Stories from students, retirees, working professionals, couples, families, groups, solo travelers, first-time volunteers, volunteer veterans and everyone in-between from more than 20 countries around the world. Learn about your favorite country in their own words.
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 […]
University student Emmanuelle Dulac was born with the “volunteer bug.” For as long as she can remember, she’s been an active volunteer in her home town of Québec, Canada. But she began looking for more; a chance to help others while experiencing a new culture. An internet search in March, 2022 brought her to the […]
Laurie Sunderland volunteered in San Juan, Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border on her first service program with Global Volunteers in April this year after having met Global Volunteers while traveling and volunteering abroad. In her blog post, originally posted on her personal blog, Laurie reflects on her week in service, saying she mostly remembers the […]
Denver public health retiree Joanie Jones said joining the people of Siedlce, Poland to care for Ukrainian mothers and children evacuated from their devastated homeland was both life-affirming and heart-breaking. As a six-time Global Volunteer who previously served in Poland, Joanie says she knew right away that she wanted to go and help – but […]
In this first-person volunteer story, alumna Penny Louise Flavin describes her experience working with Ukrainian women and children in Poland in April. Penny Louise first served with Global Volunteers in Peru in 2019. Following the pandemic, she returned to service to teach conversational in Poland in October 2021. In February this year, she served in […]
Karen Hogan knows firsthand how important it is to have someone to take care of your child so that a grieving mother can work through a difficult situation. In Jackson, Wyoming, Karen teaches music, movement, and art, and knows the healing and joy that dance can bring to both children and their caretakers. She says […]
Special education teacher Lynn O’Brien of Indiana volunteered on her first service program last summer on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. Her mother had worked with indigenous populations in Montana as a young woman in the 1950s, and that drew curiosity in her. Here, she describes what her service projects were like and how she […]
Alumni Karen Isaac had just retired from 30 years of teaching elementary school when she saw “the most amazing photos” of Global Volunteers in St. Lucia posted on Facebook by her friend Gila Cohen-Shaw. An enthusiastic Global Volunteers alumna, Gila had “crowdsourced” the funds for her service program and encouraged Karen to follow suit. What […]
A friendship that includes a shared dedication to service is one that is sure to last. Californians Linn Joanis and Melody Covay have volunteered on four service programs together since 2015, and they have no intention of stopping. They first served together in the Cook Islands, and then went on to serve in Greece in […]
Many volunteers fundraise for their service program contribution by working with Global Volunteers staff to create a fundraising page. It’s easy to do! Volunteers commonly tell us that they were joyfully surprised by how many people in their lives wanted to support their volunteering — and did. Here, Don Diehl shares his story of how […]