The Volunteer Connection for Defiance County is one of 370 volunteer centers in the United States, 22 of which are in Ohio. Although each center varies in size and structure, the core values are the same: to connect people with opportunities to serve, build capacity for effective local volunteering, promote volunteering, and participate in strategic initiatives to mobilize volunteers to address community needs.

The Volunteer Connection is affiliated with The Points of Light Foundation that evolved from President George Bush's "One Thousand Light" campaign for volunteerism in the 1980's. In 1996 a group of Defiance leaders representing city government, the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce, Defiance College, and the United Way of Defiance County received a start-up grant from the Points of Light Foundation to begin the Volunteer Connection.  Initially housed on the Defiance College campus, the center moved to the Gene Smart Community Center in 1998 and became a division of the United Way.  In 2004, the Volunteer Connection became an independent agency serving Defiance County.  In responding to a request from the Points of Light Foundation and the Ohio Community Service Council, the Volunteer Connection expanded its services to seven rural Northwest Ohio counties in February 2005.

Contact the Volunteer Connection for more info: