Time is our most precious commodity. This is why so few things make me as proud as seeing how generous our incredible volunteers are in giving their time to DAV.

What these dedicated volunteers do is the cornerstone to our organization. Their efforts embody our mission of empowering veterans to live their fullest lives. Combined, our volunteers have spent millions of hours helping our nation’s veterans by providing free rides to VA appointments, spending time with our homeless brothers and sisters, helping at VA hospitals and through many grassroots initiatives our chapters undertake.

Please make sure you take the time to thank our volunteers and let them know how appreciated they are.

I’m excited to see what is in store for volunteerism within DAV in 2022. As places continue to reopen and more people are getting back out into their communities, we have an opportunity to capitalize on this renewed energy. What better way for someone to be involved around their area than volunteering for DAV?

As leaders within our organization, you play a critical role in inspiring people to donate their time to DAV. Your enthusiasm for our mission and the daily conversations you have are great opportunities to share ways people can be involved with DAV. Your interactions may also reveal veterans’ unmet needs that we can help with.

Remember, there’s a home for everyone at DAV. Membership is not a requirement to be involved. Whether someone’s a teen or retired, has an open schedule or just a few hours to spare, we can use their help. Creativity is really the only limitation to what our volunteers can do to make a difference in a veteran’s life.

That said, one area we can use more help is with vehicle drivers for our Transportation Network. We’re looking for people who are at least 21 years old, have a valid driver’s license, can pass a background check, and are fully vaccinated for Covid-19. Even if they can only drive once a month, we can use them.

Other opportunities include volunteering at VA hospitals, running errands for veterans, or helping with yardwork. Our volunteer coordinators can point interested people in the right direction. And, as always, you can reach out to my team for more ideas or assistance with how to publicize the specific needs of your area.

Signing up to volunteer is as simple as a few clicks. Direct people to www.dav.org/volunteer. There’s a button that says “Sign up to Volunteer.” Clicking that will open a simple form. Once they fill and submit that, someone from my team will reach out.

Thank you all for your help in making 2021 a great year for DAV volunteers. I enjoy hearing all the stories about veterans’ lives being positively impacted by their efforts. I look forward to hearing more great things in 2022.