The Heart of Our Work: Volunteers Building Community to End Poverty | National Volunteer Month 2025
- Kamatara Johnson
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
At Circles USA, we believe in the power of community to transform lives. Every day, I am inspired by the unwavering commitment of our volunteers—individuals who give their time, their presence, and their hearts to the mission of ending poverty in their communities. These generous souls are not just helpers; they are catalysts for change, companions on the journey, and bridges across the divides that often separate us.
There’s a quote I keep close by, one that reminds me of the profound ripple effect volunteers create:
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
—Elizabeth Andrew
And heart is exactly what our volunteers bring in abundance.
Whether they are serving as Allies coming alongside Circle Leaders, leading youth programs during weekly meetings, preparing meals, providing professional connections, or simply showing up with a listening ear, every volunteer is a vital thread in the fabric of the Circles community. Volunteers help us weave together a more connected, compassionate, and equitable society.
Volunteering isn’t just an act of kindness; it’s a powerful expression of solidarity. It says: Your life matters. Your dreams matter. We are in this together.
It’s this spirit of togetherness that fuels our movement of building community to end poverty. And these numbers from AmeriCorps tell an incredible story:
Over 60 million Americans volunteered their time in 2021, contributing approximately 4.1 billion hours of service.
This amounts to an estimated economic value of over $122 billion in volunteer labor.
These statistics are a testament to the true generosity of the American spirit—a counterbalance to the endless conflict and hopelessness of our daily news cycle. And for our Circles communities, they are more than numbers. They are people: neighbors who show up, friends who uplift, businesses that care, houses of worship that offer hospitality, and families who come together.
When someone steps into the Circles space as a volunteer, they become part of something greater than themselves. They become part of a community that is rewriting the story of poverty—not with pity, but with partnership; not with charity, but with connection.
As the great Coretta Scott King once said:
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
To every volunteer in our Circles network, thank you. Thank you for believing in people. Thank you for choosing to be present. And thank you for helping us build a movement that doesn’t just alleviate poverty, but ends it—one relationship, one meal, one conversation at a time.
With deepest gratitude and hope,
Kamatara Johnson
Executive Director, Circles USA
Click the Give to Circles button and help us celebrate 25+ years of building community to end poverty!
