It's a New Year…to Volunteer!

Out with the old and in with the new – including a new resolve to Live United in 2010! There is no shortage of opportunities in January to jumpstart your pledge to make a difference in education, income or health. Transform your good intentions into action on January 18 -- the King Day of Service established by Congress in 1994 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy of citizen action. The holiday is a day ON instead of a day off, where people of all ages and backgrounds improve lives and bridge social barriers.

United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania is helping plan Philadelphia's 15th annual King Day of Service. Last year, 65,000 volunteers participated in 900 projects.

Post your MLK Day volunteer opportunities, enhance your efforts, spread the word about your MLK Day activities and learn more about the King Day of Service. Share your stories of service and impact with United Way Worldwide. Find your local United Way and learn about their plans simply by typing in your zip code at the bottom of this page.

And, as you gather your 2009 tax documents, consider helping others prepare their taxes and perhaps qualify for tax credits this year. Volunteers are the backbone of a national movement to provide free tax filing and accesses to Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to low-income working Americans. Even if you aren't good with numbers, volunteers can help with outreach, intake and screening and other activities.

Volunteering and Haiti

Since the earthquake rocked Haiti, people around the world are asking to volunteer their time. Because of conditions on the ground, United Way is not currently sending volunteers to Haiti.

If you have prior disaster relief experience, have fluency in Creole and have expertise in technical fields such as medicine, communications logistics, water/sanitation engineering, we encourage you to register with the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI.org) volunteer database.

As Haitians enter the United States as repatriates, refugees, and adoptees, United Way will work to provide for immediate needs such as emergency shelter, food and clothing, as well as services such as emergency health care and family reunification.

Longer-term support includes transitioning refugees from emergency shelters into appropriate housing and establishing a system of social services to help refugees settle in the community of their choice and achieve self-sufficiency. Please use the opportunity finder below or contact your local United Way directly to find out about these types of volunteer opportunities.