At Crossroads of Western Iowa, every day we empower individuals with intellectual and mental disabilities to work toward their goals and dreams. We spend time helping these individuals work on life skills, manage independent living and find employment opportunities. What people may not realize is the impact these individuals have on their local communities.

Volunteerism is an important part of our culture. Our consumers benefit from the socialization, training and kinship, and the community benefits from the hours of effort provided by volunteers. Consumers say they feel good about themselves by giving back to the community. They spend around 25-30 hours each week volunteering as a part of our day programs. Nationally, the value of volunteer time is $22.55 per hour. Our consumers provide up to $676.50 per week in volunteering services, or more than $35,000 a year. That can make quite an impact!

Our volunteers spend time cleaning parks and helping local businesses with tasks that need to be done. Here are a few of the businesses where our consumers volunteer:

• Ronald McDonald House
• Lauritzen Gardens
• Community Garden
• City Parks – Missouri Valley
• Goodwill
• Fairgrounds in Onawa/Missouri Valley
• Elmwood Care Center
• Westmont Care Center
• Chamber of Commerce
• Adopt-A-Highway
• Headstart
• Meals on Wheels
• Micah House

Jennifer Tyler, the Director of Events & Outreach at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha, said about our volunteers, “On behalf of all of the staff and the families here at Ronald McDonald House, we thank all of our volunteers from Crossroads of Western Iowa for the countless hours they have put in to make sure we have a safe environment for children to play.”

Tyler continued, “We are confident that every Monday, the attention paid to cleaning and disinfecting the playroom will be excellent. All of our patients have suppressed immune systems, so cleanliness is of utmost importance to the families. Parents trust that we will provide them with the safest and cleanest environment for their family. Ronnie, our environmental services staff member, commented that your group is the best toy cleaning volunteer group that comes to RMHC, and that your volunteers put in the most hours to make sure the job is done thoroughly. Again, we sincerely thank everyone at Crossroads of Western Iowa for playing a role in the care of our families.”

Feeling inspired to give? We've got great ideas for volunteers of all ages!