As a commonwealth of the United States, Puerto Rico is a popular destination for Americans seeking an “international” vacation close to home. As an island in the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico is also an unfortunate target for destructive maritime storms. The damage of Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017 is still widely visible. In the farthest […]
When the war broke out in Ukraine, Adam and Amy Robinson of Virginia knew they wanted to do something to help Ukrainians. Having served in Ecuador in 2017 with their two sons, Reed (now age 14) and Clayton (age 12), they say they knew that Global Volunteers’ service program in Poland would provide a meaningful […]
In early 2022, Global Volunteers’ Peru staff began outreach in the sandy, hilly district of Ventanilla to assess the needs of families and children to lay the foundation for the Reaching Children’s Potential Program (RCP) in Peru. This is an expansion of our existing Peru Service Program – in partnership with Sagrada Familia – Global […]
First-time Global Volunteer Pam Ballard said she couldn’t have correctly anticipated the impact of working one-on-one with Ukrainian refugee families in Poland. And now, she’s not certain she can adequately describe the impact the experience has had in her own life. Back at work as CEO of Community Service Council in Tulsa, OK, her understanding […]
Each summer, since 2000 (except for 2020), Global Volunteers has worked in partnerships with the Blackfeet people on community priorities – focusing on labor, elder services and family health and recreation projects. The first volunteer team in 2022 – 10 individuals aged19 to 73 – served from June 5-11. Thirteen service programs follow through early […]
In many ways, Michael Woodley is a typical teen. He loves playing guitar, listening to music and hanging out with friends. But, he took an unusual step in April when Russia invaded Ukraine. Having just received a gift of $1,000 from his godmother, he committed $700 to Global Volunteers’ Ukraine Refugee Fund. What – and who – convinced him […]
Global Volunteers works in developing communities inside the U.S. as well as around the world. Volunteers are drawn to opportunities to help upgrade the daily lives of average people living in under-resourced communities. Texas Community Partner Ann Cass, director of Proyecto Azteca, a non-profit home-building program, sat down with retired ABC broadcast reporter and Global […]
One month after Olga arrived in Siedlce, Poland, she felt “at home” among the Polish people who took her in after her country was attacked in March. Since then, she’s become a translator for Global Volunteers, and looks forward to many new opportunities to help other refugees. “I feel I have always been brave, and […]
As Ukrainian refugees headed to our Polish partner community of Siedlce in March, 2022, we quickly mobilized short-term volunteers to help provide humanitarian services. At the exquisite rural manor house, Reymontowka, Global Volunteers team members have hosted restorative activities for Ukrainian mothers and children, and learned the horrible cost of war. This post is written […]
Most volunteers are characteristically modest when estimating their personal impact in Global Volunteers’ partner communities. But when measuring the cumulative outcomes of service programs over time, we’ve demonstrated that the transformative power of volunteer teams – serving for one, two or three weeks at a time – is deep and wide. Sharing knowledge of those […]