Want to volunteer your time, but don’t know where to turn?
The Chamber of Commerce is conducting a volunteer fair in conjunction with Breakfast Rotary’s River Clean Up next weekend. The event aims to connect volunteers with organizations where they can enjoy donating their time.
Nonprofit organizations seeking volunteers will be participating. The volunteer fair will be Saturday, July 18, from 7 to 10 a.m. at Pepper Branch Park.
The organizations signed up thus far are Families in Crisis, McMinnville-Warren County Senior Center, Friends of the Greenway, Hamilton Street Activity Center, Magness Library, Young Men United, Warren County Master Gardeners Association, Morrison Ruritan, and the McMinnville-Warren County Chamber of Commerce.
The volunteer fair plans to call attention to the plentiful and varying needs in this community that are filled by volunteers and service organizations while giving people an opportunity to witness a volunteer group in action at the annual River Clean Up.
“Oftentimes an individual may want to volunteer some of their time but may be unsure of which organization would be the best fit for them,” said Chamber president Mandy Eller. “Perhaps it’s that no one has directly reached out to them. This is that reach. This fair is free and open to the public. All are welcome to meet representatives from these organizations to ensure the best fit. This is coming at an opportune time for Warren County students.”
Students taking advantage of the Tennessee Promise scholarship opportunity are required to have eight community service hours per semester to receive and maintain their scholarship.
“We aim to sign up any students who have not completed their hours in the summer to obtain the scholarship for the fall semester and also to sign up for hours to be completed during the fall for the spring semester so they can maintain their scholarship,” said Eller. “We also encourage upcoming seniors to come and learn about the different service organizations to see what will be a good fit for them when their time comes.”
The volunteer fair was inspired by McMinnville Mayor Jimmy Haley’s New Years resolution that was published in the Southern Standard.
“I read the resolution and was reminded of how we at the Chamber have a need to build our volunteer base,” said Eller. “It also reminded me of the work I’ve done with other volunteer organizations and how we all seem to be tapping into the same resources over and over, until those resources are spread too thin. It then becomes difficult to meet the objectives of the organization. Mayor Haley was correct when he stated there is only so much government can provide, and it is up to the citizens to join together to meet the remaining needs. It takes all of us working together to thrive.”
For questions, or to join the fair as a nonprofit, please call the McMinnville-Warren County Chamber of Commerce at 473-6611.