As graduations are beginning, a new era is marked.   What are you going to be doing?  Many of us graduates will be working on finding full-time employment, but what if you could take a break to both grow and realize what you really want to do in this “real world?”  After graduation we are provided with a wide variety of choices: med school, grad school, law school, jobs, research, volunteering… the list seems to go on for forever, but how do you choose what is best for you?

The economic outlook on jobs is pretty bleak with only 49% of 2009-2011 graduates finding full-time jobs within one year of graduation, and an unemployment rate of 20-24 year olds with a bachelor’s degree of 6.4%.  These statistics are encouraging more graduates to pursue a different path for their lives after college.  There is one path in particular that I want to take the time to focus on: volunteering.

As many of our readers know, volunteering is an experience that can open many doors further down the road.  In a recent study it was found that volunteers are 42% more likely to say that they are “very happy.”  Not only are volunteers happier, but they are also gaining amazing resume skills and life experience.  Once you decide to volunteer, how do you decide where is best?

The New York Times recently published an article, “A Gateway to a Career Through Volunteering.”  Within the article they suggest taking an inventory of all of your skills and strengths and use these when looking at what volunteer option is best.  Eventually you will have to find that dubious “real job,” so while volunteering journal your experiences, lessons you’ve learned and the growth you have felt during your time away from the job world.  The skills that you developed while giving back may give you a step up during your job search.  So get going, volunteer, get a job and become a “real person,” I’m going to!

Wall Street Journal articles on graduation and volunteering found here and there!

Matt Anderson

for winning our free flight contest with a total of 9,928 votes!

His nominator Christie Anderson, the runner-up Denise Bobba, and her nominator Wendy Farrell will also receive TOMS gifts cards.

All of the nominations inspired us.  Thank you everyone for such a successful contest and we look forward to next year’s National Volunteer Week!

For the next step of our free flight contest the top ten nominees were chosen, now it’s your turn to vote for them!

Below are the top ten nominees, vote for your favorite to win a flight,  up to a $1200 value.  In addition to the grand prize, we will be awarding the runner-up, and the nominating friends of both winners with one-for-one products.

Voting ends on April 19th at midnight, and winners will be announced on April 20th.

Vote here!

Matt Anderson
Matt has been volunteering for health related opportunities since high school.  Orphanages in Mexico, primary health care in Ecuador, Peru & Guatemala with Volunteer Voyages, Inc.  He is currently studying for medical school entrance exams & hopes to take one more trip abroad before beginning medical school. Upon graduation he plans to continue serving those in need of healthcare both here in the US and abroad. He is an exceptional young man with a passion for volunteering his time and knowledge to those in need.  His motto?  “Be the change you wish to see in the world.“ Gandhi

Noemie Badeaux
Anyone can go on a missions trip, take pictures and hug some children. But every once in a while you will meet that rare person whose heart simply beats for missions. I’ll never forget watching Noemie lovingly scan the hovels of the filthiest garbage dump in Central America. She spread her arms wide, “I want to live here! I love these people!” She would totally do it too. Noemie has a remarkable ability to look past all the barriers of language, skin, culture and status. All she sees is the eyes of another human being who wants to be known.

Mike Behan
In January 2011, Mike started a social business that empowers disadvantaged and handicapped Kenyan mothers through employment and micro-business development programs. This creates self-sufficiency for these mothers so that they can provide for their families, educate their children, and save for the future. Mike is a full time undergraduate student and does not take a salary though he works constantly to grow this business. He has not been able to return to Kenya since the business was founded. He deserves to see the results of his hard work!

Denise Bobba
Denise has a passion for serving those that have been overlooked by society.. This passion led her to found her own non profit organization, Pay It Forward Project, in order to best carry out her purpose of servitude while holding down a demanding full time job to support herself. Her vacation time is spent traveling to help those in need. She also rents a room in her home to help subsidize her expenses. Denise is an example to those around her that it oftentimes does not take a big investment of time or money to make such a difference.

Autumn Buzzell
Autumn has traded her life here in the States for a life in Ghana, West Africa, where she works with City of Refuge to rescue children from human trafficking. She and her team rescue children from slavery, and give them a home, education, and hope. Recently, she’s begun working with the women of Doruyum to give them job skills so that they won’t have to sell their children into slavery. I have never met a more kind, loving, selfless, gracious, or compassionate woman than Autumn Buzzell.

Tyler Dean
Love & Courage: Tyler is one of my dearest friends and these words live in his heart. During college, he defied every common-sense instinct and volunteered full-time with YWAM. Tyler is called to serve the poorest corners of our world and has never looked back. He has more courage and genuine love than any man of twenty-three I’ve ever met. Ty exudes life and knows it isn’t about what you buy but what you give. He has offered his whole life to share love with those who don’t have much. I want to bless him with this gift.

Jamie Erb
My son Jamie Erb, has volunteered at numerous nursing homes, food banks and shelters. Not long ago I was unemployed and while he was a full time student, he also worked full time to support our family. He has expressed an interest in joining the Peace Corp and wants to gain experience as a volunteer. After discussing his upcoming trip to India, he said he’s willing to forego starting his college career temporarily so he can gain experience and start helping others. However, he has the burden of trying to save the money for the trip on his own.

Grady Glover
Grady is the Vice President of The Jubilee Market. He has worked as a volunteer with no salary for over 4 years toward the cause of rescuing enslaved victims of trafficking. He has given of himself and his resources to allow his wife to travel abroad to establish vocational centers in India. He tirelessly supported his wife, the president, through 2 years of cancer treatments and helped to keep the Jubilee Market running. The Jubilee Market has an opportunity to work with an organization in Brussels, that rescues victims of trafficking and he needs to be on that trip!

Caitlin Kelley
Caitlin deserves this scholarship award because she embodies the benefits and growth that comes from volunteer work. Her story is best explained in the video found here on AVC’s fundraising page. Nonetheless, Caitlin is someone who’s taken volunteering to the next level by starting her own organization that helps local Africans gain work experience, professional skills, and economic empowerment through paid volunteer work with local NGOs. Because volunteer work has had such a positive impact on Caitlin’s life, she decided to bring that joy to others. For that, I believe she deserves this scholarship award.

Chris Meeks
Chris is the third of five kids, two of whom are Korean adoptees. This has cultivated his passion for helping the underprivileged and orphaned. A trip to Romania set bigger plans in motion he’ll spend eight weeks this summer in Romania interning with Livada Orphan Care helping in day camps and with local children. Before he leaves he will be a nationally registered EMT. He’ll use these skills to serve the kids and the other interns. The trip is costly and Chris is working extra to earn funds while also fund raising.

Now that your have read their bios, vote for them here!

For the month of April, we’re excited to feature an organization that focuses on telling stories through a variety of media.  The organization strives for individuals to grow from being students on campus, to Students of the World.

How it started:

In 1999 Courtney Space began Students of the World as a student organization at Duke University.  Over the past 12 years Students of the World has “told the stories of more than 40 organizations in over 30 countries through film, photography and journalism.  Courtney recognized that while college students can’t always afford to give financially to the nonprofits that they support, they can use their creative strengths to take a photo, make a video and “tell a story to drive the mission that inspire them.”

In 2003, Students of the World became a 501c3 nonprofit, connecting documentary teams with organizations from Tanzania to Thailand.  In 2006, they began a partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to cover the progress of the CGI initiatives.

This organization has made it clear, that while they continue to grow, change and adapt, their beliefs and mission remain constant,

“Storytelling is a profound and essential contribution to the advancement of society, and it is the responsibility of our generation to not only create, but demand media that shines a light on progress.”

The stories that are created and submitted by the Students of the World have a focus on increasing support and awareness for organizations who are giving back and improving the lives of others in six key areas: water, women and girls, education, environment, health and development & Recovery.

How to Get Involved:

Are you a college student, working professional, or SOW alumni? Or are you just interested in giving an hour or two to help shine a light on progress? Students of the World would love to have your input and support by just clicking on the above links, learning more and getting involved!

For more information visit their website!

In addition to the grand prize, we will be awarding the runner-up and the people that submitted the nominations with one-for-one products!

On April 16 the top nominees will be announced and you will be able to vote for them online.  Winners will be announced on April 20th.

“May the odds be ever in your favor!” -Effie Trinket, The Hunger Games

Do you recognize who this man is?  If not you should check out the currently most popular video on YouTube: Kony 2012.  With just over 55 million views, Invisible Children uses their cinematic creativity to draw attention to their newest campaign: Kony 2012.  The main premise of this movement is to “make Joseph Kony famous,” by way of social media, and celebrity endorsement.  The campaign will use 20 ‘culture makers’ and 12 ‘policy makers’ to utilize their own fame to create Kony’s.  It should be noted that this campaign is not to celebrate Kony, but rather to shine light on all of the crimes he has committed.

Until recent, the majority had not heard of Kony, let alone of the LRA, however, recently both have become viral and many more are connecting with the mission.  Connections to this injustice are everywhere.  Our connection here at Volunteer Card is that we have the great honor of working with this organization to provide them insurance while they pursue their mission abroad.  While at school, I my personal connection is by way of another student, whom I will call Michael, through a cultural exchange program.  Michael is from Uganda, and both of his parents were killed by the LRA.  While discussing the recent campaign, Michael mentioned (while smiling and flashing me a thumbs up) that he agrees with the mission and that he appreciates the great lengths that our society is going to in order to stop Joseph Kony.  As a student, Michael received a scholarship from Invisible Children in order to attend school, which enabled him to later attend university.  Today, Michael is taking English courses at the University of St. Thomas and plans to receive his masters within the next two years.  Listening to his firsthand story of the horrific events occurring in his home country was enough to make me feel personally connected to the mission, but what will it take for you to connect to it?

For more information on Invisible Children and their campaign, please visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com

So proud of one of our partners, Invisible Children, for putting on the most effective viral campaign in history. We have loved working with them for the past three years.  If you have not seen their new campaign video, check it out here!

1. To Make a difference

When it comes to the big picture sometimes we get caught up in our own big pictures, focusing solely on our goals, our careers and our lives.  There is always someone else that can make enough of a difference for us, but reality is that it doesn’t take a lot of time nor effort to make a difference.  By volunteering on a local scale for an hour a week at a place like a local animal shelter you are making a difference in those animals lives.  If you want to make a larger difference maybe you travel abroad with a larger purpose.

2. To Improve Society

We reason with ourselves that society will continue on, on its own, and while that is true, it is also true that society can always be improved.  By volunteering to help on a recycling campaign you can make your community that much cleaner, and reduce the world’s waste by more than you were before you were volunteering.

3. To Help others

Helping others is usually the most popular reason to volunteer, but sometimes what is required is mistaken.  Helping others is accomplished by all volunteering efforts, whether it is in a human oriented mission or not.  For example, volunteering at a food bank may not have direct human contact, but that food can make a world of difference to others.

4. To Connect with Your Community and Gain Experience

The majority of us work full time or are full time students thus connecting with our communities and gaining experience are top on our minds whether our goals are extending our network of contacts or gaining experience for our resumes.  Volunteering is a great opportunity to make contacts in various niches in your community as well as gain valuable experience.  The excuse to not take advantage of these resources most often is that our schedules are too busy, however many are able to volunteer and receive college credit, and many employers encourage their employees to fulfill a certain amount of hours of volunteer work within a certain time period.

5. Family Bonding

Sporting events, social engagements and play dates consume the majority of a family’s time and cause the groupthink that there is no time left for family activities outside of these.  Volunteering can engage people of all ages, thus it is a great excuse to just take a day off with the family and find an activity that you are all interested in.

As winter is slowly (maybe too slowly) coming to a close we begin to think of plans for the spring and summer.  This summer you may be planning your family barbecue on the fourth of July, or maybe you will be one of 70,000 volunteers at the 2012 Olympics in London.  These 70,000 volunteers comprise what is currently considered the biggest volunteer campaign since World War Two.  During these games all of the volunteers will be referred to as “Games Makers” because without them, the games could not happen.

There seems to be no shortage of enthusiasm in becoming a volunteer for the games, as over 200,000 people applied and only 100,000 were interviewed for these coveted positions.  The 70,000 successful applicants will be accompanied by about 8,000 London Ambassadors that will be stationed at tourist attractions, tube and train stations to help people find their way around.

Just recently the first training session took place for more than 10,000 volunteers.  Within the next month about six of these training sessions are scheduled to take place.  Between now and the opening ceremonies the games makers will contribute a total of around 8 million training hours.  The Olympics are a timeless event that requires a lot of time to prepare for, no matter the season.  Jobs available for volunteers will range from ticket inspectors to uniform distributors, but no matter the job each person will have an experience of a lifetime.

With this experience of a lifetime comes background knowledge of how the ceremonies will function, secrets about the ceremonies and information the general public may never know.  In an effort to keep things such as these a secret, all of the 70,000 games makers are currently banned from using social media.  With this ban, members of the volunteer team are asked not to post pictures, mention their role, location or anything regarding any athletes, celebrities or dignitaries.  One exception is that the volunteers can retweet or pass on official London 2012 postings.

BBC News articles on Volunteering at the Olympics here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16855765, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16426840, and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16874424

In 2011, through our Giving Back Program (every card purchased = one meal for someone in need) and additional donations, we were able to provide 277,000 meals for refugees in Burma, a place that has special significance to us as a team (read more about our story). As we write this, the meals are currently on a ship enroute to the border.

In 2012, we want to do even more. We’ve come up with two simple resolutions to fuel our passion and give us direction.

1. Provide 500,000 meals for refugees in Burma or elsewhere. 

2. Volunteer one+ week internationally or locally. Volunteerism is our heart, and each team member is committed to keeping IVC a serving and learning company.

That’s it. Short and sweet. To all of our friends and volunteers, thank you for your support and for your passion. To those we’ve yet to meet, see you in 2012. We look forward to another great year together.