Volunteer Now - In Wayne and Holmes Counties

Kayley Cox • May 17, 2023

Volunteer Now - In Wayne and Holmes Counties

Although my family has lived in Wayne County for the last several years, it wasn’t until I began working at United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties (UWWH) that I truly began connecting to the community. Volunteerism has played such a key role in this connection. I have gained so much through volunteering in both Holmes and Wayne Counties; meeting new people, learning about new organizations, and continuing to grow my connection with others in the community. Before working at UWWH, I always wanted to volunteer, but didn’t really have a great understanding of how or where to even begin. The times I reached out to various organizations to volunteer, it took days to hear back or stop the “phone tag” game. I’d call them and leave a message. They’d call me and I’d miss the call. I would see a social media post about volunteers needed, but by the time the contact got back to me, the need was filled, or the event already passed. When I found out that part of my role at UWWH was to not only manage volunteers, but to also get a new volunteer platform for our two counties up-and-running, I was so excited! Our community needed a one-stop place to easily sign-up and manage volunteers. After hearing the needs of our partners and other local organizations regarding the lack of volunteerism post-COVID, and discussions with College of Wooster (COW) students, Volunteer Now – In Wayne and Holmes Counties was born.

United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counites, in collaboration with College of Wooster, received a multi-year grant from Wayne County Community Foundation in 2022 to implement a new volunteer platform accessible to the public as a one-stop shop for all volunteer-related opportunities. Volunteer Now – In Wayne and Holmes Counties is a reliable, web-based volunteer management system that assists in managing volunteers and growing community impact. UWWH manages the administration for the site and approves organizations that are created as Agencies on the platform. These organizations can post their volunteer needs, with volunteers signing up using desktop and/or mobile app versions of the site, so long as the opportunity is in Holmes or Wayne counties. This robust platform features hours tracking, volunteer check-in, scheduling, waivers & eSignatures, event planning, group & team management, volunteer profiles and resumes, and more. Pretty sweet, right? The best part is that COW will also have their own separate landing page, tied into the student organization Wooster Volunteer Network (WVN). There will be capabilities to funnel registered student users to review and access volunteer needs posted on Volunteer Now – In Wayne and Holmes Counties! While it’s the responsibility of each approved Agency to follow their internal volunteer protocol, UWWH is there to assist as needed. It takes our whole community committing to filling a gap like this, and the only way for it to work is if volunteer needs are being posted on the site and if we are spreading the word about where to sign-up for these needs.

One of my favorite parts about this platform is the APP! The app allows you to easily access and review local volunteer needs in our community, in real time. This is so crucial. People have such busy lives; we do not want to create additional obstacles for already willing community members to volunteer.

To sign up your organization or sign-up as a user, go to https://www.volunteernow.info/ or scan the QR codes to download the app! (See picture below) And as always, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to email me at kayley@uwwh.org or call our office at (330) 264-5576. The time is NOW to Volunteer!

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Books and Balance: Cultivating Mental Well-being Through Reading

By Kayley Cox • May 12, 2025

Growing up, I had a complicated relationship with reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading various chapter books or series, ranging from the Arthur to The Baby Sitter’s Club to A Child Called “It” series. But once I reached middle school, many of the English classes I attended had required reading for the course, and the requirement meant reading was no longer an option, but rather it was mandatory, and to take notes, and to be tested on the material! The required reading lists often burned me out, leaving me disinterested in picking up a book for pleasure. I would go through phases of wanting to read more, but the enthusiasm was often short-lived. As an adult I have really tried to be intentional with reading. As someone who has made a New Year’s Resolution to “read more” the last 6 years, I have really tried to focus on finding what genres interest me because when I do, I do in fact “read more,” and I like it! It also makes me happy. I feel like I have more to talk about in conversations and enjoy the dialogue reading a book brings, along with the mental break it provides me from daily life. As a parent of two young children, I have really tried to make it a priority to foster a love of reading in my kids. I encourage them to choose the books we read, and to take it a step further, I have also been intentional that my children also SEE me reading. Reading books for my own enjoyment. I want them to remember that reading isn't just something we do together, but also something we can do for ourselves. It’s a form of self-care and can really help our health-our MENTAL health. Literacy plays a critical role in children's mental well-being. Research from Scholastic and the Yale Child Study Center-Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience highlights the powerful influence of books and literacy on mental health. It shows that a love of reading can boost self-esteem, increase empathy, and mitigate anxiety and depression. Reading can introduce children to different types of people from all walks of life, and not only that, introducing children to different points of view, perspectives, ideas and ways of life. This exploration can foster creativity and imagination and innovation – traits that are needed for our community to evolve and grow. And this exploration can provide an opportunity to show that no matter your thoughts, you are not alone in them. By modeling reading, I hope to instill in my children the understanding that books, while educational tools, are also powerful allies in maintaining mental health. Our brain, just like anything else in the body, needs exercise. And we have the power to put the book down or keep turning the page. Whether it’s going to library to pick out our selections, or borrowing books through the Libby app, I challenge you to give yourself a moment of escape with a side of perspective that a good book can bring. Then, track your progress through Wayne County Public Library’s Beanstack app to follow your book journey. This action has truly helped me prioritize reading for my mental well-being while also instilling the love of reading in my children so they too can create a balance for their own mental health.