“The appreciation you get from, not only the people you’re helping, but also from the agency personnel you volunteer alongside has been the biggest surprise for me.”

— Donnis Davis

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we've hand selected some of our most promising fellows in our Civic Leadership Program to shine a spotlight on. Our civic fellows manage service projects at designated non-profit partner sites by recruiting volunteers, overseeing service days and providing education to volunteers as to the mission of their partner agency.

Today we recognize Donnis Davis for his outstanding efforts to serve Atlanta for more than 10 years as a Hands On Atlanta volunteer! We caught up with Donnis recently to talk about his work as a volunteer:

Why is volunteering important to you?

Volunteering gives me an opportunity to directly impact my community in the areas that I care about. It also gives me an opportunity to introduce family and friends to volunteering, while sharing our city's challenges with them.

What are the challenges facing Atlanta you care about most?

I care mostly about youth and "at-risk youth" specifically, as well as hunger and homelessness. I love volunteer with SWEEAC because that’s who I’m having the most impact with right now thru their mission of providing services in four areas of critical need:

Anti-Hunger
Life Skills Enhancement
Children at Risk
Dress for Success

Why did you decide to join the Hands On Atlanta Civic Leadership Program?

I joined because I wanted to obtain the necessary skills to impact my community through ways other than volunteering such as recruiting volunteers, fundraising and networking to meet the right people that may assist you in creating community projects.

What has been the biggest surprise about volunteering?

The appreciation you get from, not only the people you’re helping, but also from the agency personnel you volunteer alongside has been the biggest surprise for me. I was also surprised to learn how the impact my efforts can have on other volunteers as well.

What advice would you give someone thinking about making volunteering a part of their lifestyle?

There are four things every new volunteer or volunteer leader should know:

Be committed and stay committed, because there are people depending on you and your time.
Be patient, because you may not see the results you initially anticipated going in.
Be positive, because not all projects go as planned.
Be grateful because your volunteers could have chosen a different project.

When you’re not at work or volunteering, how else do you spend your time – hobbies, interests?

I enjoy spending time with my family, day excursions with my wife, and Falcons football. I also serve as a mentor at my home town high school during the school year.

Donate now to support Donnis and his fundraising requirement to the Civic Leadership Program.

Do you know an outstanding volunteer who deserves some recognition for National Volunteer Week? Let us know by tagging us in a post on Instagram or Twitter.