Join Hands Day is the first Saturday in May. It is a national
volunteer day and annual event sponsored by the
American Fraternal Alliance.
Background
The day was launched by what was then called America's Fraternal Benefit Societies in 2000, in partnership with
Points of Light Foundation. It is meant to have a focus not just on volunteering, but also on developing youth and adult relationships.
For the first two years of Join Hands Day, organizations were asked to register their Join Hands Day projects via the official web site. In some years, a certain number of groups were chosen to receive a cash award for the beneficiary of their project or another cause and a physical award, and were recognized at the National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) annual conference. It was not always on the first Saturday in May; the 2001 day was held on June 16.
Organizers of Join Hands Day offer participants ideas for group volunteering events that can bring adults and youth together in community service, such as repairing bicycles to give disadvantaged children and teaching bicycle maintenance, collecting chairs of various shapes and sizes to paint and then auction for a worthy cause, or repairing gravestones and improve landscaping in a cemetery and documenting historic grave sites.
50 Great JOIN HANDS DAY Project Ideas that Work
, accessed June 23, 2016
See also
* Association for Volunteer Administration
* Benefit society
A benefit society, fraternal benefit society, or fraternal benefit order is a voluntary association formed to provide mutual aid, benefit, for instance insurance for relief from sundry difficulties. Such organizations may be formally organized with ...
* Civic Engagement
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* Community Service
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* Global Youth Service Day
* Good Deeds Day
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* International Council of Voluntary Agencies
* International Year of Volunteers
* List of North American fraternal benefit orders
A benefit society, fraternal benefit society, or fraternal benefit order is a voluntary association formed to provide mutual aid, benefit, for instance insurance for relief from sundry difficulties. Such organizations may be formally organized with ...
* Make A Difference Day
* Mandela Day
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* MLK Day of service
* Mitzvah Day
* National Philanthropy Day National Philanthropy Day is an annual observance on November 15 that is designated by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) to celebrate charitable activities in the form of donated financial, in-kind, and volunteering support.
It i ...
(USA and Canada)
* National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is celebrated annually at public lands in the United States on the fourth Saturday of September. A signature event of the National Environmental Education Foundation, it promotes both popular enjoyment and Volunte ...
(USA)
* National Volunteer Week (USA)
* Random Acts of Kindness Day
Random Acts of Kindness Day is a day to celebrate and encourage random acts of kindness. "It's just a day to celebrate kindness and the whole pay it forward
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* September 11 National Day of Service
The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance or 9/11 Day is a federally-recognized National Day of Service that happens in the United States on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Originally founded by the 9/ ...
(9/11 Day)
* Sewa Day
* Single Marine Program Days of Service
* Subbotnik
* World Kindness Day
References
External links
* {{official website, 1=https://netforum.avectra.com/eWeb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=AFALLIANCE&WebCode=JoinHandsDay
Unofficial observances
May observances
Volunteering