About the Volunteer Center

Our History

The Volunteer Center was established in 1960 as a collaborative intergenerational tutoring project between the North Shore Senior Center, New Trier High School and the Winnetka Public Schools. This historic endeavor was lauded as the first volunteer action center in the state of Illinois, and was chartered with the Secretary of State of Illinois as The Volunteer Talent Pool (VTP) in May, 1964. As the program database of volunteers grew, other schools in the township sought skilled volunteers for tutoring, curriculum enhancement and career discussions. The volunteer base spread to people of all ages and abilities who wanted to share their time and skills with others who needed their support in not only the schools, but social service nonprofit organizations. The VTP was re-branded in 1995 as The Volunteer Center (VC) with its mission to promote volunteerism, support nonprofit organizations, and engage people in meaningful volunteer service in the communities we serve.

The name was changed to The Volunteer Center to encourage people to help, whether they had specific skills or not. It was a strategic decision to align with the Points of Light Foundation and the over 400 Volunteer Centers in towns and cities throughout the United States. The change has been successful. The VC now refers over 18,000 people annually to serve tens of thousands of individuals in need. The VC connects residents from the northeastern suburbs of Cook County (Chicago) to over 165 nonprofit organizations that need their help both locally and abroad via this website and its many community service days to make a difference for individuals in critical need.

Interested in learning more about the history of The Volunteer Center? Click Here.