Maryland nonprofits can now apply to be assigned volunteers from Volunteer Maryland for the 2021-2022 service year.
Volunteer Maryland, an AmeriCorps program in the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, plans to place 30 AmeriCorps members at service sites across Maryland for eleven months.
“Through the work of our AmeriCorps members, Volunteer Maryland’s capacity building activities help our partners recruit volunteers, enhance or expand the delivery of services, and generate additional resources that organizations might not otherwise have readily available to them,” Volunteer Maryland Director Sharon Lewis said in a statement.
Lewis added that AmeriCorps volunteers can help the organizations that they are serving “move the needle on addressing critical needs in Maryland communities.”
Organizations that are interested in hosting volunteers must apply to Volunteer Maryland by March 5, 2021.
Before applying for the program, however, organizations are encouraged to attend one of Volunteer Maryland’s free, virtual workshops, titled “Leverage Your Volunteer Program – Partner with Volunteer Maryland.”
Workshop attendees will learn about the benefits or partnering with Volunteer Maryland, undergo a needs assessment, and network with fellow Maryland organizations. The Rural Maryland Council and the Maryland Heritage Authority Program will also share their grant programs and other resources for eligible organizations during the workshops.
Volunteer Maryland will hold workshops on Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 18, and Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon each day.
As Maryland and the rest of the nation continue to experience health, economic and other impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, access to volunteer resources is particularly important for nonprofits that are supporting Marylanders right now, said Volunteer Maryland Outreach Manager Nathan Cabrera.
“This is an incredible opportunity especially during these challenging times, for organizations to gather information from three different programs that could significantly leverage the great work of nonprofits around the state to serve even more Maryland residents,” Cabrera said in a statement.
