“National Volunteer Week”: Giving Thanks to Those Who Give Back

April 12th to 18th is celebrated as “National Volunteer Week,” organized by the Points of Light foundation. Every day the smiles of MEDA’s amazing volunteers light up the lives of the over 6,100 clients served annually at Plaza Adelante, the Mission neighborhood center.

MEDA’s volunteer program launched in 2014. The numbers tell the story:

107 ongoing volunteers
243 Free Tax Preparation program volunteers
182 event volunteers
over 13,000 hours contributed
a value of over $350,000

These volunteers come from all walks of life. Sarah wants to practice her Spanish while keeping her tax knowledge current. Tom thinks the best way to help build a vibrant community in the future is to start building vibrant businesses today. Liat, who was born in Israel and raised in London, wants to improve her administration skills while learning more about housing.

None of these connections to MEDA could be made without the expertise of indefatigable Volunteer Services Manager Leah Cerri.

Cerri sums up the volunteer contribution as follows: “From helping to build websites for our Business Development clients and mentoring youth to filing our clients’ taxes for free and conducting neighborhood surveys, MEDA’s volunteers are pitching in and adding capacity to our programs–and helping the community become financially stable. We are lucky to have so many amazing, skilled and caring volunteers who really believe in the work that we are doing and want to help us make an impact. When I take a step back and look at all that we’ve been able to accomplish with the help of so many volunteers, it’s really inspiring and reminds me that community engagement is such a powerful tool for change.”