Dear OUTMemphis volunteers, supporters, and community members,
We hope you’ve been healthy, safe, and warm as we move further into 2022. As spring finally arrives and COVID rates are lowering, we are thrilled to announce, at long last, the re-launch of our Volunteer Program! Suspending our full scope volunteer programs in the spring of 2020 was one of COVID’s major impact on the organization. In the two years since, we are incredibly grateful to the many volunteers who have supported special projects and, even more, to the enormous number of you who have expressed eagerness in returning to regular volunteer work. The Community Center has been pretty quiet, the Donation Center needs some major TLC, and the staff could do with some new faces around here… what better time is there for National Volunteer Month?
For the entire month of April, OUTMemphis will host several service days dedicated to the cleaning, organizing, decorating, and furnishing all three of our facilities. We will also be volunteering with one of our partner organizations, My Sistah’s House, which provides long-term housing for trans women of color.
Opportunities and schedules can be found under National Volunteer Month in our brand-new Volunteer Project Catalog, so check it out to stay up to date! For every shift that you register in April, your name will be entered into a raffle for OUTMemphis merch, local Cooper-Young gifts, gift cards, and more!
There will also be Volunteer Orientations for those interested in continuing on to volunteer in a direct service role (front desk, program assistance, peer facilitator). For available orientation dates and times, check under the Volunteer Orientation.
Saturday, April 9th will be our Family Service Day, where all-ages are welcome to participate. (note: our Volunteer Program is primarily 18+). If you have a family member under the age of 18 who would like to volunteer, please fill out the additional consent form for minors when you sign up! We’ll have pizza and music to kick off the month! Sign up here.
We will be wrapping up the month with a Volunteer Appreciation Party & Open House on our Community Center patio at 892 S. Cooper Street on April 30th from 5 – 7 pm. This party is free and open to the whole community. We will have food and drinks, an awards show, and raffle prizes will be distributed. Please RSVP to save your seat! Past and prospective volunteers are particularly encouraged to attend.
We sincerely hope to see as many faces as possible! If you aren’t able to attend this month, there will be many more opportunities throughout this year. As we gain momentum and adapt to the pandemic, we recognize and celebrate the importance of volunteers in our work. Take your time, take care of yourself, and we’ll see you very soon!
Sincerely,
Anu Iyer
Volunteer Coordinator
