Press Release
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Caryl Lucas |
| April 26, 2006 | Phone: 609-292-4302 |
SECRETARY WELLS RECOGNIZED NEW JERSEY
VOLUNTEERS & ANNOUNCES MAJOR STATEWIDE
VOLUNTEER OUTREACH INITIATIVES
State Volunteer Conference and New Website Will Foster
Greater Volunteer Opportunities
New Brunswick , NJ – On Wednesday, April 26th, Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells recognized dozens of volunteers making a difference in their communities across New Jersey and announced several initiatives to increase volunteer networks and new opportunities for senior citizens, adults and young people who want to serve.
During a press conference held at the Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick, Secretary Wells announced a statewide volunteer conference, sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, which will be held on Friday, June 16, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel in Somerset. The theme is “Making the Difference and Closing the Gap: Where Would We Be Without Volunteers?” The conference will provide a variety of workshops to assist volunteers and volunteer managers to develop greater expertise and creative strategies to better serve their communities.
“The purpose of the conference is to bring our volunteer community together to share ideas on how volunteers can expand critical services to citizens and communities during these tough fiscal times,” Wells said. “We are here today to recognize the wonderful service that volunteers play in our communities from soup kitchens such as Elijah’s Promise to our schools, hospitals, parks, museums and libraries. Where would be without our volunteers,” she added.
In observance of National Service/National Volunteer Week, which runs April 24th through April 29th, Secretary Wells launched a statewide community outreach campaign to expand the levels of volunteers at community-based organizations across the state and federally funded national programs such as Americorps, Learn and Serve America and the Senior Service Corps. Under the campaign, a new website directing potential volunteers to County based volunteer networks, will be launched on the Governor’s homepage and the Department of State’s website in early July. The new website will feature a monthly calendar of volunteer events, youth activities and volunteer training opportunities throughout the state.
“The new database will enable potential volunteers to enter the world of volunteerism through the Governor’s homepage and Secretary of State’s website and find a direct link to their home county and the array of volunteer opportunities that await them,” said Rowena Madden, Director of New Jersey’s Americorps. “This will be the first time that volunteers can access the entire state to explore their areas of interest and expertise. In the past, this journey may have been a bit complicated; now potential volunteers of all ages and backgrounds will be able to enter the system through one portal.” she added. Volunteers from across the state attended the awards recognition and press conference.
Carol McKinney, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism, believes the upcoming conference will address some serious issues. “Recent analyses of both state and federal spending are sending warning signs that charities are going to lose significant funds – whether it’s because of Katrina or the war of overwhelming deficits,” she said. “Three times the dollars normally raised privately will be needed to make these charities whole – which is an unlikely outcome. The studies indicate that increased levels of volunteers, filling staffing voids in these charities, will be the only answer to maintaining the vital levels of services currently being provided to our most needy populations and communities,” McKinney added.
After the press conference, Secretary Wells toured Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen and Pantry which has been serving thousands of needy and low-income families since 1989. She was joined by Pamela Warkwick Feldmann, Senior Vice President of the Points of Light Foundation, a national organization that coordinates and promotes volunteer programs across the country.
Lisanne Fenton, Director of Elijah’s Promise, which has been serving thousands of needy and low-income families since 1989, said she was pleased to host the recognition program and stressed the critical role volunteers play at the local soup kitchen and pantry. “Volunteers are the heart and soul of what we do here,” she said. “Last year, we served more than 100,000 meals,” she said.
“Their time, energy and commitment make all the difference for the people we serve,” Fenton said. “The reality is our organization would not be where we are today if it were not for our volunteers.
Secretary Wells, left, greets Liseanne Fenton, Director of Elijah’s Promise, center,
and Yvette R. Murry, Acting Director of the Rutgers University’s Citizenship and
Service Education (Case) Program.
###
