Big Buddy

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About Cape Fear Volunteer Center

Location:

5041 New Centre Drive Suite 215, Wilmington, NC 28403, US

Mission Statement

The CFVC's mission is match volunteers and agencies with service opportunities in Southeastern NC. We also provide direct and indirect services, including the Big Buddy Program (mentoring for at risk youth), free home repair (Reach the Beach), Kids Voting (mock voting for youth 5-18), Community Service, and National Days of Service opportunities.

Description

The CVFC was formed in 1997 to mobilize volunteers and resources to identify and deliver creative, effective solutions to community needs by volunteers. The CVFC was founded in the wake of Hurricane Fran. The need addressed by the CVFC is that of providing support for non-profit organizations, community events and initiatives through the effective recruitment, training, referral and stewardship of volunteers and directors of volunteers, as well as planning programs and/or collaborations. In order to keep the VC running and meeting the needs of the community agencies it needs funding and a home base of operation. The CFVC makes those matches for individuals, corporations, schools, and churches. We register the volunteers and then place them with the agency that best suits their time and availability. We are the place that the schools turn to find community service opportunities for their youth; we are the place that the teen courts program turns to place their offenders for community service, we are the place that the community turns in the time of a crisis to manage their volunteer time, and help get the tree off their roof after the storm no one else in the community is doing what we do. We are the place an individual may turn when no one else seems to be listening, we will provide them with names and numbers of agencies that may be able to assist them with what they need to help make them successful. We are the ultimate matchmaker! CFVC is a Presidential Service Award site; we coordinate the New Hanover County Volunteer of the Year Awards and Governor Award nominations annually. I could list a thousand projects we assist community partners in achieving to make Wilmington a great place to live.

At the present time the CFVC has 236 projects registered with us that are waiting and searching for countless volunteers. In 2004 our 351 volunteers provided the community with more than 3660.25 hours of service. Each year we create a volunteer resource guide to assist in the placement of volunteers. We create a Holiday Resource guide to assist the public with Holiday giving and volunteering, as well as to assist the public that may be in need of assistance with toys and food for their holidays so they will know where to register and what the deadlines are. During the past year a few examples of agencies that we have assisted include the American Red Cross, Cape Fear Literacy Council, DREAMS, Pender County Emergency Services, The Wilmington Children's Museum, Habitat for Humanity and many more. The Cape Fear Volunteer Center volunteers go everywhere, if any agency calls we will try to meet their need, we want to continue to try to meet those needs but we need your help. The CFVC has been run by me, a full time volunteer, for the past two years as a service provided to the Cape Fear Area United Way. Due to a change in focus at the United Way, the CFVC is now operating on its own.