Volunteer Center of Bergen County

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County was founded in 1966 by the Junior League of Bergen County and a group of concerned community representatives who saw the need for a clearinghouse matching prospective volunteers with agencies that needed their help. This function is our core business and the primary concern of our Community Volunteer Services department.In 1972, the Center began sponsorship of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) , which later became an independent agency and returned to our sponsorship late in 2002. In 1977, the Chore Service was initiated with senior volunteer handymen/women providing minor household repairs for the elderly and/or disabled.
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The next year, in collaboration with the Division of Youth and Family Services, the Volunteer Center took over management of Volunteers in Protective Services (VIPS) a program in which trained and caring adults provide guidance to children who have suffered abuse, neglect or extreme isolation. Both Chore and VIPS have provided service continually and are going strong today.
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In the late 1970s, again in collaboration with the Junior League of Bergen County, the Volunteer Center established DOVIA (Directors of Volunteers in Agencies), an educational and networking organization for volunteer directors. This group became DOVIA of Bergen and Passaic Counties in 1996.
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For more than 20 years, the Volunteer Center sponsored DOVIA, and in 2004 shifted the focus from networking to training. In place of DOVIA, the Volunteer Program Management Institute was established to deliver topical and relevant training in volunteer management and related issues.
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Volunteers from the Workplace was established in 1981 when CEOs from several area companies requested assistance from the Volunteer Center in involving their employees in service activities. Corporate volunteering has been a key activity of the Volunteer Center since then. In 2000, in partnership with several key companies and Bergen County’s United Way, we launched the Northern New Jersey Business Volunteer Council , with a strategic focus on mobilizing companies and their employees to meet the needs of children and families. The BVC currently has 29 dues-paying member companies.
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The BVC and other corporate community involvement efforts are managed by the Volunteer Center’s Business Volunteer Services department.
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In 1987, Volunteer Ventures was formed to develop evening and weekend group volunteer projects targeted to busy adults. Volunteer Ventures currently involves 250 working adults in 15-25 projects each month.
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Mentoring MOMS was established as an expansion of VIPS, also in 1995, to provide peer mentors for parents who have been reported to the N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services for abuse of their children.
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The Volunteer Center has a unique relationship with Bergen County’s United Way in which we serve as partners in providing volunteer services to the general community and to businesses of all sizes.
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In 1999, the Volunteer Center published our extensive database of volunteer opportunities in the Hands-On Guide to Volunteering , well received and distributed throughout our community. In 2000, our database of volunteer opportunities was posted in searchable format on our website. In addition to these programs, the Volunteer Center is the custodian of funds for the Bergen County Summer Campership Fund, a public-private venture in which children of low-income working families are given the opportunity to attend summer daycamp.
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In the wake of Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999, the Volunteer Center began to lead efforts – in partnership with the B.C. Office of Emergency Management, United Way, and the American Red Cross - to form a Bergen County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) to assist in preparation and relief in times of future disasters. While our community was severely challenged by the terror attacks of September 11, the Volunteer Center’s response in mobilizing volunteers and agencies through our leadership of the VOAD proved effective. We also gained significant knowledge that can be put to use — but that we hope never will be — in future events.
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The Volunteer Center of Bergen County is a member of the Points of Light Foundation, a nonprofit nonpartisan national organization that works in partnership with the national network of approximately 500 Volunteer Centers across the country to engage more people more effectively in volunteer service to address serious social issues. We are affiliated with the USA Freedom Corps sponsored by the White House, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and The Network for Good.