All Wrapped Up - Still Time to Help

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County's "All Wrapped Up" holiday giving program is in full swing!  We've received requests from nonprofit agencies to help 3,500 people.  We’ve been busy matching donors with people in need, but we still have a long way to go.  More than 250 individuals and 300 families still need to be matched with donors. 

 

Individuals, families, civic groups, corporations and business associations are encouraged to "adopt" an individual or a family in need.

 

Requested items include such basics as winter coats, warm sweaters, slippers, or books and toys for children. Gift cards for supermarkets and discount department stores are on everyone's list, too.

 

To help, sign up online. We'll match you with an individual or family and email their profile back to you within 24 hours.

 

Call Debbie at 201-489-9454, ext. 118 for further information.

 

Times are tough, so please do whatever you can to help our neighbors right here in Bergen County!

Cyber Monday - Give Good!

This Cyber Monday while scouring the internet for the best deals and gift ideas for your family and friends, give the gift of good intentions and good work done by volunteers every day.  Volunteers have made a tremendous difference to people all over the region whose lives were changed by Hurricane Sandy.  These volunteers - and the people whose lives they touched - know what we at the Volunteer Center are reminded of every day:  Volunteering is a priceless gift of caring and kindness. 

 

As we begin another holiday season, we once again offer an alternative to conventional gift-giving.  Consider giving the gift of good.

 

A donation made in honor of someone you care about will support the Volunteer Center programs and services of your choice.  Your gift will be acknowledged with an elegant, customized card sent to the person you wish to honor, along with a description of the Volunteer Center.

 

Click here to simplify your holiday shopping and give the gift of good to someone - or everyone - on your list. You can safely and easily purchase your gift online, and we'll take care of the rest!  Please make donations by noon on December 21st to ensure delivery by December 25th.

 

Thank you and Happy Holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

from the Volunteer Center of Bergen County

“Lunch and Learn” for Volunteer Managers

The Non Profit Training and Resource Center of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County will present a Volunteer Managers’ “Lunch and Learn” Roundtable on Thursday, November 29, 2012, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Volunteer Center’s offices at 64 Passaic Street in Hackensack.

 

Participants must bring their own lunches; soft drinks will be provided. Driving directions and parking instructions will be e-mailed to registered attendees before each session.

 

All professionals who work with or manage volunteers in non-profit, corporate, community, governmental or faith-based settings are invited to attend this seminar—part of a series of monthly meetings that are informal yet interactive, with time for networking and group problem solving activities.

 

Each Roundtable will provide an opportunity for professional growth and interaction with colleagues as well as a forum for sharing ideas and best practices in the field. Additionally, attendees will get updates on new programs and services that the Volunteer Center has available to enhance agencies’ volunteer programs.

 

“These meetings have proven to be informational as well as inspirational”, says Debbie Emery, Community Volunteer Services Director for the Volunteer Center. “The lively exchanges have helped participants keep their skills sharp, find out about new ideas, and get answers to questions about making the most of their volunteer workforces.”

Hurricane Sandy

The Volunteer Center coordinates the Bergen County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) and is currently working with numerous nonprofit, civic and faith-based organizations to assist residents affected by the disaster.  Recovery, particulary in the Bergen towns of Little Ferry and Moonachie, will be a long-term effort.  Your support of organizations providing disaster services (including the Volunteer Center) is deeply appreciated. 

 

For information about resources available for victims, go to www.nj211.org.

Fun and Games with the BVC

130 friends of the Business Volunteer Council of Northern New Jersey gathered at the IKEA store in Paramus on October 26 for a night of "Fun & Games with the BVC," sponsored by Hudson City Savings Bank and other BVC companies.

 

Guest-contestants took part in such all-time favorites as The Price is Right, Scavenger Hunt, the Hudson City Money Machine, and Wheel of Fortune.  

 

The biggest success of the night was that guests filled four huge shopping carts with donations of sandwich fillings -- like peanut butter and jelly -- for the Center for Food Action.

 

Funds raised support the BVC's initiatives that benefit low-income families and children.