April is National Volunteer Month, and in Northeast Indiana, we have several community-minded organizations that are always looking to give back.

One of them is the Volunteer Center Fort Wayne is an organization that supports two partners, the individuals in the community who are looking to volunteer and its partner agencies. The Volunteer Center has over 140 partner agencies, primarily nonprofit, civic, and faith-based organizations where individuals can serve.

The partner agencies range from more prominent organizations, including Turnstone and Junior Achievement, to smaller organizations with small staffs.

“I feel for (the smaller organizations) that we provide services for because they don’t have the manpower to get their name out there, and oftentimes their volunteer coordinator has like three or four other roles, so we help expand their voice,” Volunteer Center Executive Director Ani Etter said.

There are several areas where volunteers can get involved. You can go through the Volunteer Center portal and match with an organization that aligns with your interests, such as a nature preserve, food bank, or senior center.

“Oftentimes people volunteer because they want to fill a gap. They’re lonely, they want to make new friends, are new to the area, or newly retired,” Etter said.

The Volunteer Center also runs its signature programs, including Coats for Kids, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, and its Opening Doors program, which offers legal assistance for the expungement of criminal records.

Another program is in partnership with the AWS Foundation and provides group-based opportunities for individuals with long-term or intellectual disabilities.

Over the last five years, the Volunteer Center has seen its number of yearly volunteers triple.

“A lot of organizations are asking for volunteers. We’re asking for volunteers for the community. So, it’s a larger picture. It’s really about building that sense of responsibility and purpose, of wanting people who to be part of something great,” Etter said.

The need for volunteers has also increased with new nonprofits starting all the time.

“Funding is very limited. You have to have a good base of support and good networking in the community. There’s a lot of competition for funding dollars. So, what that translates to is a need for staffing,” Etter said.

The early iterations of the Volunteer Center started in the 1970s through the Catholic charities around Fort Wayne. In 2004, the organization incorporated and went from a program to an agency.

When Etter started as a part-time coordinator with the organization, 95 percent of the volunteers were seniors. That’s now down to about 60 percent because of younger individuals stepping up and volunteering.

The Volunteer Center will hold its annual Volunteer Expo on Thursday, April 24 from 3-6 p.m. at the Glenbrook Square Mall. There will be over 50 agencies people can check out.

“You’re going to learn about so many fun events that are going on in Fort Wayne that you can go and help for an hour. If anything, you are at least going to learn about the event, even if you don’t volunteer, or you can go check out the event and maybe next year you volunteer, and that is a perfectly acceptable way,” Etter said. “It’s like when you dip your toes in the water right before you jump in. It’s just that first step.”

To learn more about the Volunteer Center, go to volunteerfortwayne.org.

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