On August 7, 2009 the Governor’s Committee to End Homelessness and the Missouri Housing Development Commission hosted the first annual Project Homeless Connect in Columbia, MO.
Over 40 service providers gathered at Silverthorne Arena on the Stephens Campus in Columbia to provide a continuum of services to participants. But what made this event, which is held in many cities across the US, special is the over 100 volunteers who signed up to ‘guide’ participants through the event. By matching each participant with a volunteer from the community, the event was a venue for the citizens to express their compassion for those who are without a home for whatever reason.
A participant was quoted in the Columbia Missourian saying, “Everyone is here out of the goodness of their hearts,” Ingersoll said. “You can tell they feel for the homeless. They’re not just here to punch that ticket to heaven. They want to create a better community to live in. We need more of this in this town.”
Perhaps the most significant outcome of the event was how it touched the hearts of the volunteers that participated, many of whom came from local businesses including Commerce Bank who sent a large group of employees to help out for the day.
Small businesses can sometimes feel too pressed for time or strapped for cash to consider volunteering for local organizations, but investing time in quality organizations that are engaged in high impact activities can enhance the lives and skills of employees, and raise the company profile in the community.
According the Ivey Business Journal, only 20% of companies with fewer than 200 employees emphasize volunteerism, despite the fact that 90% of nonprofits can readily utilize 20 new volunteers at any given time.
With a little creativity and flexibililty, you can create policies that encourage and facilitate volunteerism among your staff, benefitting your community and organization at the same time.
