March 2020
Greetings!
Welcome to Volunteer Gwinnett News, a quarterly newsletter to help you stay informed about opportunities to volunteer, how to become a volunteer, and the work volunteers are doing in our community.

Volunteers are an essential part of Gwinnett County Government. Their selfless contributions ensure projects get done, improve the community’s quality of life, build partnership bonds, save tax dollars, and keep us all vibrantly connected.
2019 Volunteer Gwinnett by the Numbers
Check out some of the amazing numbers from last year!
  • 91,000 volunteers
  • 1.1 million participation hours
  • 60 new partnerships
  • 144 employee volunteers at Junior Achievement Gwinnett
  • 1,765 6th & 8th grade students impacted
  • 396 volunteer trainings conducted
  • 1,161 volunteer events and projects offered
  • 36 community committees
  • 969 outreach events and presentations 
Volunteer Appreciation Night postponed
We cannot wait to celebrate National Volunteer Week, April 19 – 25, with all of our amazing volunteers. H owever, our previously scheduled appreciation night and Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners proclamation set for Tuesday, March 24 has been postponed until further notice . Stay tuned for updates.
Program Profile
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service consists of licensed amateur ham radio operators who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty when disaster strikes.

We’re fortunate to have an active ARES volunteer group working closely with the Office of Emergency Management. ARES volunteers are called upon to maintain the continuity of communications during disasters when normal communications are disrupted or overloaded. ARES members work in the Emergency Operations Center during disaster activation, help with communications during local events, and stand by to provide critical emergency information in the event of a countywide public safety radio failure. Amateur radio operators have provided countless hours of community service throughout the decades.

If you are interested in becoming a licensed ham radio operator, training opportunities are held at the Gwinnett County Emergency Operations Center. For more information on the class, visit GARS.org . 
Liaison Highlight
The Gwinnett County Police Department uses volunteers in various roles. The volunteers most often act as role players when the department conducts scenario-based training to simulate officers interacting with the general public on dispatched calls. Volunteers are given directions by the trainers overseeing the scenario on how to work toward a specific outcome based on the training objective and to keep all participants involved safe.

Other volunteer activities include helping with office work, assisting with outreach, and Volunteer Citizens on Patrol, known as VCOP. VCOP consists of alumni from the Citizens Police Academy helping police monitor public places such as parks. The department’s volunteer liaisons are Sgt. Richard Acevedo and Sgt. Edwin Ritter. Visit GwinnettPolice.com to learn more about how to volunteer with the Gwinnett Police Department.
Richard Acevedo has been with the Gwinnett County Police Department for twenty years. His previous assignments include Uniform Patrol, Park Police, K-9, Training, SWAT Negotiator, and serving as a member of the Civil Emergency Team, which responds to civil unrest situations. “I enjoy being a police officer and helping the community get involved with volunteering in the department,” said Acevedo.
Edwin Ritter has been with Gwinnett Police since 2002. In addition to managing the department’s volunteer unit, he’s responsible for conducting inspections and audits of every unit within the police department to ensure that they comply with department policies and procedures. He previously served in the Uniform Patrol at Central Precinct, North Precinct, and West Precinct, and he has also worked in Criminal Investigations Division assigned to General Crimes Unit, Special Victims Unit, and Homicide Unit. In the past, Ritter has also served as a public information officer and commander of the Honor Guard Unit.
We Need You!
The projects below are still on the calendar and need volunteers. The County is assessing events on a case by case basis based on the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. If an event or project is canceled, volunteers who have registered will be notified via email. 

Great Gwinnett Wetlands
Join Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and the Department of Water Resources for the 6 th annual Great Gwinnett Wetlands. Volunteers are needed to monitor the health of the wetland and water quality, pick up litter, and remove invasive plants that choke the health of the wetland. Saturday, April 25 from 8:30am to 1:00pm. Register here.

Earth & Global Youth Service Day
Honor the 50 th anniversary of Earth Day and celebrate Global Youth Service Day with a donation of your time at the park! Assist with park cleanups and pollinator plantings, all while having fun. Saturday, April 25 from 9:30am to noon. Register here.

Earth Day
Join Gwinnett County Solid Waste Management and Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful at Gwinnett County Fairgrounds for our Earth Day Recycling Event. Saturday, May 2 from 7:30am to 1:00pm. Register here.
Gwinnett County employees in action at JA Discovery Center
Gwinnett County Government employees are dedicated to giving back to our community. It’s only the start of the year, and our employees are eager to make an impact! So far, 30 employees have dedicated more than 200 hours to Junior Achievement, impacting 450 students from Crouch Middle School, Grace Snell Middle School, Crews Middle School, and Shiloh Middle School.

J A of Georgia has suspended all programming and events for the time being, but you can learn more about how to get involved with JA of Georgia once the JA Discovery Center reopens.
Volunteers in Action
Random Acts of Kindness was held on Saturday, February 15 with more than 80 volunteers accomplishing a multitude of projects!

Volunteers packed 260 lunch bags for women and children at My Sister’s House , a non-profit organization that's part of the Atlanta Mission. In addition to lunch bags, volunteers created 160 hygiene bags for HomeFirst Gwinnett .

Our four-legged friends at the Gwinnett Animal Shelter also received more than 600 unique cat toys and more than 200 dog toys handmade by volunteers.

Finally, volunteers planted more than 50 native plants and beautified Gwinnett Parks’ mow free zones all around the walking paths at Shorty Howell Park. These new plantings will attract an abundance of native insects this spring when they bloom.