For their extraordinary efforts in serving others through volunteerism, ten middle and high school students were named America’s top ten youth volunteers for 2008 in a ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters.   Visit site

Many non-profit organisations are seeing an increase in people looking to help. Non-profit organisations now have 9.4m employees and 4.7m full-time volunteers nationwide. Corporate America, too, is joining in. Moreover, the Edward Kennedy Serve America Act, passed on March 31st, will devote $5.7 billion over five years to expanding or creating national-service programmes.  Visit site

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday to broadly expand national community service programs, increasing the number of positions to 250,000 from 75,000 and creating new cadres of volunteers focused on education, clean energy, health care and veterans.  Visit site

One piece of advice given to the newly laid off is to seek volunteer work, but finding the right volunteer job can sometimes seem as difficult as obtaining a salaried position. The good news is that once you decide what you may be interested in, the Web has numerous resources.  Visit site

To mark IVD this year, the Association of Voluntary Service Organizations — a European network of voluntary service organizations based in Brussels — launched the 'Invisible Heroes' campaign to collect as many photos of serving volunteers for one year. The campaign is aimed at demonstrating the magnitude of voluntary service in Europe, and convincing key decision makers to give the issue more attention.   Visit site

Our willingness to work on behalf of others is on the rise. One of the reasons for this noticeable boost in volunteerism is that the Internet is making it easier for organizations and volunteers to connect.  Visit site

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers turned across the US to help their communities today, in response to President Barack Obama's call for a day of public service in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

Click here for the website, USAservice.org.

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Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is lending his stature to an initiative from the incoming administration to connect volunteers with causes that need them.

President-elect Barack Obama's 'Renew America Together' initiative will officially launch a Web site on Martin Luther King Day, 19 January, to help people answer the call. Obama's inauguration is the following day.

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At Healing Horses Therapeutic Riding Center volunteers are needed to provide appropriate individualized services, support, therapy and information to help children with autism spectrum disorders grow, learn and flourish.  Visit site

Regular evaluation of the outcomes of international volunteering and service should be a planned part of program goals. Documentation of service outcomes enhances organizational transparency and accountability, justifies the expense of volunteer programs, and provides comparative knowledge about the overall impact of international volunteering on intended beneficiaries.  Visit site