From volunteer referrals to project coordination to education, HandsOn Greater Huntsville—The Volunteer Center of Madison County is your full service volunteer center and the premier connection between volunteers and community needs.

Created in 1969 as a clearing-house to link new volunteers with nonprofit organizations, the agency has been dedicated to mobilizing residents to help meet the ever-changing needs of our community.  HandsOn Greater Huntsville, a 501(c)3 organization, annually recruits more than 20,000 volunteers and assists more than 175 nonprofit agencies.

HandsOn Greater Huntsville …

• Seeks to address unmet needs by partnering with nonprofits

   

• Provides opportunities for family togetherness

   

• Engages youth in volunteerism

   

• Provides disaster preparedness training and direct disaster assistance

   

• Brings together people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and beliefs

   

• Provides a common platform for people to serve and work together

   

• Is committed to using service as a way to transform individuals into citizen leaders who take a greater role in the community

   

• Encourages the development of volunteer initiated programs

   

• Believes that volunteering fosters problem-solving through compassion, innovation, entrepreneurialism and a quest for excellence

   

We provide essential support services to nonprofit organizations and volunteers by

• providing a central recruitment and referral system to match qualified volunteers with community needs

   

• training agencies and volunteers in areas such as volunteer management and disaster preparedness/assistance

   

• providing consulting services free-of-charge

   

• recognizing outstanding achievements and service of community volunteers

   

• managing programs that utilize the special talents of volunteers

   

• publishing the volunteer needs of nonprofit agencies

   

• publishing and distributing the Helping Hands Book of nonprofit agencies

   

We directly meet community needs by

• providing service learning projects to local schools, including Title I schools, to enhance their curriculum

   

• coordinating volunteer projects in participation with national service initiatives

   

• developing and implementing community outreach projects to fulfill unmet needs in the community

   

• operating Alabama ’s only Youth Volunteer Corps program, which engages more than 600 local young people ages 11- to 18-years old in volunteerism

   

• providing TEEN CERT Training to educate and prepare high school students for emergency or disaster response

   

• providing tutoring in local elementary schools

   

• operating the Business Volunteer Council while assisting and supporting employee volunteer programs of local businesses

   

• operating the Volunteer Language Bank, which provides free translators

   

• providing disaster preparedness training to youth and adults

   

• providing and coordinating direct disaster assistance