National Volunteer Week: Something to Smile About

Every time I remember that this is National Volunteer Week, I break out into a smile. Why? Because I am lucky enough to come to work every day to support women and men around the country who are dedicating their free time—and with it, their passion—to helping voters make sense of our democracy.

Here’s just a sampling of the incredible League volunteers who are inspiring me this week:  

This morning I read about our fantastic volunteers from the League of Women Voters of Dearborn- Dearborn Heights who are working overtime to get high school students registered to vote in Dearborn, Michigan. The Dearborn-Dearborn Heights volunteer team is just one of about 40 local League affiliates participating in a national program this spring to encourage young people to register and vote for the first time.

On Tuesday I learned that, so far this year, our Georgia League volunteers have registered more than 1,300 new citizens to vote through their work at weekly naturalization ceremonies in the Atlanta area. They have pledged to visit the ceremonies every single week to help make sure the newest Americans have the opportunity to participate in democracy. 

Finally, it would be impossible to think about National Volunteer Week without recognizing my dear friend Kathy, who serves on the board of my own local League in Arlington, Virginia. Whether she’s staffing a voter registration table in a torrential downpour or taking on the task of planning, promoting, and co-hosting a public forum featuring six busy state legislators (she’s done both just in the last six months!), Kathy does her work with a smile and sense of dedication that we can all learn from. Cheers to you, Kathy (and check out some recent photos of her at work)!

Thank you to all the volunteers who make our organization and our country a better place!