Why Volunteer
As a volunteer you have the opportunity to give the very best - because you give of yourself. The inner satisfaction that comes from helping others and the pride of accomplishment in a job well done is often a volunteer’s greatest reward. When you volunteer at a VA you are giving back to those who gave it their all for your freedom.

Volunteers develop life-long relationships, cultivate new skills and gain valuable personal skills such as patience and tolerance, while increasing self-esteem through the satisfaction that comes from lending a helping hand.

VA Volunteering
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Voluntary Service (VAVS) Program, the largest volunteer program in the federal government, has provided service to America’s veterans since 1946. Since that time, VA volunteers have donated nearly 712 million hours of service. VAVS is steered by the National Advisory Committee which is comprised of over 60 major veteran, civic and service organizations.

VA volunteers and the organizations they credit their hours to contributed an estimated $82 million in gifts and donations to VA this past year, which augments VA’s appropriations to medical facilities and homes. These significant contributions allow VA to assist direct patient care programs along with support services and activities which may not be fiscal priorities from year to year.

There were nearly 127,000 volunteers on the rolls during fiscal year 2009, with over 84,000 active VAVS volunteers contributing a total of almost 12 million hours. VAVS 2009 total hours equated to 5,720 full-time employee-equivalent positions. The current monetary worth of the nearly 12 million hours from all VAVS volunteers was $241 million. (Independent Sector formula estimates a calendar year 2009 volunteer hour is valued at $20.25.)

As VA expands its care of veterans into communities, volunteers become more involved. They assist patients by augmenting VA staff in such settings as hospital wards, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, community-based volunteer programs, end-of-life programs, respite care, national cemeteries, veteran outreach centers, benefits offices and more.

To learn more about what it takes to volunteer for VAVS, visit their website at www.volunteer.va.gov