Appreciation for Our Volunteers

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” ~ Flora Edwards

During the month of April, Society for the Blind is honoring and celebrating the more than 200 volunteers who provide their expertise, support and mentorship to our clients and staff. Volunteers assist in our programs, our fundraising efforts and in special events at Society.

More than 1,400 hours of volunteer time is contributed to recording publications for our Access News listeners. And this year we welcomed several new Access News volunteers from Humboldt County!

Every Tuesday and Sunday, more than 50 volunteers help to run our Bingo sessions, proceeds from which support our programs.

Mentors provide more than 80 hours of guidance and mentorship each month as they partner with our clients participating in our Senior IMPACT Project immersion retreats. All of our volunteer mentors are blind or have low vision.

These are just a few examples of the tremendous gifts we receive from our volunteers. Whether serving as readers for people with vision loss, providing expertise in technology, or taking part in a one-day event, these hours add up. The Independent Sector report on the value of volunteer time found that an hour of volunteer time was worth $28 in services for a California nonprofit.

Offering the gift of one’s time and talent is of mutual benefit. As the quote from Flora Edwards points out, being of service is also a gift back to oneself. One of our volunteers recently stated, “I love volunteering here. I meet the most amazing people and I always leave having learned something new.”

We will honor our volunteers on April 26 with a dinner and celebration at Society. The staff and Board of Directors at Society extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our volunteers for their dedication and commitment to the people we serve. We could not do this important work without you!