Noah Christiano.
Noah Christiano, the founder of the Old Lyme–Lyme Volunteer Connection, has announced that the Volunteer Connection was recently awarded a grant from the Lyme–Old Lyme Education Foundation. Receiving this grant is a major milestone for the fledgling start-up community service organization.
Having the funding in place to cover the annual software system lease expense for two years will facilitate the Volunteer Connection’s ability to gain greater participation and further establish its presence as a resource for the community. Most importantly, qualifying service organizations in need of volunteers may now participate for free.
The Old Lyme-Lyme Volunteer Connection is an online resource for the communities of Old Lyme and Lyme that matches the skills and interests of volunteers with the needs of community based organizations, including non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and town committees, located within or providing services to the two towns.
The Lyme-Old Lyme Education Foundation is an independent, 501 (c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization established in 2006 to support and enhance public education in Lyme and Old Lyme. The Foundation awards grants “to enhance or expand enrichment programs, support innovative teaching and learning, and build educational partnerships between students and community members.”
The communities of Old Lyme and Lyme as a whole will benefit from this grant awarded to the Old Lyme-Lyme Volunteer Connection. Students will be able to locate opportunities to volunteer that: suit their career goals or personal interests, provide engaging experiences during school breaks and throughout the school year, help to develop skills and responsibility outside of the classroom, strengthen their college applications, and teach them the rewards of serving others and the community. Citizens of all ages will likewise be able to more easily locate opportunities to volunteer and engage with the community.
The numerous educational, local government, non-profit and service organizations that are located in or provide services to Old Lyme and Lyme will benefit from: the increased visibility resulting from their pages and volunteer listings on the website; the publicity of the Old Lyme-Lyme Volunteer Connection; the possession of a useful tool to attract new volunteers; and all organizations will benefit from their unified presence. If you are the leader of a qualifying organization and would like to participate in the Volunteer Connection, contact Christiano at ollvolunteer@gmail.com.
This spring Christiano, the founder of the Old Lyme-Lyme Volunteer Connection and a rising high school senior, received the silver level of The President’s Volunteer Service Award for the development of this community resource throughout the past year. The President’s Volunteer Service Award program was created by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003 as a way to recognize, “thank, and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service”. August of this year will mark the one year anniversary of the Volunteer Connection’s web presence however, work on the project began a year earlier when Noah saw the need for a centralized system for community volunteers and decided to make this project his summer job. One of the biggest challenges Noah faced was finding an existing non-profit or government entity willing to bring the project under its umbrella, a requirement stipulated by Truist, a software company which provides the platform for the Volunteer Connection website. Thankfully, the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau, headed by Mary Seidner, agreed to sponsor the Volunteer Connection. The Old Lyme – Lyme Volunteer Connection is very pleased to have seen success throughout the past year. The website and its founder look forward to the continued growth of the website as even more organizations and community members turn to it for assistance in finding and filling volunteer opportunities.