Skagit County proclaims April Volunteer Appreciation Month; nonprofits highlight recruitment, disaster response and upcoming volunteer fair

The Skagit County Board of Commissioners proclaimed April 2026 as Skagit Volunteer Appreciation Month and heard presentations from Community Action and several partner organizations about volunteer programs and recruitment.

Liz Jenning of Community Action of Skagit County said the Skagit Volunteer Center lists more than 250 nonprofit organizations and that volunteers were central to the county’s response during the December 2025 floods. "Because we've been doing this for so long… we were able to compile all of the disaster response and emergency management volunteer opportunities… and within a few days… we had over a dozen additional organizations posting on the website to let community members know how they could give back," she said.

Julie De Losada, the county’s chief of emergency management, and Sergeant Paul Wolf of the sheriff’s office described emergency worker volunteers and search‑and‑rescue units that support county responses. The county’s volunteer emergency workforce includes medical reserve corps, ham radio auxiliary communications, community emergency response teams and search and rescue units. Sergeant Wolf said the county’s search and rescue volunteers provided almost 1,000 field hours during the record flooding and credited volunteers with contributing to "0 loss of life for a record setting flood."

Representatives from Planned Parenthood, Children of the Valley, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and Paths to Understanding outlined youth tutoring, clinic greeters, habitat restoration and recovery‑café volunteer programs. The board encouraged residents to visit skagitvolunteercenter.org and attend the Skagit Lead & Serve Expo on May 1 at Skagit Valley College.

The commissioners moved and seconded to approve the proclamation; the motion passed by voice vote.