Today, December 5th is United Way Worldwide Day of Action and was launched to galvanize volunteers and organizations worldwide around education, financial stability and health issues. It connects the international network and aligns with the United Nations’ International Volunteer Day, which also occurs on December 5th each year. International Volunteer Day celebrates and thanks volunteers worldwide while increasing awareness of the value of volunteers.
This year, United Ways in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Panama and the United States will take action to address critical local needs in education, financial stability and health by providing strategic volunteer opportunities that connect individuals and organizations to make a difference in communities. Some examples of what's happening around the world include:
- a Volunteer Walk-a-thon in Kolkata, India
- a Worldwide Week of Action for corporate volunteers in Argentina to paint classrooms, sort food or plant trees.
- Launching LIVE UNITED campaigns in Guatemala, Chile and Panama
- Facilitating a critical neighborhood assessment in Belleville (Paris), France
- “Stuffing the Bus” full of winter clothes to be donated to vulnerable youth in Calgary, Canada
These efforts will support United Way’s commitment to community impact and will also generate excitement for people worldwide to give, advocate and volunteer in their communities. We hope you’ll take a moment today to support Worldwide Day of Action and add extra visibility around the world by following us on twitter: @live_united, hashtags #UnitedWay or #2011Action, or post messages at on Facebook.