Hundreds of volunteer organizations across Kitsap County, Washington, support the communities and rural areas of the county. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteers don't just give their time and effort, they also gain skills and friends and improve their sense of place. The benefits of volunteering accrue over time, and are so important to a healthy lifestyle that the Aging and Disability Service Administration advises that volunteer activities can provide physical, mental and emotional benefits like those of physical activities.
Range of Volunteer Organizations
Kitsap County volunteers work in all sorts of activities and facets of society. There are local development organizations, such as the Old Town Silverdale Association, which works to improve the experience of old downtowns. Rotary clubs provide services from building playgrounds to passing out food. Music clubs, such as Peninsula Pipes and Drums and the Kitsap Banjo Club provide entertainment. Sports clubs, including the Silverdale PeeWee Adult Association and the North, Central and South Kitsap Soccer Clubs provide athletic training to the youth of Kitsap County in activities like baseball, soccer, basketball and cheerleading. Food banks and soup kitchens throughout the county provide meals for those who cannot afford them.
County Volunteerism
Kitsap County Volunteer Services reports that volunteers in county programs contributed more than 200,000 hours in 2009 on a variety of efforts, including serving on community boards, working in offices, cleaning up parks and roadways and protecting the public. Kitsap County Volunteer Services has programs for teens and adults and matches people by skills, interests and time available to give to the community. Current volunteer opportunities are posted on the Kitsap County website at www.kitsapgov.com/volunteer/current.htm.
Search and Rescue
Volunteers are the lifeblood of search and rescue teams in Kitsap County, Washington. Search and rescue volunteers work closely together during training time and are called up to assist lost hikers and climbers and sometimes law enforcement in remote areas across the state. Because search and rescue volunteers must be trained and maintain their own rescue packs and equipment, long-term commitments are common and camaraderie develops. According to the Kitsap County sheriff's office, half a dozen volunteer organizations provide search and rescue volunteers in the county.
Finding Service Clubs
Volunteer organizations and service clubs are concentrated in the cities of Kitsap County. Bremerton, Port Orchard, Kingston, Poulsbo, Silverdale and Bainbridge Island communities have online postings of service clubs. Because the listings are self-submitted, a wider variety of small organizations are posted than might be found otherwise. Service clubs are also found in the county-wide newspaper, the Kitsap Sun.
Service Learning in Schools
Students across Kitsap County volunteer their time and energies to serving the community. Often, whole grades within a school or the whole school will focus on a particular objective or charity. Kids collect food for the hungry, pick up litter, read to younger kids and try to make Kitsap County a better place to live. According to Youth Service America, service learning is an important part of teaching youth to promote healthy habits amongst themselves and be a part of a healthy community.
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