Maria Pangborn, the Volunteer Program Manager at Army Community Service, is continuing outreach in search of volunteers with her most recent presentation Nov. 14 for Soldiers with the 3-6 Air and Missile Defense Detachment.

Army Community Service continues search for volunteers

Pangborn said her job is to make sure that all the Organizational Point of Contacts and current volunteers are registered and have an account in the Volunteer Management Information System, where all the volunteers log their hours and the OPOCs make sure volunteers keep track of their hours and certify those hours to ensure they get credit for volunteering.

During the recent presentation representatives from Big Brothers Big Sisters and Ambercare Hospice were among the guest speakers that came to talk about volunteer opportunities in the local community.

Pangborn said volunteering can affect your mental health in a positive way because it makes you feel like you are a part of something, especially during the holidays. She said volunteering can help reduce stress, anxiety and even depression in some individuals.

“It can give you a sense of belonging as you give back to the community because you know you can make a difference,” Pangborn said.

Pangborn is also in charge of holding monthly outreach presentations throughout WSMR to recruit volunteers for organizations at WSMR and in the local community.

She also refers individuals to volunteer opportunities off post to give individuals opportunities based on their skills and interests. However, those volunteer hours don’t count towards the WSMR impact.

Pangborn said logging volunteer hours is important especially when it comes to the annual volunteer recognition ceremony.

“That’s why I stress the importance of keeping track of volunteer hours.”

Pangborn herself started her career at WSMR as a volunteer and was recognized as the 2021 Volunteer of the Year for her support at ACS.

“If you make a difference in one person's life you have done your job.”

Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age to be considered. Pangborn said the holiday season is a good time to get in those volunteer hours for college applications.

For more information on volunteer opportunities contact Pangborn at (575) 678-2889 or (575) 678-6767.

Miriam Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs