More than a century ago, on March 8, 1896, at a huge public rally in New York, social reformers Maud and Ballington Booth announced the formation of a new movement – Volunteers of America. When reporters asked what exactly the organization would do, Ballington Booth replied: “We will go wherever we are needed, and do whatever comes to hand.” This willingness to serve, and a creative and flexible approach to meeting human needs, have been hallmarks of Volunteers of America ever since.
In turn-of-the-century America, there was no shortage of work to do. Volunteers of America moved into tenement districts to care for the poor. They organized day nurseries and summer camps; provided housing for single working men and women; and established the nation’s first system of halfway houses for released prisoners. Today, the work of Volunteers of America can be classified under three primary headings: Human services, housing and health care.
In our second century of service, Volunteers of America is one of the nation’s largest and most effective human service organizations, serving more than a million people each year in more than 300 communities throughout the United States. There are more than 40 affiliate offices of Volunteers of America across the nation today.