People in Mid-Missouri really want to help each other.
However, without a "volunteer center" in town, it's difficult to connect people with organizations that need help.
The United Way of Central Missouri recently announced it has created a way of making those connections much easier, said Theresa Verslues, the organization's vice president.
It is easy. It is online.
"This was the opportunity for us to be the go-to place for volunteers," Verslues said.
To volunteer, visit unitedwaycemo.org and click on "Volunteer." The link will direct users to a page where they can sign up to volunteer. The same link can be used by organizations to post volunteering opportunities.
The Volunteer Center lets people get involved how they wish - as individuals, families, groups or companies. And the opportunities are available throughout Central Missouri.
The website states volunteers make the community an even greater place. It states the organization strives to connect people with opportunities to serve, helping to meet local needs. It encourages all organizations in Central Missouri to become partners listed in the center.
"This platform has been working for a number of years in St. Louis," Verslues said. "We'll be rolling out information to say there are opportunities for volunteers and for nonprofits to list opportunities."
Nonprofits need not be United Way partners to participate.
"Our goal is to push it out beyond our partner agencies," Verslues said.
The United Way hopes this portal will connect organizations with people who might not have considered working together.
The United Way anticipating organizations will begin to develop their own databases of volunteers through the interactions created by the portal. It also anticipates the new portal will allow people to sign on for the organization's annual service-oriented Days of Caring campaign, which is scheduled for Sept. 6-7 this year.
The campaign is a way for clients the United Way serves to put faces on community members who support them.