Celebrating Volunteers
Photo courtesy of CARP Bay Area
April is National Volunteer Month, where we recognize and celebrate the countless volunteers who make this world a better place. Numerous Unificationist volunteers across the US and abroad not only reflect the values of our movement, but bring these principles to the various charitable projects, events and activities they engage in.
Earlier this year, two Unificationist siblings in Nevada received national recognition for their service, volunteering more than 200 hours combined throughout 2021. Jeffrey and Jennifer Silerio were given the President’s Volunteer Service Award for working with the Shine City Project (SCP), a Unificationist volunteer group that has been a staple in serving the greater Las Vegas area for almost a decade. In 2021, the SCP amassed 1,150 service hours and completed 48 total service projects — nearly one every week — ranging from community cleanups to care for the elderly and the homeless.
“With volunteering, we can lead by example and live for the sake of others,” said Jeffrey Silerio, the national director of SCP. The group, which doubled its efforts this year, is on track to surpass its volunteer hours from 2021.
CARP is another popular avenue of volunteering among Unificationists, and for more than 50 years students have contributed to a range of service projects on and off campuses around the country. In late February, the CARP Bay Area chapter collaborated with other nonprofits to work on an off-ramp garden in Oakland, Calif. The project, split into two parts, included neighborhood trash cleanup and gardening. A number of CARP members from both Chabot College and the University of California, Berkeley joined the effort.
“Not only did this project strengthen the desire to serve amongst the volunteers, but the bright yellow volunteer vests and telltale trash pickers prompted many honks and waves from inspired and grateful passersby,” said one CARP organizer. “Some even joined in on the project!”
“I had a lot of fun doing something outside my usual routine as a Cal student,” said Maria, a sophomore. “I have to prioritize what matters to me and make time for it — helping others, helping out, and making a change starts with small projects such as this one.”
From teachers and students to working professionals, service projects attract people from all backgrounds to help improve their community inside and out. In particular, neighborhood cleanups are a recurring service project for volunteers from Youth and Students for Peace (YSP). The New Jersey chapter, for example, frequently organizes litter pickup in various areas and also hosted a community coat drive this past winter season.
In the US, National Volunteer Month has evolved since its debut in 1974 as National Volunteer Week. Today, there are some 1.8 million non-profit organizations across the country, providing limitless opportunity to volunteer and give back to our communities.
You can learn more about National Volunteer Month, including ways to observe and celebrate it, here.