Volunteer Center Remains Part of United Way of Summit County

A public announcement regarding the merger of Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) created some confusion regarding the role and program home of the United Way of Summit County Volunteer Center. The Volunteer Center remains a program of United Way of Summit County, providing free one-on-one volunteer referral and placement, Done-in-a-Day projects for small groups of employees, and our annual Day of Action, enrolling more than 1,100 volunteers in a wide range of community projects.

United Way of Summit County continues to add value to our corporate and workplace donors beyond facilitating the annual fund raising campaign. We have served Summit County residents and employees for 95 years, and will continue to be a year-round community resource. As such we will continue to provide essential programs and services such as:

• Our Volunteer Center also provides Summit County’s only community-wide celebration of volunteerism, coordinates Corporate Volunteer Council activities, and provides educational training programs and volunteer management workshops,

• United Way’s Project Blueprint has just graduated our tenth class of Minority men and women who are committed to helping community agencies become more inclusive, responsive and reflective of our culturally diverse community. The program provides training, guidance, placement opportunities and networking related to being on a nonprofit Board,

• Our Neighborhood Leadership Institute partnership has just graduated its third class of men and women who have been trained to increase grassroots leadership engagement. Project Blueprint and the Neighborhood Leadership Institute are important components of the leadership development continuum in Summit County,

• With our Project Blueprint database, our association with community groups such as Torchbearers and Leadership Akron, and our knowledge of community agencies and their volunteer requirements we help employers access appointments to Boards and committees that may interest their employees.

Bob Kulinski, president of United Way of Summit County said, “United Way of Summit County encourages and supports programs that increase the service capacity of non-profit organizations, especially during these challenging economic conditions. Center for Non Profit Excellence has been one of Summit County’s leading capacity-building organizations, and we count on the new BVU: Center for Nonprofit Excellence as well as other organizations – including United Way of Summit County – to actively engage in this important work.”

United Way of Summit County encourages everyone to LIVE UNITED. Each of us has the power to improve lives and advance the common good when we give, advocate and volunteer. For more information on how to give now, on programs and services in our community, or to volunteer, call your United Way of Summit County at (330) 762-7601, explore our website at www.uwsummit.org, or visit our offices at 90 N. Prospect St., Akron, Ohio.