Press Release

For Immediate Release	Contact: Caryl Lucas
June 16, 2006	Phone: 609-292-4302

TRENTON, NJ – On Friday, June 16th, Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells welcomed more than 500 volunteers, including youth from Ameri Corps and Service Learning programs from throughout New Jersey, to the 2006 Governor’s Statewide Conference on Volunteerism held at the Doubletree Hotel in Somerset. The theme is “Volunteerism: Making a Difference and Closing the Gap…Where Would We Be Without Our Volunteers?”

“We hope that this conference will bring new ideas and strategies for enhancing the services that our volunteers provide,” said Governor Jon S. Corzine. “I join with Secretary Wells in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of New Jersey’s volunteers and national service participants,” he added.

“Volunteerism is a major focus of Governor Corzine,” said Secretary Wells, who announced several new initiatives in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, including a new website portal on the Governor’s homepage that will enable potential volunteers to access service opportunities in each of the state’s counties. It also marked the 20th anniversary of the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism. “He is asking us to do more, provide more opportunities and to capture more information about what our citizens are already doing,” she added.

A new monthly calendar also will be posted on the Governor’s homepage and the Department of State website highlighting key volunteer events, training and service opportunities, Wells told the diverse audience of corporate volunteers and representatives of community-based and faith-based organizations at the conference.

“The mission of the conference is to highlight the important contributions of volunteers, particularly in a time of tight budgets and community needs,” said Secretary Wells. “The conference will enable the participants to share best practices, new concepts in volunteer management and resource development,” she added.

The conference also comes at a time when a major new national study, “Volunteering In America: State Trends and Rankings,” has been produced by the Corporation for National and Community Service in partnership with the US Census Bureau. The study provides a demographic baseline of volunteering for the years 2002 through 2005.

During the conference’s opening session, Wells announced several new initiatives in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, including a new website portal on the Governor’s homepage that will enable potential volunteers to access service opportunities in each of the state’s counties. A new monthly calendar also will be posted on the Governor’s homepage and the Department of State website highlighting key volunteer events, training and service opportunities.

In addition, Wells also announced plans for the development of a State Business Volunteer Council, modeled on the Bergen County Council, that will share information, best practices, and materials among New Jersey’s businesses which increasingly view volunteerism as part of their corporate citizenship and branding.

In assessing the value of the conference, Rowena Madden, Director of the Division of Community Services, stated: “Volunteerism is a special part of the American experience that brings together citizens of all ages and backgrounds in common cause to make life better in our communities, our state, and our nation. The Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism is proud to host this event and to receive the strong support of Governor Corzine and Secretary of State Wells in recognizing and highlighting the service of all volunteers.”

The conference keynote speaker was Victoria Bixel of Semple Bixel, Inc. who will provide the group with information on the current environment for resource development and volunteer generation and strategies to reach a wider range of potential volunteers and donors. Workshops will focus on corporate best practices, tapping into baby boomers and seniors, mentoring, volunteer opportunities for individuals with disabilities, legal and liability issues, fundamentals of volunteer management, service-learning from Kindergarten through college, meet ing the needs of children and families, resource generation and community mobilization, developing a disaster plan, and donations management.