Interested in getting involved but not sure where to start?  Curious as to how your skills and strengths can be used to make a positive impact on Green County communities?  The Green County Volunteer Network is an easy way to get connected with a wide variety of opportunities throughout Green County. The Network will also enable organizations to reach out, build their volunteer base, and engage more people.

Some of the local agencies involved that you may be familiar with are 100 Who Care Green County, Aging and Disability Resource Center of Green County, Arc of Green County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Green County, F.A.I.T.H. Addiction Awareness of Green County, Family Promise of Green County Inc., Friends of the New Glarus Woods State Park, Green Cares Food Pantry, Green County 4-H, Green Haven Family Advocates Inc., New Glarus Chamber of Commerce, New Glarus Public Library and the New Glarus Youth Baseball Association. A full list of participants may be found at http://www.volunteergreencounty.com.

“We have so many people with so many skills and talents.  The network enables people to find ways they can help make our communities stronger – while meeting new people and having fun,” said Arianna Meier with the City of Monroe. This intuitive, easy to use web-based platform enables community members to search for opportunities based on interest, skills, and abilities.  The Network showcases volunteer opportunities and charity events.

Part of the goal of the Volunteer Network is to make it easy for new residents to get connected and quickly build relationships with Green County communities.  “We know that when people have strong community connections they have a higher quality of life and are more invested in our communities.  This increases and encourages people to stay in Green County.  As we improve our communities, we make Green County even more attractive for recruiting a competitive workforce and growing businesses,” said Cara Carper with Green County Development Corporation.

Another goal is to use this as an opportunity to build leadership skills and community capacity.  “One of the important benefits of this Network is that as we engage more people, this is an opportunity to grow the next generation of Green County’s leaders.  This makes our communities stronger for the future,” said Victoria Solomon with Green County UW-Extension.

Check out the website at http://www.volunteergreencounty.com. If you are part of a non-profit organization that has not yet connected with the network, please contact Victoria Solomon to be set up. 

This county-wide network is made possible through a partnership between United Way Green County, Green County UW-Extension, the City of Monroe, the Monroe Chamber, and Green County Development Corporation.  If you have questions, contact Victoria Solomon, Community Resource Development Educator, at the Green County UW-Extension Office, (608) 328-9440, or via email at victoria.solomon@ces.uwex.edu.