Points of Light Celebrates National Volunteer Week with a Focus on How Service Brings People Together

Points of Light, in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation and Got Your 6, celebrates National Volunteer Week, April 23-29, 2017, through volunteer recognition and service events across the country. This annual public awareness campaign celebrates the impact of volunteerism, and the power of service to bring people together to tackle tough challenges, create change, and build stronger, more vibrant communities.

“National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to shine a light on the people who make our communities and country strong,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “Individuals are finding unique ways to lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about – and their stories serve to inspire others to take action. Through volunteerism, we discover our collective power to unite in making a difference.”

National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week.

“We are proud to partner with Points of Light during National Volunteer Week to recognize exemplary volunteers around the country who are making a difference in their hometowns,” said Charlene Denizard, director, PepsiCo Foundation. “As we’ve seen through our own employees’ contributions, volunteering can address real societal challenges and have a positive long-term impact on the community.”

Through recognition programs such as the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the Daily Point of Light Award, Points of Light celebrates volunteers and the tremendous impact they are making on our country’s most critical challenges year-round. National Volunteer Week provides a unique opportunity to tell a collective story through recognition events and volunteer service projects.

NFL Players Demonstrate the Power of Service to Unite

During National Volunteer Week, Points of Light will recognize five National Football League players with the Daily Point of Light Award for their commitment to service. Competitors on the field, these players unite for a common cause as volunteers for the First Step program through The Van Duzer Foundation. Led by Daily Point of Light Award honoree Scott Van Duzer, First Step engages athletes as ambassadors of change to bring community leaders, local law enforcement officers, and kids and teens together for casual pick-up games, mentoring and small group discussions on community issues. The five NFL players receiving Daily Point of Light Awards are:

• Sam Barrington, Unrestricted Free Agent
• Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders
• Jonathan Meeks, Unrestricted Free Agent
• Coty Sensabaugh, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Michael Thomas, Miami Dolphins

Volunteers Unite in Service

Across the country, volunteers will come together during National Volunteer Week to build stronger communities through service. The Points of Light Frontline Familiesprogram is hosting nine volunteer projects in partnership with Got Your 6 and local nonprofits to help bridge the civilian-military divide and showcase broadly that our veteran and military families are civic assets in our communities. Each project is organized by a service member, veteran or family member.

“Got Your 6’s mission is to empower veterans to lead a resurgence of community across the nation, and I’m pleased to see veterans are stepping up to the plate,” said Bill Rausch, Iraq War veteran and executive director of Got Your 6. “National Volunteer Week is an opportunity for the rest of the country to recognize what we already know: Veterans are civic assets and engaged leaders in small towns and big cities throughout America.”

Throughout National Volunteer Week, nonprofits, local governments and companies around the country will host volunteer recognition events. Many of these events are being coordinated by Points of Light HandsOn Network affiliates, including:

• OneOC’s Spirt of Volunteerism
• Hands On Nashville’s Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards
• Chicago Care’s State of Volunteerism Address
• VolunteerNow’s Hearts of Texas Luncheon
• Hands On Atlanta’s High Five Party

The local events and social media conversations that take place during this week will show the many ways in which service unites. During National Volunteer Week, Points of Light encourages its community of changemakers to download and customize the #ivolunteer signboard, and share their volunteer stories on Twitter and Instagram using #ivolunteer and #NVW.

Individuals interested in serving at one of these projects or finding a volunteer opportunity in their local community can visit www.allforgood.org.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About The PepsiCo Foundation

Established in 1962, the PepsiCo Foundation works with non-profit partners to develop innovative, sustainable solutions that address challenges in underserved communities around the world. The Foundation, along with PepsiCo and its employees, seeks to catalyze efforts that advance our Performance with Purpose 2025 goals related to increasing access to nutritious servings, providing access to safe water, partnering to increase recycling rates, and enabling young women to progress through school and be successful in the workforce. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Global-Citizenship.

About Got Your 6

Got Your 6 unites nonprofit, Hollywood, and government partners to empower veterans. We believe that veterans are leaders, team builders, and problem solvers who have the unique potential to strengthen communities across the country. As a coalition, Got Your 6 works to integrate these perspectives into popular culture, engage veterans and civilians together to foster understanding, and empower veterans to lead in their communities. For more information, visit www.gotyour6.org.