Volunteer Center of Washington County highlights hub, Social Good Brews and youth 'Camp Superhero'

Colleen, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Washington County, told the Washco Weekly host that the center "is really a community resource" that works with roughly 50 local nonprofits to match volunteers to opportunities. "Our job is to recruit, engage, and work with community members who are looking to do good," she said.

The Volunteer Center operates the hub and a four-purpose coffee program called Social Good Brews. Colleen said the coffee shop's proceeds and shared tips help support the center's mission and partner nonprofits: "Our coffee shop is one of our key programs that helps fuel our mission. The proceeds help support the work of the volunteer center and our other programs. The tips that are left here are shared with our 50 nonprofits."

Colleen described practical programs meant to lower barriers to participation: a tool on the center's website called "get connected" to match volunteers with opportunities, monthly community service rides, and a converted bus used for group volunteer projects called the "dog good bus," which employers and community groups can use for team service events.

The episode also highlighted Camp Superhero, a summer program that connects children and teens with service projects across the county. A camper said the program helped them learn that "you don't have to be a certain age to volunteer" and that small acts "really do make a difference." Colleen said Camp Superhero partners with local organizations, noting the campers were working with the Ozaki Washington Land Trust during the filmed visit.

Colleen framed the center's work as building long-term civic habits: "If we can teach them at a young age, they can see that they too have abilities and the power to make a difference," she said. The show presented the hub as both a service connector and a community space where volunteering can be introduced in low-commitment ways.

For residents interested in volunteering, Colleen highlighted the center's web-based matching tool and the hub as drop-in points for assembly projects and other short-term activities.