Since 1974, National Volunteer Week has been an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service—the power of volunteers to tackle society’s greatest challenges, build stronger communities, and transform the world. National Volunteer Week was established by President Richard Nixon, and in 1990, President George H.W. Bush established one of the largest volunteer associations, called Points of Light.
National Volunteer Week takes place annually in April, which is Global Volunteer Month. This year, we celebrate our volunteers from April 19-25, and I think, like our service men and women, we should say, “Thank you for your service.”
Each year, we shine a light on the people and causes that inspire us to serve, recognizing and thanking volunteers who lend their time, talent, and voice to make a difference in their communities. The US has the highest number of volunteers of any country, with over 75 million volunteers logging time with their own personal cause or organization. The highest participation rate of any country is Sri Lanka, with 46% of its population volunteering.
Here are some opportunities to volunteer or support our local not-for-profits with your time and donations this spring.
- Wallingford Cleanup: Neighbors, come join in on Saturday, May 2nd at 10 am for the bi-annual trash clean-up of Wallingford’s 45th Street! Volunteers will meet outside of the Wallingford Center at 45th and Wallingford, and will be provided with vests, pickers, gloves, bags, and a plan. There may be donuts and coffee, too. Please reach out via email with any questions and help spread the word to friends and neighbors!
- Sparkling Wallingford Society: This group was started by Carrie Johnson about a year ago. They pick up trash year-round and are interested in expanding their scope—as soon as they harness some new volunteers to help. This would be a great place to start your journey as a volunteer, so please consider joining them! For more details and to find out when the next cleanup is scheduled, email them.
- Assistance League of Seattle offers several ways to help out:
Spring flower basket sale: Get all the joy of a beautiful 12” basket without any of the work. This amazing fundraiser supports the Assistance League of Seattle and their Assisteens program. Baskets arrive in time for Mother’s Day!
- Order here, $47 each
- Pick up on Sunday, May 3, 2026, from 10 am–2:00 pm at the Assistance League Thrift Store, 1415 N 45th Street.
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- Volunteer at AL Thrift Store. Sign up to help keep the store open (training required). Contact Bev Kelleher at [email protected] for sales floor training and further volunteer opportunities.
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Donate to AL Thrift Store. Currently needed items include:
- Women’s and Men’s denim jeans
- Women’s and Men’s casual shoes
- Purses and handbags
- Stud earrings for pierced ears
- Linens: kitchen towels, potholders, placemat sets, bedding, sheet sets (all in excellent condition)
- Puzzles
- Small and medium-sized shipping boxes for online orders
Celebrate Wallingford Parade: The 74th annual parade is scheduled for July 11, 2026. Thanks go to everyone who has given their time to make this event such a success in the past.
Current volunteer opportunities include:
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- Pre-parade promotion—signage placement, flyer distribution
- Day of event production—traffic control, muster assistance, set up, and tear down)
- Attention to high school kids in need of service hours—volunteer with us. Parades are fun! Must be 17 years or older.
- Sign up to volunteer!
- And, of course, Wallyhood would welcome your contributions as a writer! This community blog is entirely volunteer-driven, and we invite submissions from anyone in the Wallingford community. We’re especially looking for writers who can take on story ideas—some fully fleshed out with details, others just starting points from neighbors. Reach out to [email protected]—we’d love to hear from you!
If other groups in Wallingford have a need for volunteers, please leave a comment below. I would love to include your organization in a future volunteer round-up or write an article about how you engage volunteers. I am all about volunteering in Wallingford!
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