The George Washington University and VolunteerMatch Partner to Help Students Reach First Lady’s Service Challenge

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 13, 2009 – Following a unique challenge issued by the First Lady, The George Washington University and VolunteerMatch have partnered to launch a new Web site that will enable the GW student body to inspire and track the 100,000 hours of service that Mrs. Obama challenged the University to complete by May 1, 2010.

When the new site launches in early November, it will connect GW students with volunteer opportunities from more than 2,600 participating organizations in the Washington, D.C. metro region. VolunteerMatch and the University’s Office of Community Service will also highlight additional volunteer roles at GW’s network of student service agencies.

Best known for its award-winning public Web service, www.volunteermatch.org, VolunteerMatch provides businesses, campuses and organizations with Web-based solutions to track and manage volunteer engagement at local and national levels. In a typical deployment, a campus, company, or cause campaign uses the service to connect students, employees, or consumers to the VolunteerMatch network of nonprofit organizations. GW’s Office of Community Service will use its VolunteerMatch deployment to report the hours of its student volunteers.

"We want to make participation in this challenge as simple as possible," said Robert Chernak, the University’s senior vice president for student and academic support services. "Our partnership with VolunteerMatch will not only help the GW community find volunteering opportunities they can be passionate about, it will help us ensure that service hours are tracked accurately for this challenge."

Mrs. Obama issued the challenge on September 11 during the first ever National Day of Service and Remembrance, an event which marked the culmination of President Barack Obama's "United We Serve" summer service initiative.

"The call to service is being heard loud and clear at The George Washington University, and the spirit and energy of this student body is contagious," said Greg Baldwin, president of VolunteerMatch. "We look forward to working with the GW community to make this effort a success."

To learn more about VolunteerMatch’s solutions for campus involvement, visit:
http://www.volunteermatch.org/corporations/engagestudents.jsp

To learn more about The George Washington University’s Service Challenge, visit:
http://serve.gwu.edu

About The George Washington University

Located in the heart of the nation's capital, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in Washington, D.C. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.

Press contact:

Michelle Sherrard
202.994.1423
mcs1@gwu.edu

About VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch is a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities by helping great people and great causes to connect. Its award-winning online service, www.volunteermatch.org, makes it easy to find a way to make a difference by location, expertise, or availability. VolunteerMatch provides many of the nation's most recognized businesses, campuses and organizations with Web-based solutions to facilitate and track volunteer engagement at local and national levels. As the #1 ranking for “volunteer” on Google and Yahoo!, the VolunteerMatch network regularly welcomes more than 150,000 visitors each week and has become the preferred volunteer recruiting service for tens of thousands of participating nonprofits across the country.

Press contact:

Robert J. Rosenthal
415.241.6865
news@volunteermatch.org