The Table is back! On Saturday, September 11, from 4 to 8 PM,a downtown Olympia street will once again host a giant picnic table for hundreds of your closest family, friends, and neighbors. Last year, over 500 people attended the first Table. This year, Fifth Avenue between Washington Street and Franklin Street will be closed to traffic and open for a potluck served family-style. The event is free. To help pay for it, beverages will be available for purchase, including at a wine and beer garden in the parking lot of First Citizens Bank. Attendees are asked to bring a...

The biggest one-day volunteer event in Thurston County is coming up again soon. Sign up your team today! Day of Caring is an annual event, held this year on September 24, where hundreds of volunteers from throughout Thurston County join local nonprofit and other community organizations to work on service projects. Participating organizations are matched with volunteers who give their time, talents and services to make a hands-on difference in our community. Day of Caring has a significant impact on the needs of local nonprofits. It also enables volunteers to meet new people, work as a team, and gain new...

The Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties is now registering volunteers for Extreme Build Lewis County. Everyone is welcome. Volunteer opportunities range from skilled construction work to unskilled labor to serving lunch for the other volunteers and much more. Volunteer shifts are available all day from September 5 to September 12. To register or for more information, visit www.volunteer.ws or call 360-748-2500. About Extreme Build Lewis County After the flood of 2007, almost everyone in Lewis County knew of someone in desperate need. Seeing this need and being inspired by the goodwill of our neighbors, the nonprofit organization...

On their next furlough day, many state workers won’t just be taking a day off. They’ll be giving a Day of Service. The Thurston County Steering Committee of the Combined Fund Drive, teaming with the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties, is organizing a Day of Service cleanup event in downtown Olympia on August 6. They will be removing trash, digging weeds, and more to make downtown sparkle in the summer sun. All state employees – and all other interested volunteers – are invited to participate. The idea first came from Valerie Pollet of the Medicaid Purchasing Administration...

CHEHALIS – In April of 1985 when the Community Action Council was looking to expand its Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) into Lewis County, Susan Lamoreaux was working temporarily as an intake person. Now 25 years later, she is retiring as the RSVP Coordinator for the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties. “The variety of activities attracted me to this position and the whole concept of service was something that I grew up with so it was an easy thing to connect with and feel passionate about,” said Lamoreaux. At the 25th annual RSVP recognition event held recently...

By Emma Margraf, Director of Special Projects For the past year, the blog for the Volunteer Center has been about the adventures of our Executive Director, Sara Ballard, as she volunteered her time in the community and got to know...

Everyday, people come to me and ask how they can help. Many have only a vague notion of what volunteer opportunities exist in the world, and I try to introduce those people to the idea that they can choose their...