Global Volunteer Month

Eight years ago, Greg and his wife founded Operation Ramp It Up, a nonprofit dedicated to installing wheelchair ramps for people with mobility issues. The organization has installed over 130 aluminum ramps and provided over 150 recycled ramps across 40 states.

As a volunteer with United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s 2-1-1 Helpline, Lynne has dedicated hundreds of service hours to helping fellow Southeast Michigan residents.

In 2018, Rebekah Bruesehoff of New Jersey stood in front of her state’s legislature, testifying in support of a bill requiring schools to teach the accomplishments and contributions that LGBTQ+ people have made throughout history.     

Cully currently serves as an advisory board member and volunteer for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program, a Texas-based nonprofit that prepares incarcerated individuals for their release from prison through career counseling, financial literacy counseling, and peer support. 

As we celebrate Global Volunteer Month, we’re celebrating the power of people. In recent years, the backdrop on which this month has taken place has presented some of the most challenging times in our history. This year, we’re facing the COVID-19 pandemic, a call for social justice and now the spotlight on the war in Ukraine.  

A Points of Light Global Network Affiliate since 2013, Activate Good believes we all have a responsibility to work towards a better world. That’s why the organization works tirelessly to improve the community through people-powered projects for good. 

The epitome of humility, Mark and Nadine York are committed to serving others, even after their retirement. Their church in Equality, Illinois, was merging its four different parishes, which left the ministry with an extra building space. The pastor had an idea to use the building for good, and the Yorks took this opportunity to serve in a new way. 

The team at National Volunteer & Philanthropy Center takes their mission seriously: to become the “City of Good” by building a culture of giving in Singapore where individuals, organizations and leaders come together to give their best for others. 

Points of Light exists to uplift those who are working to better their communities and equip nonprofits that are doing the same. Individuals rely on nonprofit organizations to provide them with clear guidance and direction on how they can lend their time, talent and resources to a cause. And nonprofits simply can’t function without passionate, committed individuals to help do the work.

For the past three years, Michael has served his Tampa, Florida community through Kids 4 A Cause, a charitable organization started by his family in 2019. The teen serves as the foundation’s co-CEO, along with his brother Christian and cousins Dominic and Sheldon Fouché, as well as its spokesperson.

It’s official! Global Volunteer Month has begun, and Points of Light is thrilled to recognize some of our corporate sponsors who are doing incredible things to mobilize around this landmark event to promote greater civic engagement.

For decades, Ruach Tova, an organization in Israel, has been connecting people who are interested in volunteering in Israel to nonprofit organizations across the country. 

As Briana Daniel went for her usual run in downtown Orlando around Lake Eola Park in 2013, she came across someone she’d seen before. He was experiencing homelessness at the time and sold art along the lake as a way to support himself. Briana was familiar with his story and his art but she learned something new that day — just how vast the homeless population really is in her community.  

During times of uncertainty, one thing we can count on is the power of people to change the world. We are a community of millions of points of light joined together by a shared belief that we can make a positive difference. During the Ukraine crisis, our Points of Light Global Network leaders are on the ground throughout the neighboring regions, helping to connect families and care for refugees.

“Civic Life Today: The State of Global Civic Engagement,” which was commissioned by Points of Light and designed and executed by INFLUENCE|SG, studied attitudes around civic engagement in the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil.

Harry Kpoh witnessed the ravages of civil war while living in Liberia, and when he was able to immigrate to the United States as a young man, those memories of suffering stayed with him. 

The Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) has been an affiliate of Points of Light for more than 20 years. CVNL chose to partner with Points of Light to be a part of a global network of organizations committed to civic engagement and volunteer service. 

The collective global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways. The shift to remote work has revolutionized the workplace, with positive outcomes such as reduced commuting times and increased flexibility. On the flip side, it has resulted in isolation of workers from colleagues, a depleted sense of belonging and sometimes struggles with mental and physical health. These disruptions to workplace relationships, as well as volunteering, have kept us apart, separating us from our communities and each other. 

Pooja Chandrashekar remembers walking into her computer science class on her first day of high school in 2013 and noticing that she was the only girl in a sea of 30 students. When she was just a sophomore, Pooja began her nonprofit career at the age of 15 to fill the technology gender gap.  

For immigrant and refugee children starting a new life with their families in the United States, there’s no doubt that school can be extremely intimidating. Learning English and studying in a completely new language is one thing, but there’s also the hurdle of fitting in and making friends. That’s why Daxton Gutekunst, a 16-year-old from San Diego, created his nonprofit, Kid By Kid.