We had another fantastic year at the Expo! This year marked the eleventh anniversary of our annual Volunteer Expo, held at the Mall of America. We’d like to extend a huge, heartfelt thank you to all of our 80+ non-profit affiliate partners who came out for the event, and to all of those who attended to show their support for volunteerism in the Twin Cities!

 
We’d like to extend an extra special thank you  to our sponsors for helping us make the Expo possible!

Lead Sponsor: Thrivent Financial
Partner Sponsor: 3M 
Friend Sponsors: Mall of America®, Xcel Energy, Mahoney, Ulbrich, Christiansen, & Russ PA, Greater Twin Cities United Way
In-Kind Sponsors: Amanda Cox Graphic Design, Clear Channel Outdoor, Mall of America®, KARE 11 News, Thomson Reuters

This year, we had 10 great organization bring volunteering to the Mall of America. In the Rotunda, each of the below organizations had a “speed volunteering” activity. Mall and Expo goers alike were encouraged to make a short, but sweet impact on their community through these projects. Below is the impact volunteers made!

• Aeon engaged over 68 volunteers to decorate 85 “Welcome Home Signs” for residents
• American Cancer Society worked with 108 volunteers and created 75 luminaries to decorate a Relay for Life track
• Be The Match had 100 volunteers assemble and label over 400 buccal swab kits to help with the bone marrow registry
• Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties engaged 150 volunteers and created over 500 toys and trinkets for promotion of the Head Start program
• Greater Twin Cities United Way Volunteer United worked with 200 volunteers to assemble 200 dishwashing kits for Project for Pride in Living’s affordable housing programs
• Helping Paws enlisted the assistance of over 175 volunteers and created 200 dog dental hygiene kits and 200 dog toys, for a total of 400 items
• Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly worked with 115 volunteers to create 250 decorated bags for their monthly Friendship and Flowers program
• Mississippi Park Connection had 175 volunteers create and package 250 seed packets to help raise awareness of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in the Twin Cities
• Union Gospel Missionworked with 95 Volunteers in order to draw and write 103  notes on placemats that will be used during dinner services at their homeless shelter
• We Can Ride enlisted the support of 55 volunteers who created and decorated 60 cards that will be given to We Can Ride volunteers and clients!

Every year, we choose one booth to receive “Best Booth” honor. With 85 nonprofit organizations scattered throughout the Mall, it’s always a tough choice! This year, the honor went to Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute.

The Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute, formerly Rock Star Supply Co., is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their writing skills and homework, emphasizing cross-curriculum creativity. They offer a range of programs, all free of charge, for students, classrooms, and schools throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area. With a focus on project-based learning, homework help, extra-curricular reading, along with spectacular writing prompts and smaller writing workshops, they aim to enhance the educational experience of the students they serve. Their booth was so interactive and so creative!

Check back next week to see the 2016 Be The Change Award Winners!