WEEK IN REVIEW: Good reasons to volunteer

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

Early this morning, well before I arrived at the office, Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure leader Melissa Merrill and Bicycle Adventure founder Ryan Iafigliola hopped in the Fuller Center van with the Bicycle Adventure trailer attached and headed for Nashville.

No, they’re not starting a country music career — although Ryan can strum a guitar. That’s where they’ll rendezvous with more than 30 people who are volunteering their time and energy to raise money and awareness for The Fuller Center on a 400-mile bicycle trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway. The ride begins Sunday and concludes next Saturday in Jackson, Miss. You can support their efforts by clicking here.

They’re among many who volunteer their time with us. And that’s a good thing — not just for families served by The Fuller Center but for the volunteers themselves. Earlier in the week, Ryan shared with us a study of people who volunteered with us on Global Builders trips in 2011. He wanted to know how the joy of serving others in the short term translated in the long term. The long-term positive impacts for Global Builders volunteers was impressive, and you can learn more about that by clicking here.

On Thursday, I got to spend a lot of time with potential volunteers. I attended a career fair at Americus-Sumter High School near our headquarters. A lot of the kids need volunteer hours as they compete for college scholarships, and they were excited to learn not only how they can get those hours here in their own backyard but also how they’ll be doing things that truly matter for the disabled, elderly and folks with low income.

Be sure to visit our website at FullerCenter.org and learn more ways you can volunteer with us. And while you’re there, take a good look around the website. We’ve simplified the home page and made it easier to find what you’re looking for. Take a look around.