April is National Volunteer Month, and Nebraskans rank high nationwide for their willingness to volunteer.

In the most recent Census Bureau/AmeriCorps report, Nebraska ranked seventh in the nation for formal volunteering and second for informal volunteering.

However, many nonprofits still need more help.

Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership in Loup City serves 21 counties with programs in housing, early childhood, family outreach and community health. It serves 72 counties with its veterans programs.

Executive Director Cheryl Holcomb said it would struggle to offer these services without volunteers.

"Throughout our agency, it is vital - vital that we have volunteers that provide services as well," she said. "We always have a need for more."

Holcomb explained that for their Head Start programs, volunteers do more than help the teachers and children. Their hours also contribute to the 25% match the program's grant funding requires. Volunteer time is valued at nearly $32 an hour, and most grants count volunteer hours as an "in-kind" match. Nationally, women volunteer at a slightly higher rate than men, and Gen-Xers have the highest percentage by age group.

Like other nonprofits providing food assistance, Holcomb said they've seen an increase in need without an accompanying increase in volunteers. She added that the funding for its Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which serves people 60 and older, isn't sufficient to support the program.

"So, relying on volunteers to help offset that program is crucial," she said. "They rely on volunteers to come in and package the food; they rely on volunteers to make deliveries in the specific community."

Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership also relies on volunteers at its two food pantries, a quarterly mobile food pantry and four food warehouses.

There are nine Community Action agencies across the state. Although their programs vary, Holcomb said, all rely on volunteers.

The Department of the Interior recently announced the largest single investment in local parks in the communities across the country and two Maryland cities will benefit from it.

Frederick, Maryland, received a $1 million grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program for its Hill Street Park. The park is currently undergoing a renovation.

Bob Smith, deputy director of parks and recreation for the City of Frederick, said the skate park, which was built in 2004, will be the main beneficiary of the federal grant.

"It is entirely concrete," Smith pointed out. "In the mid-Atlantic region, we know concrete doesn't fare very well during the winter sometimes, with the freeze and thaw. The park is in disrepair. It does need a major renovation."

The grant will fund more than 50 projects across 24 states with more than $250 million, the single largest investment ever from the program. The city of Baltimore also received a nearly $1.4 million grant for the Baltimore Greenway Trail Network.

The grant is part of the Biden administration's America the Beautiful Initiative, a locally led effort to address climate issues, improve access to the outdoors and strengthen the economy. Smith hopes to have the design of the park renovations finalized by the middle of 2025. Other parts of the park include a basketball court, two multipurpose fields, two in-line rinks, a playground, pavilion and walking paths.

Smith emphasized it will be a major part of the community, once all parts of the park are finished.

"Certainly hope that the community will be able to enjoy the upgraded amenities," Smith added. "It will be a heavily used community park, neighborhood park. The revitalized park, once completed in its entirety, will be a gem for the community there."

In December, the Biden administration announced another grant opportunity totaling an estimated $450 million over the next five years.


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Many towns and nonprofit groups probably have ideas about how to improve their communities and now, there is a chance to get funding for projects.

The AARP Community Challenge grant program looks for quick-action projects to make neighborhoods more livable, especially for people age 50 and over. Now in its ninth year, the grant program encourages thinking about ways to better livability by improving public spaces, transportation, housing or digital literacy, to name a few.

Todd Stubbendieck, state director of AARP Nebraska, said they have seen requests for projects in excess of $20,000 but also for as little as a few hundred.

"It's oftentimes less about the money than sort of the impact of the project," Stubbendieck explained. "Sometimes a couple hundred dollars can be a high, high-impact project for a particular community."

The application period has just started for this year's grants, and is open until March 5. Grant winners will have until mid-December to finish their projects.

While the grants often help people over 50 in small or rural communities, Stubbendieck pointed out they have also made a big impact in Nebraska's urban areas, in ways that might not be obvious when thinking about community service grants.

"We funded a project with the City of Omaha that did two traffic-calming safety pedestrian projects at places where there had been pedestrian accidents in the past," Stubbendieck noted.

Other past grants have funded a digital literacy project to help seniors in Lincoln learn basic digital skills and a project in the town of Holdrege, population 5,500, to transform an abandoned lot into a vibrant public gathering place.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded GI Bill benefits, removing the 36-month cap for veterans with multiple periods of service. This change is expected to impact more than a million veterans, offering greater access to education and job training. Ohio is home to programs that aim to empower veterans, providing them with the tools to succeed after their service. One such initiative, DAV Patriot Bootcamp, has been making a profound impact.

Dan Clare is AV Patriot Bootcamp chief communications and outreach officer.

"Ohioans need to know about DAV Patriot Bootcamp. It's an entrepreneur program... trying to give them the building blocks to make success accessible to them after they've served and sacrificed for their country," he said.

The Ohio-founded DAV Patriot Bootcamp provides mentorship and resources to help veterans and their spouses start businesses. While the program has been praised for its impact, critics argue that initiatives like this only address a narrow aspect of veterans' reintegration, leaving broader challenges like affordable health care and housing unmet.

John Matecki, owner of the Whiskerman company, is a veteran who benefited from the bootcamp and said it shaped his entrepreneurial path.

"Since going through, it's a three-day, drinking-from-a-fire-hose-type entrepreneur course... I've landed an amazing mentor who helped get us copyright (and) trademark of our logo and name," he said.

While programs like DAV Patriot Bootcamp foster business success and economic contributions, veterans and advocates emphasize the need for comprehensive solutions to reintegration challenges. With upcoming bootcamp cohorts in February and May, Ohio veterans have new opportunities to engage, but questions remain about addressing the broader needs of those who served.


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