The number of volunteers nationally has jumped 17 percent since 1995, according to the Points of Light Foundation. Local totals aren't available, according to Deborah C. Fenton, a vice president of United Way of the Pioneer Valley. It's in the thousands. The Volunteer Center is a clearing house that matches volunteers with opportunities in the region. The center's database lists 670 volunteer opportunities of 216 organizations in need.
Opportunities can mean once a week, once a month or one-time events.
The biggest barrier for people to volunteer is that they don't think they have the time or the skills. Pagan, who has been HIV-positive for more than nine years, has volunteered at the Between Family and Friends Center since receiving services herself there more than four years ago. I love it here. Her work hasn't gone unnoticed, according to Frank Baldasarre, who coordinates approximately 100 volunteers for the center. Pagan was Volunteer of the Year for Between Family and Friends last year, after devoting more than 400 hours of service.