FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (March 21, 2019) – National Volunteer Week was created in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order to establish the week as an annual celebration of volunteering.
Each year since 1974, U.S. presidents, along with governors, mayors, and other elected officials have signed a proclamation promoting National Volunteer Week. This year, National Volunteer Week will be April 7 through 13.
On April 18, Fort Leonard Wood will highlight the contributions made by our remarkable Army Volunteer Corps at the annual installation volunteer awards recognition ceremony.
A check symbolizing the dollar value of volunteer hours contributed during the 2018 calendar year will be presented to the installation leadership. This figure is calculated by multiplying the total number of reported hours by the average wage paid to an American worker.
While this is a tangible reminder of what our volunteers give to our community, it does not reflect all the significant contributions given by our remarkable volunteers.
Volunteers are vital to the community, sharing their skills, talents, time, and experience to deliver or improve programs and services. No matter where or how they choose to serve, volunteers in our community share the same purpose; making life better for service members and families and improving Army communities.
Each day around the globe, volunteers are making a positive difference. The efforts of these volunteers assist in supporting and strengthening service members and families who live and work upon the installation as well as those who are geographically dispersed.
A volunteer is an individual who, beyond the confines of paid employment and normal responsibilities, contributes time and service to assist in the accomplishment of a mission.
Volunteers are mentors, accountants, firefighters, coaches and administrative professionals; they support military members, and families.
Through their acts of selfless service, they allow the military to train and remain strong.
The Army Volunteer Corps Office at Fort Leonard Wood is located in Army Community Service, Building 486.
For more information, call Installation Volunteer Coordinator Rhonda Hutsell at 573.596.4334.
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 82,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps and Air Force detachments on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission.