Maxwell website connects volunteers with community Published Feb. 9, 2015 By Lisa Warr 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- A new feature on Maxwell's website makes it easier for Airmen to find volunteer opportunities and for on- and off-base organizations to submit requests for volunteer support. On the website's homepage at www.maxwell.af.mil, visitors will find the "Volunteer" icon, and below the icon are two buttons, one labeled "I want to volunteer" and the other "I need volunteers." Airmen can visit the volunteer opportunities page to see which of the listed options is of interest to them. If Airmen see something they'd like to volunteer for, they are asked to contact the Airman and Family Readiness Center's volunteer resource coordinator to sign up. The coordinator, Ruben Aguilar, tracks all volunteer hours and screens volunteer requests. If Airmen don't have time to contact the coordinator, they can still show up at the volunteer site and get in touch with the coordinator at their earliest convenience. The list of opportunities includes requests from both on- and off-base organizations. Organizations can use the "I need volunteers" option to submit a request through the volunteer coordinator. After the coordinator reviews the request to make sure it's valid, he sends it to the 42nd Air Base Wing's public affairs office for posting to the website. The site is updated regularly. Airmen who volunteer help nurture stronger military-civilian relationships and add to the fabric of communities, according to base leaders. "For me, this connection with society happens best when military people, no matter where they're stationed, make it their covenant to talk with, to reach out to, and to connect with their communities," said Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander of Air University, in a video segment on volunteerism sent to all Maxwell-Gunter Airmen. "So, I ask each of you to ask yourself this simple question: What could you do to volunteer in your communities in a way that's meaningful and helpful to those that are around you? ... Whether it's teaching an adult to read, helping with a local school, helping with your church or whatever makes you happy that helps with the greater cause and connects you with civilians, who we serve. So I challenge you, find a way to volunteer and make it lasting and make it deep." "The spirit of volunteerism is fundamental to our core value of selfless service," said Col. Andrea Tullos, 42nd Air Base Wing commander. "The website should save our Airmen and their families time by giving them one place to go to seek opportunities, seek volunteers for organizations they may already support and see the choices they have for the times they want to commit toward volunteering. This also gives our community a simple way to connect the needs of the community with our desire to give back. It's a great partnership." In 2014, 1,100 Maxwell-Gunter Airmen gave more than 16,000 reported hours of their time volunteering in surrounding communities and an estimated 8,000 unreported hours, according to Aguilar. Supported organizations included the Humane Society of Elmore County, Alabama Wildlife Federation, Have a Heart for Children, American Red Cross and HandsOn River Region.