GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — More than 40 nonprofit organizations came together at the GVR West Center on Wednesday for the annual Volunteer Showcase, connecting residents with volunteer opportunities at a time when community support is needed most.
The event, organized by the Sahuarita/Green Valley Volunteer Clearinghouse, featured a wide range of groups — from the Santa Rita Fire Corps and PAWS Patrol to the American Red Cross and CASA of Pima County — all hoping to recruit new volunteers to help sustain their programs amid tightening budgets and rising community needs.
For Green Valley resident Linda Rudloff, the showcase offered a chance to reconnect after a break from volunteering due to health issues.
“Well, I’m a retired teacher, so I was looking at things that involved children,” Rudloff said. “After teaching for so many years, I missed it. I’ve had fun, but you can only have so much fun. Connecting with people, I think, is really important and feeling like you’re helping others too.”
Event organizer Joyce Finkelstein, executive director of the Volunteer Clearinghouse, said that numerous health benefits come with volunteering, such as socialization, along with opportunities to build skills or teach skills to others.
Finkelstein says the timing of this showcase couldn’t be more critical.
“Even before the shutdown, there was a significant reduction in the amount of money that is going to nonprofits through government grants — and that’s the driver for a lot of organizations,” Finkelstein explained. “Green Valley and Sahuarita have been very generous, but they can’t make up for the amount of grants lost.”
That financial strain is being felt by organizations like Valley Assistance Services (VAS), which supports families and seniors across southern Pima County. Executive Director Chris Erickson says the community’s needs have risen back to pandemic-era levels, but without the same level of funding.
“When you had COVID, you had high need and funding. Now you don’t have funding with the high need,” Erickson said. “You’re placing people on waiting lists, you’re trying to partner with other organizations just to come and help. It trickles down to, well, you have to limit your staff.”
VAS is seeking volunteers for multiple projects, such as transportation to get seniors to and from medical appointments, check-in calls, and visits. Erickson says volunteers play a vital role in keeping those programs running.
“We rely on community and volunteers,” she said. “They’re the essential part of our programs.”
Other participating organizations included Casa Pima County, which was looking for volunteers to work with foster children at the juvenile court. Program Coordinator Kierra Keys said volunteers provide foster children with a rare dose of stability, as these children are often moved around to different locations and face rapid changes as a result of their situation.
“Coordinators like me change, and so do DCS and attorneys and even judges,” Keys said. “But that volunteer is there because they want to help these children. Just being able to rely on one or two healthy adults is important for their mental health.”
Those in the Green Valley/Sahuarita area interested in volunteering can find a full list of volunteer opportunities at the Green Valley/Sahuarita Volunteer Clearinghouse website.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
