About Us
Our Mission:
To mobilize the community to care for one another through a network of volunteer placement and promotion.
Our Vision:
To be the premier resource on volunteerism for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding communities.
Our History:
The Volunteer Center began in 1982 when the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley voted to establish a Voluntary Action Center as a project, pledging $30,000 over a two-year period. Incorporation followed in 1985.
In 1989, the Volunteer Center became an internal department of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and in January 1997, the Volunteer Center again became an independent agency — the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley.
Today, the Volunteer Center focuses on four main areas of volunteerism: Recruitment, Placement, Recognition, and Training. The Volunteer Center National Network, (450 Volunteer Centers, nationwide), has identified there focus areas s the base standards which reflect program and organizational excellence.
The Volunteer Center is affiliated nationally with The Points of Light Foundation, Hands On Network, and the Corporation for National & Community Service, and is a member of the following: Volunteer Centers of Pennsylvania; the State Commission Advisory Board for Citizen Service; Keystone Service Coalition; United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley; and Society of Volunteer Administrators of the Lehigh Valley.
In 2007, the Volunteer Center recruited, matched, recognized, and trained over 12,000 volunteers, of those 2500 were youth volunteers. The 2007 volunteers saved Lehigh Valley agencies and the community over $32 million. The Volunteer Center collaborates with over 50 area corporations and 450 Lehigh Valley agencies to create educational and human service partnerships enhancing and enriching the Lehigh Valley community.
Contact us for more information about how you can be involved in making your community a better place to live.