Service and Volunteerism
“Maryland has some of the kindest and most compassionate citizens in the nation, and we champion those who light the way in our quest to serve others. All of our stories are deeply connected and our communities are stronger when our citizens reach out to help one another.”
Governor Larry Hogan
Maryland was recently ranked third in the nation for giving and volunteering and service by Wallethub. Nearly 2 million Marylanders volunteered to provide 181.9 million hours of service, and generated an economic value of $4.3 billion across the state of Maryland. Nearly 60% of Marylanders make a charitable donation.
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Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism
The Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism is a unit of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. Through the use of $5 million federal funding, the office funds 19 to 20 Maryland organizations that operate AmeriCorps State programs and train 800 to 1,000 AmeriCorps members every year to support community service efforts in Maryland. Each year, the office recognizes thousands of Maryland volunteers on behalf of the governor through various programs, including Youth Service Awards, Governor’s Service Awards, Black History Month Leadership & Service Awards, Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Day at the Maryland State Fair, Honor Rows Program, Governor’s Volunteer Service Certificates. Since day one of the Hogan-Rutherford administration, over 20,000 volunteers have been recognized every year. Watch Governor Hogan’s public service announcement on volunteerism here.
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Volunteer Maryland builds stronger, healthier communities by developing volunteer programs with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and schools. Its vision is that all Marylanders will participate in and value service as a way of life to enrich and empower community, society, and self. For the recent service year, 24 AmeriCorps members mobilized more than 6,100 – including 8,791 youth and 1,018 disadvantaged children – volunteers for programs of 17 partner organizations and the volunteers served nearly 52,000 hours. Over the last 26 years, in coordination with 350 partners, Volunteer Maryland trained 700 AmeriCorps members as Volunteer Coordinators, who mobilized 135,000 volunteers to serve 2 million hours.
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Day to Serve
Day to Serve is an annual, month-long community service initiative, from September 11 to October 11, in which Maryland joins Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia in encouraging its residents to get out and volunteer. |
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Read Across Maryland
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives partner for this annual program and call for every Marylander to celebrate and raises awareness of reading and financial literacy during October. |
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Veteran Service
The Governor Hogan’s Veteran Service Specialist Program run by the Maryland Department of Veteran Affairs to provide general information and resources to State employees and their families who have served in the military. |
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Donations The Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives offers seasonal and on-call deliveries of donated items for Marylanders in need, those who are in emergencies and under severe weather or physical conditions in particular. Donations in summer support children going back to school and winter donations share the spirit of giving during Thanksgiving and Christmas. In partnership with the Maryland Department of General Services, local food banks, and NGOs, in 2019, we donated more than an $8.3 million value of Federal Surplus Properties: meals, furniture, computers, water and more. Our office has donated more than 1.65 million meal kits, books, kitchen and household items, backpacks, school supplies, turkey, blankets, and more since 2015. |
