This is the time of year when volunteer coordinators are hoping for a miracle. End-of-year budgets are tight, staff may be burnt out –all while community needs mount during the holidays.  

On a repurposed dairy farm in Ridgebury, Connecticut, magic happens every day. This is where Ridgebury Riders, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children and individuals with special needs, turns therapy into joy through hippotherapy—occupational, speech, or physical therapy conducted on horseback.

“Horses are incredible partners in this work,” shares Haley Levesque, Program Coordinator. “Magical moments happen daily at the farm.”

After graduating from Federal Polytechnic in Nigeria, Folashade sought to grow her professional skills through virtual volunteering. She studied Accounting for practical reasons and had not expected to find a volunteer opportunity that would ignite her passion and change her life. 

Through VolunteerMatch Folashade discovered Womenful Voice, a U.S.-based organization empowering women in Haiti. After three months of volunteering as the Executive Assistant to Womenful’s CEO, she was hired to do the role full-time.

Guest Contributor: Carly Euler, Marketing Manager at MemoryFox

Have you ever wondered who maintains the memorials on the national mall? 

Volunteers, led by the National Parks Service, are a huge part of keeping those larger-than-life symbols of our nation’s history suitable for over 25 million annual visitors.

Volunteering: The Gift That Gives Back

Q: Can you tell us about yourself and your organization, Crisis Text Line?

A: Yes. Thank you. I have been the CEO of Crisis Text Line for three years, and it's truly been a privilege to lead such an extraordinary organization that provides free and accessible mental health support through text messages.

SNAPkids is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children with disabilities by providing community-based swimming and fitness activities. By providing volunteers with a chance to work closely with our special swimmers, we open hearts, change attitudes and create more respectful, inclusive, and just communities. Learn more at: snapkids.org

School on Wheels is an organization enhancing educational opportunities for children who are experiencing homelessness from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

• 1/3 of unhoused people are under the age of 18
• 1:20 children in CA don’t have homes
• 64% of children experiencing homelessness do not graduate high school

For this International Dog Day (August 26th) we want to spotlight Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary, a nonprofit dedicated to the mighty task of rescuing, caring for, and rehoming large breed senior dogs. Of the dogs who come to Lily’s, 80% are from shelters and, more often than not, have suffered neglect. The organization does thorough evaluations and treatments to get them adoption ready.