Just one of 12 chapters across the nation, Gay For Good (G4G) Boston solicits the support of good Samaritans within the LGBTQ community to volunteer for local, charitable nonprofits and encourages everyone to play a more active role in our communities.
“Gay For Good has a big behind-the-scenes impact in the Boston community,” said Glenn Rizzo, a volunteer with the Boston chapter and a current chapter leader. “Our aim is to supply volunteer labor to other charitable organizations.”
Through an active Facebook page, a vibrant website, and plenty of public engagement opportunities, G4G enthusiastically recruits members of the LGBTQ community to volunteer for an array of projects. Every year, the chapter participates in a program called Toys for Joys where volunteers spend a few hours in December putting together toy wagons for children in need. The impact of Rizzo and others who enjoy volunteering is quite evident. According to Anne Friedman, Gay For Good’s national director, the Boston chapter has left quite a mark.
“G4G Boston volunteers [have] logged over 2,390 hours of volunteer service in support of a wide range of programs and services that helped children, seniors, families, parks and waterways, prisoners, cats, and more,” she said.
Steve Hubbard is another G4G volunteer and chapter leader who said that the structure of the volunteer opportunities fits well, especially for those who are often busy. The nonprofit is flexible when it comes to volunteering. You can choose as you go without having to sign up or make any formal agreements. And if you’re too busy to volunteer, you can donate.
“Gay For Good is a registered nonprofit and relies on the generosity of individual and corporate donors to make all of the good stuff happen,” said Friedman. Not convinced about the impact you can have as a G4G volunteer or donor? Rizzo shared a recent example of the sheer power of one group of volunteers.
“I’m a numbers guy [and] I tend to quantify things,” he said. “I recently described our children’s book assembly projects for the National Braille Press like this: A dozen G4G volunteers spend roughly 2.5 hours collating over 200 print + braille books. The result is 12 volunteers in a very short time made a positive impact on more than 200 families.”
Art Nava, a chapter leader, provided another example. In February, a group of volunteers made Valentine’s Day cards for the elderly.
“This is a project for FriendshipWorks, whose mission is to reduce social isolation, enhance the quality of life, and preserve the dignity of older adults in Greater Boston,” he said. “This year we made more cards than there are clients!”
Gay for Good’s mission of making an impact through volunteer efforts serves as inspiration to communities all over New England.
Volunteer with Gay For Good Boston to make an impact within your community.