CVN's Goal: 1,000 Hours in 2012

In the first CVN leadership meeting of 2012, we were looking over the numbers of volunteers and hours contributed to the community from past years.  We have been growing steadily since we were founded. In 2010, we had 954 hours contributed by 348 volunteers. In 2011, we had 929 hours contributed by 341 volunteers.  While the most recent numbers show a downturn, the reality is that we had a very strong year and were set to pass our prior year’s involvement, but for rain, excessive heat, and a hurricane that resulted in the cancellation of several events.

Though CVN has been growing steadily, at the initial leadership meeting, we all looked at each other and decided that we could do more and keep up CVN’s momentum!  This year, we've challenged ourselves (and all of you out there putting your hours in) to break the 1,000 hour ceiling.  With the busy schedules and time commitments of those who volunteer for CVN, we know this won't be easy, but we also know it is very attainable. 

There are 3 main ways to get more hours in:

1.  Organize new events

2.  Get more people to show up to events

3.  Spend more hours at events and get even more done

We all agreed that #1 sounds like the best way to reach our goal.  Doing a 3 hour event with 10 volunteers adds 30 hours to our total.  Throw in 4 of those on top of what we're already doing and BAM, 1,000 hours here we come!  The hard part is finding new events to do and getting them on our calendar.  The leadership team is working hard to keep our current 900+ hours running smoothly, but we could really use some help organizing and leading new events.  If you've got an idea for an event that you'd like to lead, shoot us an e-mail at cvn.m.volunteering@gmail.com.  Leading an event is easier than you might think and even if you missed our leadership training session, we will help you manage it.  The key thing is to find an organization that needs CVN's help with enough notice to publicize the event and recruit volunteers.  If a group needs helpers for an event that lasts a few hours after 6 pm on a weeknight, or any time on a weekend, then it's perfect for CVN.

As for getting more people to show up and spending some more hours at events to get even more done, the leadership team will be working on those too.  If you have any friends who might be interested in volunteering, bring them out to the next CVN event.  We'll show them all sorts of great volunteering opportunities in Arlington and hopefully add another person to the CVN fold.

With all of these together, I think we can definitely pass 1,000 hours in 2012.  I'll be keeping you all updated on our progress, because it's your progress as much as anyone's.  Let's all go and make Arlington a better place!