An Air Force veteran, Angel Nuñez has been passionate about service all his life. He has always made time to give back to his country and causes he feels are important or his community. “Volunteering gives me a sense of satisfaction,” says Nuñez. “It gives you a natural lift.” When he heard that his current employer, CommuniCare Health Centers a non-profit organization was starting a volunteer program, he was eager to sign up and excited about the impact it could have on his community.

CommuniCare Health Centers is a federally-qualified health center (FQHC) that serves San Antonio and nearby Hays County. As an FQHC, it provides primary healthcare services, including medical, dental and behavioral health, and focuses on the medically underserved and low-income populations.

The 37-year-old non-profit organization created its volunteer program back in February to expand its outreach efforts and increase health education throughout the communities it serves. Since then, more than one-third of CommuniCare’s 270 employees have pledged to volunteer. Many are starting to realize what an impact volunteering can have on their community.

Recently, CommuniCare expanded its volunteer program and has staffed some events with help from corporate sponsor, Skanska. “Our staff volunteers really enjoy giving back to the community and seeing the impact their efforts are having to help others”, says Skanska Vice President, Matt Daniel. “ It’s also beneficial from a team building perspective and that translates well back to our work environment,” says Daniel.

Earlier this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services made several changes to school immunization requirements. CommuniCare saw the great need of its community and, with the help of the volunteer program, sponsored CommuniCaring for Kids events which are school immunization health fairs to help hundreds of families get their children immunized in time for the start of school.

The CommuniCaring for Kids events at each of its three locations will provide free immunizations to hundreds of needy San Antonio and Hays County families. Over 100 staff and corporate partner volunteers will help run the events, working in hospitality roles, staffing games, handing out prizes and providing free health education information. Two events have already taken place, and the third will take place on Saturday, August 15^th when the health center expects to immunize as many as 500 children.

Nuñez sees the effect that the volunteer program has had on the community and expects it to only get bigger. He says he’s seen an increase in the patients’ interest in health information that equips them better to manage their own health and that the word is spreading about the availability of CommuniCare’s services. As the organization grows, he predicts that so too will the volunteer program, and even more volunteers will want to participate and give back. He adds, “I know that volunteering makes our community a better place to live and extends a helping hand to those in need”.

For more informatin about CommuniCaring for Kids events, please visit: www.communicaresa.org

For information about other National Health Center Events happening in your area, please visit: www.healthcenterweek.org

If you are reading these words with your eyes scanning across the screen, you might forget that there are many for whom that is not possible. Nancy wants to make sure all people, whether blind or sighted, have a chance at a great education.
 

I am a summer intern in the Office of the Mayor of New York City, and I am a proud member of the brand new NYC Service team. NYC Service is a new municipal initiative by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to answer President Obama’s national call to service, and its primary goal is to increase volunteerism and civic engagement in the city
 

As part of their Leadership Morgan Hill class project, the Class of 2009 is organizing a community Volunteer Fair in September that will connect organizations with community members looking for opportunities to volunteer. Their goal is to make their new organization, Volunteer Morgan Hill, and the Volunteer Faire a permanent part of thecommunity.
 

Approximately 1,500 global Cisco employees and contingent workers volunteer their time to train and respond to a variety of emergency situations through Cisco's Emergency Response Team (ERT).
 

Right To Play sponsored an exchange program between athletes in Jordan and the United States. The program recognizes the universal appeal of sport as an ideal vehicle to inform, educate and empower entire communities.
 

Kids and teens with behavior problems often fall far behind in their academic development. Mary knew this because of her own son. She decided to get involved with a local literacy program to help youth involved in the juvenile justice system get a solid education.
 

Veterans First Executive Director, Deanne Tate, was moved to tears thanking volunteers for volunteering and spending the day helping veterans in need. It was an honor to participate on this rebuild project and help honor the service men and women who have given so much to our country.
 

Mary was weary of responding to the President's call to service, but during an afternoon working with special needs children at a local pool, she quickly discovered that volunteering offered much more.
 

Among the many difficulties facing the Appalachian communities of Southwest Virginia is the quality of education. With limited funding, many primary and high schools struggle to meet the Standards of Learning (SOL), set forth by the state of Virginia in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act. In recent years, the rural elementary schools of Russell County have sought to incorporate an environmental education aspect in their curriculum. They’ve experienced difficulty in implementing the project due to lack of resources and few qualified instructors.
 

Health Corps strives to help stem the crisis of child obesity through school-based health education and mentoring, as well as community events and outreach to underserved populations.
 

On August 6th, nearly 40 volunteers - some as young as 7, donned gloves, grabbed shovels and rakes, and hauled trash to help beautify and revaitalize Milwaukee's 30th Street Industrial Corridor. Many of the community's industrial sites are underutilized and volunteers hope that clean-up projects like this one will help attract new business and revitalize the community.
 

The local Czechoslovak Society of America group in North Riverside, IL, volunteered over 300 hours at the town library to complete a special project.
 

This community event provides our entire community with heightened crime and drug prevention awareness; generates support for and participation in local anticrime programs; strengthens neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and sends a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
 

Linda Loi has been volunteering in the Golden Gate National Park for the last five years. First in the Urban Trail Blazers Program and most recently with the program Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders, Loi has dedicated hours of her time each week to giving back, not just environmentally but also as a youth leader and role model to others in her programs.
 

These citizens will be especially active during National Health Center Week, August 9th - 16th, 2009. Visit NACHC’s site www.healthcenterweek.com to find out about Health Center Week events near you.
 

What started with a single vegetable garden on the grounds of USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. has grown into global movement. In their offices across the country and all over the world, USDA employees are volunteering their time to create community gardens, demonstrate sustainable agricultural techniques that everyday people can incorporate into their homes and lives, and showcase the importance of preserving the environment and conserving energy.
 

For her July birthday party, Cara M. told friends and family to forget the usual gifts and leis. Instead, she asked guests to bring cans of food for her church's food pantry, reminding them that even in idyllic Honolulu neighbors were struggling with hunger and homelessness.
 

Keeping the veterans community active is the best way to honor those who have served.
 

Summer Advantage USA, a national non-profit that provides summer learning opportunities for youth in grades K - 8, led its young scholars through a process of identifying community challenges and implementing service projects. Here, these young people reflect on their work.
 

The YMCA Earth Service Corps joined forces with the Washington Trails Association to get dirty at Mount Saint Helens for a week of environmental restoration.
 

We found a solution to help military girls fight low self-esteem, grow in leadership, and unite with those who understand their struggles. The Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs will bring together 500 military girls from across California for the first ever weekend conference for military girls to empower one another in sisterly support.
 

Busy working mom Kenya was driving home from her children's little league game when she wondered, "why don't we have this for service?" To teach her children and others in the community the importance of service and time with family, Kenya came up with the Family Service Team Program.
 

This young man learns that putting his still-struggling second-language skills to work in his community parent education role is a win-win.
 

A Community Health Corps member shares their story of service.
 

United We Serve to Save Energy & the Earth!! I organized a home energy efficiency event in Battle Creek, Michigan. The overarching goal was to reach out to the Battle Creek community to help lower their energy costs and decrease carbon pollution emissions.
 

Stephanie explained how she would be reading a large print book and described her visual limitations. We stopped after each page for interactive comments and even corrections in the reading of the material! These kids were avid readers and didn’t miss a beat...
 

160 Odyssey House staff, clients and community volunteers tackle record breaking rainfall to build a new playground at the Family Re-Entry supportive housing facility in the South Bronx.
 

I am not done serving yet but I have slowed down since I turned 80.
 

One volunteer shares the story of how she benefitted personally through service to her community.