure out what they have to contribute. It’s really up to us to determine how our community evolves.”

To add your name to the volunteer database, first go to www.unitedwayfc.org/volunteer. Click on “Not Registered? Sign up now!” Follow the prompts to sign up as a new user. You will be prompted to provide general information about the opportunities you are interested in, including social descriptions of the types of groups and when it is most convenient for you to volunteer. At the seventh step, the categories used at the purpose workshop are outlined, including specific skills that match with the category.

Austin said tutorials about the Web site could be offered at the Albert Lea Public Library if there is enough interest.

For questions about volunteering contact Austin at 373-8670.