Prior to 1997, the Volunteer Center’s
existence in Frederick County was intermittent due to fluctuations
in funding and host agencies. At some point prior to 1990,
the Volunteer Center was a part of the United Way of Frederick
County for an undetermined period of time until it ceased
to operate. Between 1994 and 1996, the Center was recreated
as a program under the Mental Health Association. Due to lack
of support from the County government, the Mental Health Association
decided to discontinue the Center in 1996. In 1997, the United
Way of Frederick County once again agreed to host the Volunteer
Center and in April of 1997 hired a part-time director for
the program. Until December of 2001, the Volunteer Center
was governed by an Advisory Council composed of United
Way board members and community leaders, and advised by a
Youth Advisory Board and the Frederick Co. Volunteer
Advisory Board.
From April 1997 until December 2001, the
United Way supported the Volunteer Center by providing in-kind
administrative support, funding for overhead and operational
expenses, furnishings, equipment, and one-half the director’s
salary. In addition to United Way funding, the Center’s
operations and programs have been funded through government
and private foundation grants, and fee-for-service programming.
Throughout its growth under the United Way
of Frederick County, the Center partnered closely with the
Points of Light Foundation and the National Network of Volunteer
Centers, and the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism.
The Volunteer Center has received guidelines, training and
organizational and financial support for Volunteer Center
development and youth service program development from both
these organizations. The Center has also partnered with the
Corporation for National Service’s AmeriCorps VISTA Program
for five years. Through the VISTA program the Center has received
between one and four annual full-time VISTA members.
Due to the growth of the Volunteer Center,
and the refocus of the United Way to its original mission
of funding its 23 member agencies, the United Way Board of
Directors decided in 2001 to assist the Center in becoming
a separate nonprofit agency. With the assistance of both a
Volunteer Center Feasibility Study Grant and a Volunteer Center
Start Up Grant from the Governor’s Office on Service
and Volunteerism, the United Way Volunteer Center of Frederick
County became Volunteer Frederick, Inc. on January 1, 2002.
The United Way provided funding to assist the Center with
this transition during the first half of 2002. Then in the
late spring of 2002, Volunteer Frederick was admitted as a
United Way member agency and began participating in the allocation
process beginning in July 2002.
As of 2004, Volunteer Frederick employs
an Executive Director, a Volunteer Services Coordinator, an
RSVP Project Director, RSVP Coordinator, an Emergency Volunteer
Coordinator, a Youth Service Director, and a Finance and Grants
Manager. Several AmeriCorps VISTA members serve in a variety
of roles including Homeland Security Support Coordinator,
Family Strengthening Coordinator, and Training and Special
Projects Coordinator. The center also hires temporary staff
to support its summer youth programs, and engages volunteers
whenever possible to support its operations and programs.
