Welcoming a new year offers the opportunity to make new choices and take new chances in life. If you’ve been thinking about volunteering or have contemplated resolutions for the new year, consider creating change through volunteerism in 2019.

The United Way of Mower County is ready to help make it a priority through the implementation of Get Connected — a new, dynamic, online volunteer platform that will increase the collaboration, connections, and relationships among local organizations and community members.

Get Connected is a one-stop-shop where individuals looking to volunteer and organizations needing an extra hand can meet in the middle. The platform enables local organizations to easily promote opportunities, needs, and events using a familiar social environment.

Community members can then browse existing needs and register for service opportunities that align with interests and preferences. Get Connected also generates reports on all volunteer data to capture the effects of volunteerism in our community, including personalized ‘report cards’ that track each volunteer’s individual impact.

Get Connected is also working with the Austin Assurance Scholarship program as a way to help students earn credit toward eligibility, which is one of the criteria. Students must have a total of 50 community service hours.

In the early stages of planning, United Way of Mower County Executive Director Diane Baker was made aware of Austin Assurance and, recognizing the unique situation, presented Get Connected to the planning committee.

Once everything was in place, more than 1,000 Austin High School and Pacelli students were imported as users in November of last year and have been actively involved ever since.

Volunteerism has countless benefits to the community and also to the health and happiness of individuals who commit to volunteering.

Ultimately, United Way’s new volunteer platform will do more than just create matches among the service community and citizens; it will also help build lasting relationships between all people, regardless of age or background, and the great organizations that allow our community to thrive.

To get started, visit www.uwmower.org/getconnected or give call at 507-437-2313.