Maryville Pawprint Maryville Pawprint, Maryville University's Student Newspaper
On Apr. 15, 2012 the St. Louis based VolunteenNation organization hosted their third annual St. Louis Youth and Family Volunteer Fair at the Magic House.
Youth interact with an organization at the Youth & Family Volunteer Fair at The Magic House. Image courtesy of Simone Bernstein.
There were 27 agencies in attendance at the fair this year, including several non-profit organizations in the greater St. Louis area. Among these agencies included Autism Speaks, Making Music Matters, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Crisis Nursery, Therapeutic Horsemanship, United Way of Greater St. Louis and Webster Community Arts Foundation.
VolunteenNation co-founders Simone and Jake Bernstein created St. Louis Volunteen.com in July 2009 after they were frustrated with the lack of information about volunteer opportunities in the area for students under age 18 that wanted to get involved in the community.
“I was extremely frustrated at the age of 12 finding volunteer opportunities in the St. Louis area,” says Simone Bernstein, co-founder of Volunteen Nation. “So I decided to create a website about a year and a half ago. The mission of the site is to help kids find volunteer opportunities that fit their interests.”
In March 2012, St. Louis Volunteen went national and became VolunteenNation. The organization strives to spread the spirit of volunteerism for youth and families across the nation. Their goal is to add 35 hundred positions to their growing database of volunteer opportunities across the nation.
Youth interact with the different organizations present at the fair. Image courtesy of Simone Bernstein.
“Teenagers are ready to take action and dive into solving problems in the community,” says VolunteenNation. “Anyone can volunteer at any age. Everyone can make a difference. ”
The Annual Youth Volunteer Fair is just one of the many events VolunteenNation holds each year. VolunteenNation also held a 9/11 Remembrance Day service event trail and park cleanup and a tennis clinic for children with autism last year, with more events planned for this year.
For more information about VolunteenNation, check out their website here or email info@volunteennation.org. You can also find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for the latest updates and to find volunteer opportunities for youth and families.
