The city of Lancaster is touting its successful OneLINC volunteer program as a method to encourage increased altruism among its residents.
The OneLINC program is thriving amid the city’s annual Season of Service in recognition of King Day. The program’s goal is to help local non-profits and community service groups recruit, train and retain volunteers to assist in a variety of endeavors locally, throughout the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County in general.
The program’s web-based system hosts profiles of:
Antelope Valley community service organizations, highlighting events and service opportunities for potential volunteers. Also, the website offers many features to help citizens get the most out of their volunteer experiences. Here are some of the latest features added to the program to allow users to navigate through the website more quickly and efficiently:
—Ability to track and manage volunteer hours;
—An option to rate the experience(s);
—Ability to save volunteer searches;
—Instant volunteer sign-up;
—An option to create public or private teams and
—A user-friendly calendar.
Lancaster initiated the OneLINC program in 2013 to help connect potential volunteers to various opportunities. Headquartered at Lancaster City Hall, the program was created and is implemented by AmeriCorp’s VISTA component (Volunteers in Service to America) with guidance from city staff. AmeriCorps VISTA is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which works in partnership with the city of Lancaster.
The AmeriCorps VISTA program helps to challenge VISTA volunteers to commit one year of their lives to create and expand programs which ultimately aid underserved persons and communities. Two members of the 2015-16 AmeriCorps VISTA program, Alicia Austin and Rochelle Garcia, are coordinating the OneLINC program.
For more details, visit www.OneLINC or call (661) 723-5840. The OneLINC program may be accessed across different social media networks including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and at www.OneLINC.Worldpress.com.
The OneLINC volunteer program aligns with the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service campaign. The city will host during the next few weeks various service projects throughout the Antelope Valley, beginning tomorrow with a Community Engagement Workshop scheduled at noon at the Stanley Kleiner Activity Center at Lancaster City Park. The workshop will be one of many being held throughout Los Angeles County to better understand how to improve, expand and make parks more accessible to the public. A resource fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the lawn outside the activity center.
“It is wonderful to see so many citizens and organizations pull together their resources, time and energy each year in support of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “Taking ownership and pride in one’s community means digging a little deeper, getting your hands a little dirtier, going the extra mile, and showing others that you are invested in the welfare of the entire community. Let’s all do our part and find a place to pitch in this year.”
Lancaster has scheduled more than 120 community projects for the MLK Day of Service. Local businesses have been invited to donate supplies to established service projects, and individuals, non-profits and service organizations are encouraged to volunteer.
For more details about the city of Lancaster MLK Day of Service, call the Parks, Recreation and Arts Department at (661) 723-6077 or visit www.cityoflancasterca.org/mlkday.
