The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley enthusiastically opened its doors on April 1, 1995, and has been a principal part of the community for 20 years. Last year, more than 10,000 volunteers were matched with opportunities to serve.

Michelle Temeyer, one of the organization’s founders, said one of the initial goals of the VCCV was to look at ways to create a sense of community and a vehicle for community pride. “Not only has it met their expectations, but has a positive trajectory that will continue to drive it forward,” she said.

Temeyer’s vision for the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley is to see it become more diverse by blending ethnicities, abilities, generations and genders to build a better community as the VCCV moves forward. Additionally, she hopes to see the VCCV continue to grow as an agency by embracing more member agencies and volunteers.

In its first year, the center placed the names of 233 volunteers in its database and assisted 54 area nonprofit agencies. Volunteers who worked through the center logged in 2,979 hours.

The following year, the VCCV held its first conference for community leaders. In the mid ’90s, the youth involvement program was created, and VCCV also started working with UNI to create an on-campus volunteer initiative.

At the start of the millennium, the VCCV website was developed to allow volunteers to search for opportunities by agency and interest area. Tuesday, April 14, at the Kimball Ridge Center in Waterloo.

For more information, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087 or information@vccv.org.