Putting Your Talents To Good Use (NAPSA)—Here’s some good newsfor people that want to get out and do good: whether you can spare 10 hours a weekor one hour a month, a specialized online service makes it easier than ever to support the arts, the environment, and community, and feel better about helping others at the same wr fe & time. VolunteerMatch, a nonprofit web site at www.volunteer match.org, is devoted to helping community service organizations in need connect with enthusiastic volunteers. Nearly 25,000 organizations have received more than 1,000,000 volunteer referrals through thesite. Any nonprofit or tax-exempt organization in the United States can list an unlimited number of volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatchfor free. To access these opportunities, interested volunteers simply enter the ZIP code on the VolunteerMatch home page to receive a localized, up-to-datelist. Those interested in volunteering can also search by interest, keyword, and even for opportunities open to families, groups, seniors, andkids! For example, the five-year-old organization recently achieved its one-millionth volunteer referral. Sophia Wu, an 8th grader from Southern California, used VolunteerMatch to sign up as a volunteer for her local chapter of the American Cancer Society for a school assignment promoting public service. “T found VolunteerMatch and thought it was very helpful,” said Wu, a student at Canyon Hills Junior High School in Chino Hills, California. “It’s a much easier way to find a place to volunteer.” Look what’s happening on the Net: a site that helps volunteers find new waysto help out. A Delaware woman, Kathleen Murray, decided to get involved on a national scale. By experiencing the personal reward and fulfillment that comes with volunteering in more than a dozen cities, she hopes to inspire others to volunteer as a way to change the world for the better. Murray used VolunteerMatch to sign up for and get involved in volunteer opportunities at a number of community service organizations throughout the country. “VolunteerMatch is a terrific resource,” said Kathleen Murray. “For anyone interested in volunteering, VolunteerMatch really simplifies the process of finding and getting involved in meaningful volunteer opportunities anywhere in the U.S. At the same time, it makes it much easier for community service organizations to recruit the volunteers they need.” To volunteer or learn more, visit www.volunteermatch.org.
