“Volunteering is a great way to get experience, gain new skills and for some spouses who want a career change, a great place to start is with volunteering.”
— Nicole Mendoza
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Celsa Day, Fort Carson Army Volunteer Corps Program manager, provides new volunteers with information during the new Volunteer Orientation training July 27, 2022, at Army Community Service building 1201. The training covers what’s expected of them as volunteers, what their rights are, Army regulations and what the expectations are at the volunteer sites. They also get instructions and hands-on experience with the Volunteer Management Information System. (Photo by Eric E. Parris)
By Eric E. Parris
Fort Carson Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Volunteer opportunities abound on Fort Carson and in the local communities. Whether it’s at Evans Army Community Hospital with the American Red Cross, Fort Carson Youth Services or in one of the directorates, there’s no shortage of positions to fill.
And many of these volunteer positions are filled by military spouses.
When service members move from their previous duty stations to Fort Carson, in some cases, their spouses are looking for employment opportunities, and volunteering can provide needed experience along with helping them hone their job skills.
“Military spouses find it a bit challenging to go forward with their careers,” said Celsa Day, Fort Carson Army Volunteer Corps Program manager. “They feel like they need to brush up on skills. We have spouses who have exceptional skills; however, they don’t want to lose them.”
A good place to start to find the right volunteer opportunity is by attending the new Volunteer Orientation training that’s held on the last Wednesday of every month from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Army Community Service building 1201.
“The training covers what’s expected of them as a volunteer, what their rights are, Army regulations and what the expectations are at the volunteer sites,” Day said. “They’re invited to bring laptops as they get instructions and hands-on experience with the Volunteer Management Information System.”
The new volunteers are shown how to use VMIS, which includes how to apply for a position, enter their volunteer hours and how to find their service record. Volunteers are required to register in VMIS.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Mary Braxton, Fort Carson Financial Readiness Program manager, left, reviews a Soldier’s Army Emergency Relief Application with Jacqueline Buie, a volunteer and military spouse with the FRP, at the Army Community Service building Aug. 8, 2022. Buie has been a volunteer with the FRP for about two months. (Photo by Eric E. Parris)
The last part of the training is for organizational points of contact who want access in VMIS to manage their volunteers, certify their hours and accept volunteer applications.
“I don’t want any volunteer to not be able to enter hours and lose them because they didn’t know there was a tracking system,” Day said.
Volunteers can use those hours on their resumes, which can benefit them when they decide to seek employment opportunities.
“Volunteers should treat volunteering as employment because it helps prepare them for future employment,” Day said.
Volunteering can show work experience that’s important to employers.
“Employers will see that you were dedicated to something and performing a job function for an organization,” said Nicole Mendoza, Fort Carson Employment Readiness Program manager. “Volunteering is a great way to get experience, gain new skills and for some spouses who want a career change, a great place to start is with volunteering.”
With the Army Volunteer Corps and the ERP a part of ACS, there’s a connection between volunteering and bridging the gap toward possible employment.
“There’s such a natural relationship and partnership between Employment Readiness and Army Volunteer Corps that gets missed,” Day said.
For spouses who want to work, some have volunteered, and others still want to volunteer. And this is when the volunteer corps and Employment Readiness Program work together to provide support to the spouses.
“We definitely refer between our programs,” Mendoza said. “We always ask spouses when we do an initial intake are they interested in volunteer opportunities.”
Volunteers serve in organizations on post such as the Red Cross, Soldier and Family readiness groups, ACS, Grant Library and Child Youth Services. In the local community, they serve with organizations such as the Habitat for Humanity, Care and Share Food Bank, Silver Key Senior Services, Humane Society and other nonprofit organizations.
For Stephanie Burns, who is a military spouse and has been a volunteer since mid-April in the volunteer corps program, it’s been a good experience.
“It’s the gratitude that I get, and the people that I’ve met have been amazing,” Burns said.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Jacqueline Buie, a volunteer with the Fort Carson Financial Readiness Program, talks with a Soldier about his Army Emergency Relief application at the Army Community Service building Aug. 8, 2022. Buie, who is a military spouse, has been a volunteer with the FRP for about two months. (Photo by Eric E. Parris)
Burns has worked as the assistant to Day, where she scheduled appointments, provided support at events and has worked with clients who needed help with VMIS and provided them with information about volunteer opportunities.
“Ms. Celsie has taught me so much, and I’m so grateful,” Burns said about Day’s support during her volunteer time.
Currently, there are more than 6,000 registered volunteers.
And from Jan. 1 through July 2022, volunteers have donated 30,500 hours, which is the equivalent to $913,475 in saved labor costs to the installation, Day said.
Burns said her volunteer experience opened the door to programs as a military spouse she wasn’t aware of.
“In the Financial Readiness Program — to build our resumes, which is something that I’m working on now,” Burns said. “There’s grants we can apply for school, which I did.”
Burns, who is preparing to move for her husband’s next assignment in northern California, encouraged spouses thinking about volunteering to give it a try.
“I would say to take the chance because honestly, when you’re volunteering, you have that family you make with the people you’re volunteering with,” Burns said. “You become close, you become friends and you can get out.”
Volunteering is about giving back, preparing for the future and having that sense of community.
“It provides all spouses with a sense of community,” Day said. “Preparation meets opportunity. For military spouses, project where you want to be in five years and what steps you need to take to get there.”