Volunteer Recognition Day 2023: Date, History, Organisations

Volunteer Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on April 20. As the name implies, it is a day to honour, recognise, and celebrate the altruistic individuals who dedicate their time and energy to helping others and promoting good causes. What is so inspiring is that volunteers do all of this without expecting compensation or recognition for their efforts. There are volunteers in all sectors, including soup kitchens, hospitals, retirement homes, and conflict zones. Their altruistic sacrifice merits praise from the rest of the world.

The background of Volunteer Recognition Day

Volunteer Recognition Day is a day to recognise, honour, and celebrate those who donate their time, energy, and resources to assist others without expecting anything in return. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a volunteer as “a person who does something, especially helping others, voluntarily and without being forced or paid to do so.” Volunteering may be as old as humanity itself, or near to it. People have been offering assistance and aid to those in need for aeons.

However, the word ‘volunteering’ first appeared in the 1630s but did not enter common usage until 1755. The term was then given a military interpretation, referring to individuals who volunteered to enter the army. Indeed, organised volunteering can be traced directly back to wartime. Women would volunteer to care for wounded servicemen on the battlefield, while others worked tirelessly on their uniforms. The Red Cross, one of the most prominent volunteer organisations of all time, was also founded in response to combat. Henry Dunant was compelled to address the issue after observing wounded combatants left without adequate medical care during the Battle of Solferino. He documented his beliefs in a book titled “A Souvenir of Solferino,” in which he argued that all armies, regardless of which side they were fighting for, should be required to care for wounded soldiers.

Since then, volunteering has taken various forms and transcended various industries. People volunteer to visit the elderly, some work on weekends in community kitchens, and others travel abroad to assist the destitute. Volunteering is a noble and commendable act that we should all perform.

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5 ORGANISATIONS THAT RELY ON VOLUNTEERS

The Red Crescent

Voluntary service is one of the guiding principles of the Red Cross, which boasts over 14 million volunteers worldwide.

The United States Army’s Peace Corps

The Peace Corps offers volunteer opportunities in agriculture, community economic development, education, the environment, health, and youth development.

The Organisation for United Nations

The United Nations volunteer programme has deployed more than 9,400 volunteers worldwide, but there is still space for more.

Human Rights organisation Amnesty International

Amnesty International allows volunteers to participate in a broad variety of activities across all of its global offices.

Global Volunteers

Volunteers have the option of serving in the United States or in Vietnam, the Cook Islands, Tanzania, Saint Lucia, Portugal, Poland, Nepal, Peru, Italy, Greece, Ecuador, Cuba, and China.

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION DAY DATES