As the summer began, President Obama encouraged citizens across the nation to take part in an initiative called United We Serve (UWS). The idea behind the initiative is that citizens can contribute to the economic recovery through meaningful volunteer service. As part of the program, August 10-16 was recognized as “Health Week” and volunteers who promoted healthy living and expanded health care access were invited to share their experiences at http://serve.gov/stories_all.asp. The stories are particularly remarkable because of the diversity of the service projects that people participated in. Their experiences are a reminder that there is a volunteer opportunity out there for everybody—it’s just a matter of finding what’s right for you.

A volunteer posting under the screen name “Mary A.” shared her story on the Web site and also offered sound advice for those who are unsure of how to select the right service project to get involved with. Before choosing to volunteer at a swimming activity for special needs children, Mary asked herself, “What would I enjoy doing with my free time that would benefit one of these programs?”  Outlining her own criteria helped guide Mary in her search for the perfect volunteering opportunity.

If you are interested in volunteering but don’t know how to get involved, http://www.serve.gov can be a helpful tool to help you find your perfect volunteer project.