Resources

Points of Light Institute embraces service and civic engagement as fundamental to a purposeful life and essential to a healthy world.

We have the history, the scale and reach, the leadership and the strategy to mobilize millions of people to tackle concrete, significant challenges.

With more than 20 years of history, a bi-partisan presidential legacy, the largest national volunteer footprint in the nation, Points of Light has the vision and strategy to create a quantum leap for the service movement through 2012.

HandsOn Network inspires, equips and mobilizes people to take action that changes the world. Our network, now the largest in the nation, is leading people from impulse to action, turning their ideas for change into impactful projects, like wheelchair ramp construction, watershed protection projects and tutoring programs. The most powerful projects are those that inspire and activate volunteers to be leaders and problem solvers on their own – creating new opportunities to bring others into service.

HandsOn Network is stepping up to the challenge of empowering citizens to help solve some of the most pressing problems of our generation. Points of Light Institute CEO and HandsOn Network Co-founder Michelle Nunn launched Get HandsOn at the National Conference of Volunteering and Service in June 2009.

Through the campaign, HandsOn Network aims to recruit and mobilize a core of 500,000 volunteer leaders and engage people of all generations in two million impact-driven projects. The goals of the campaign are to reduce the drop-out rate by leveraging the power of service in every school, reduce the carbon footprint though neighborhood-based conservation and restoration projects; and support economic security for families by facilitating access to resources and dollars.

When Richard C.'s* brother and elderly mother were hurt in a devastating apartment fire in Queens, Red Cross responders were on the scene to help them through this difficult time. "One of the Red Cross workers took me aside and told me about what the Red Cross did, and how they could help us out," Richard recalled. "They immediately gave me food and clothing vouchers for both my mother and my brother, since so many of their possessions had been burned in the fire."

When Richard's mother died a few days later from prior illness exasperated by the smoke inhalation, his Red Cross caseworker provided support, and let him know that the Red Cross could also help his family pay for her funeral expenses. Although Richard had known that the Red Cross helped people at large-scale disasters, he hadn't realized that we also help people affected by residential fires. "I wouldn't have been able to get through all of this without the Red Cross," he concluded gratefully. "They came through for us when we really needed them, and they've been there every step of the way."

The American Red Cross in Greater New York operates the busiest disaster response program in the nation, and helps people like Richard every day. Whether it's an apartment fire, flood, building collapse or a large-scale disasters like the 2006 Blackout in Queens, we arrive at emergencies within minutes, 24/7, 365 days a year. We supplement the efforts of city agencies to ensure that New Yorkers are safe and have the assistance they need. Our volunteers help those affected by disaster with food, clothing and shelter, as well as mental health support and financial assistance. We respond to an average of eight emergencies a day and more than 3,000 emergencies each year.

*name has been changed to protect the privacy of our client

Volunteer Fairfax mobilizes people and resources to meet regional community needs.