Recipients include groups and individuals and are being recognized for their outstanding commitment and achievements in volunteerism over the past year
VANCOUVER – Share recently announced its organization is a recipient of the 2020 Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards.
“Each year more than 2,880 volunteers contribute their time, talent and resources to provide 28,300-plus hours of service. Our volunteers are the heart of our organization and we are eternally grateful to each and every one of them,” said Diane McWithey, executive director. “We are incredibly proud of Molly Evjen, our director of Volunteers and Community Resources, and Heather Walker, our volunteer and Community Resources coordinator, who lead Share’s effort to engage our community in volunteer opportunities which are critical to our daily operations.”
On April 20, Serve Washington announced recipients of the 2020 Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards. Recipients include groups and individuals and are being recognized for their outstanding commitment and achievements in volunteerism over the past year.
An awards ceremony in Olympia to honor recipients had been planned for April but had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis. Instead, this year’s recipients are being highlighted through April 24 on Serve Washington’s Facebook and Twitter feeds – and Share will be highlighted on Friday (April 24).
Gov. Jay Inslee shared a message to recipients via video, which, in part, included: “Washingtonians across the state are making sacrifices for one another every day. For that, I am deeply grateful and our state is stronger. Our Volunteer Service Award honorees are outstanding representatives of this kind of determination. I encourage all Washingtonians to thank a volunteer and to find a way to make a difference.”
April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month. Share has been posting staff messages of thanks to its volunteers on Facebook throughout the month. Evjen shared this message in her video: “Right now we’re definitely missing the impact you all have at Share. I hope that you are home and staying safe and healthy. We are looking forward to the time when we can welcome back our groups of volunteers. We miss having you, but we are doing a good job working together to keep our community safe. We look forward to seeing you all soon. Happy Volunteer Appreciation Month.”
About Share
Share was founded in 1979 with the goal of caring for the homeless and hungry in the greater Vancouver area. Share operates four shelters for the homeless, a transitional housing program, Lincoln Place (a 30-unit Housing First model apartment complex), a street outreach program, a Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) program, provides case management to clients and provides daily meals for the homeless and low-income members of our community. Share also operates a summer meals program for low-income children and a backpack program benefitting 1,680 children at 94 schools to provide food for weekends to children receiving free or reduced-fee lunches. Additionally, Share offers financial programs that incorporate financial education and matched dollars for savings; these programs are designed to assist in the improvement of credit scores and financial management. For more information on Share, visit www.sharevancouver.org.
Share Vancouver asking for volunteers and support during time of increased need
