3 minute read
Volunteers Make an Impact Every Day
Hundreds Across the City and County of Broomfield Deserve Thanks
By The City of Broomfield
In the last year, more than 900 individuals volunteered more than 30,000 hours with City and County of Broomfield programs. So what does 30,000 hours mean in real-world impact?
For seniors, volunteers mean access to nutritious meals. At the Lakeshore Cafe, volunteers serve more than 8,800 daily meals to seniors annually and provide engaging conversation with attendees. Meals on Wheels volunteers hand deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors who otherwise couldn’t prepare meals for themselves. Since the start of 2022, more than 26,000 meals have been delivered to 138 seniors in Broomfield.
For the youth in Broomfield, volunteer coaches create the opportunity for young athletes to develop sports-specific fundamentals while also growing life skills such as friendship, cooperation, teamwork, leadership, and communication. Because of their efforts, 2,338 youth were able to participate on 172 youth sports teams in 2022.
Volunteers increase the number of positive wildlife interactions in Broomfield through community education. Nature Program volunteers offer educational classes for children to teach them how to interact with nature. Eagle Watch volunteers monitor eagle nests and provide important data to understand the successes and failures of eagle breeding in Broomfield. Since January, Wildlife Masters have contributed more than 100 hours to in-person outreach events and responded to 57 calls on the Wildlife Master hotline.
If you’ve ever been to the Broomfield Library, you’ve felt the impact of community volunteers. At the Library, more than 120 volunteers have spent the last year shelving books, tutoring students, delivering books to homebound residents, and more. Many share the qualities of compassion, integrity, respect, and selfless service that help make the Library a welcoming community space.
At the History Collections, volunteers preserve Broomfield’s history. In 2022, volunteers cataloged nearly 900 historic items made publicly available in an online database. Volunteers also give tours of the Broomfield Depot Museum. For many young volunteers, this is their first time actively engaging with local history, something they truly enjoyed.
Volunteers help keep the community safe. With a growing population and increased crime caseload, investigations volunteers at the Broomfield Police Department assist with more than 100 cases each year to ensure cases are successfully closed in a timely manner. Volunteers have expanded the hours for fingerprinting services available to the Broomfield community, fingerprinting 423 people living or working in Broomfield since January.
Through the Victim Advocates program, volunteers provide 24/7, on-scene crisis intervention and assistance for persons affected by trauma as well as follow up support, resources, and referrals. Since January, Victim Advocates provided 7,933 services to 1,060 individuals.
From victim support to delivering meals to seniors, volunteers give back every day. Their service, compassion, and humility make Broomfield a more resilient community and wonderful place to live. December 5 is International Volunteer Day; don’t forget to say thank you to a volunteer!
