Our Mission
Volunteer Centre County’s mission is to provide a free, user-friendly website and app that enhances community engagement through promoting nonprofits’ needs for volunteer service and donated goods, thereby increasing the quality of life in our community, while helping to build a stronger Centre County, PA.
Our Purpose
The purpose of Volunteer Centre County's website and app is to provide valuable information to individuals regarding local volunteering opportunities and the demand for donated goods. Additionally, the platform serves as a hub for staying updated on events, publications, fundraisers, awards, and press releases from local charities. Our central emphasis revolves around supporting our Community Partners by amplifying their updates and needs for volunteers and donated goods.
What We Do
Volunteer Centre County provides virtual spaces (website and app) where Community Partners (e.g., Centre County, PA nonprofits that have been approved) post their requests for volunteers’ services and/or needs for donated goods.
People interested in volunteering and/or donating goods to Volunteer Centre County’s Community Partners can go to the Volunteer Centre County website or app and search for ways to serve and give.
There is no charge for Community Partners, or others, to use this website. This website is maintained only by donations. Volunteer Centre County is an IRC 501c(3) organization offering a free community service to Centre County, PA.
Our Goal
Volunteer Centre County’s goal is to offer one easily accessible place for our Community Partners to post their needs for both volunteers and donated items so that individuals looking to contribute within Centre County can easily find opportunities to give their talents and treasures locally.
How VCC Works
Organizations interested in posting opportunities to the Volunteer Centre County website must first apply to become a Community Partner.
Our History
Volunteer Centre County was “born” at Dr. Matt Kaplan’s “Intergenerational Ideas for Enriching Quality of Life in Centre County” summit at Milbrook Marsh, State College PA on October 11, 2018. Penn State’s Intergenerational Leadership Institute (ILI) led by Dr. Kaplan is a certificate-training program developed in 2015 for adults aged 55+ seeking new lifelong learning experiences, skills, and volunteer opportunities to contribute to innovation and change in their community.
At the summit, a call-out was made for a website that could help inform volunteers about organizations that are in need of certain services and or goods, and at the same time offer a place for organizations to have a one-stop area to post their needs for time, talents, and treasures.
The rationale for this call-out was that new residents to Centre County wanted to help local service organizations, but they had no idea where to go to find opportunities. Since Centre County has a fairly high turnover of residents, having a “one-stop” portal of service opportunities made sense. Hence, the “birth” of Volunteer Centre County.
It just so happened that another nonprofit was in hiatus at the time of the summit and the Volunteer Centre County model fit perfectly within this charity’s bylaws! This charity was already named Sedum, Inc.: a 501(c)(3) organization established on June 28, 2007 with the intent of creating and long-lasting, beautiful, full of variety, year-round, easy-to-grow, quickly spreading activities that served the community’s interests and needs. The name “sedum,” as in the plant itself, had the characteristics that were valued by Volunteer Centre County, and so the fit was a good one! Sedum was taken out of its 11-year hiatus when the Volunteer Centre County vision came to fruition.
So, Sedum, Inc. doing business as Volunteer Centre County, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity (EIN 26-0520663) is a Penn State ILI inspired project that came to life on October 11, 2018.
Our Team
Ann Echols
Executive Director
Deb Baysinger
Executive Assistant
Dr. Suzanna Windon
Board Chair
Mr. Zach Barton
Board Member
Dr. Grace Hampton
Board Member
Our Values
- We are inclusive, helping everyone to better Centre County at the level to which they are comfortable
- We operate efficiently
- We protect our Community Partners' and volunteers' private information.
- We are financially strong
- We keep our promises
- We are open and transparent
- We strive to consistently provide exceptional service
Our Associations and Memberships
Our Sponsorships
Disclaimer
Volunteer Centre County is not responsible for any person’s volunteer experience or activities performed outside of using this website or its app. Volunteer Centre County is for the purposes of connecting parties and facilitating the exchange of information only.
Privacy
The Volunteer Centre County website and app, along with the information they gather, are monitored to ensure the accuracy, authenticity, and confidentiality of the shared data. To prevent any unauthorized access or inconvenience to our Community Partners, Volunteer Centre County has implemented a policy against the inclusion of email addresses on its platform. This proactive measure helps to deter bots from extracting email addresses and causing unwarranted disturbances to our Community Partners. We value individuals’ and organizations’ privacy and desire to have their contact information protected from misuse. For more information, please read our legal document found in our website footer or click here: https://volunteercentrecounty.org/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use
