Volunteers came out in force this past year, offering up nearly 18,000 service hours.

This week, Federal Way celebrates “volunteer recognition week.” On April 23, the city will hold its annual volunteer awards dinner to honor 1,087 volunteers who contributed 17,993 service hours in 2009. The volunteers help in the city’s schools as well as parks, public works, community development and police departments, for example.

City staff, in the past year, helped contribute to the bountiful number of volunteers by creating a Community Volunteer Alliance.

“(Volunteers) are a big part of what we accomplish every day here at the department,” police volunteer coordinator Laurie Jackson said.

Individuals who have gone above and beyond to make Federal Way a better place to live and visit will be acknowledged at the awards dinner.

Several of the volunteers lend their time to more than one project, said Jennifer Teeler, Federal Way’s volunteer and neighborhood program coordinator.

The purpose of the dinner is to give back to those who routinely served Federal Way. Food will be offered and Federal Way High School’s jazz band will provide entertainment.

“The volunteers spend a lot of their time and energy serving the city and the citizens of Federal Way,” Teeler said.

Several of the volunteers help at the police department. The department currently relies on 48 police volunteers, Jackson said. They help with vehicle maintenance, fingerprinting, monitoring of the Safe City cameras and more.

“It’s such a benefit for us,” Jackson said. “I’m not sure they really realize how much they give to the people they are actually helping out.”

Jackie Pedone is one of the department’s dedicated volunteers. She has volunteered with the police for about 13 years and has done a bit of everything. She now helps staff the lobby.

Pedone began volunteering after she found retirement slightly boring, she said. At the time, the police department was fairly new and in desperate need of volunteers. Pedone was looking for a way to make a difference in the community.

“I felt like I was really giving something back to the community for a change,” she said.

Volunteer Alliance

The city hopes to attract more residents like Pedone during its “volunteer recognition week.” Local businesses will hang a poster or put up a tent that provides information about volunteer opportunities. People will be directed to the city’s Web site, where specific projects are listed.

In the past, Teeler matched potential volunteers with city projects or other projects she was aware of — but she did not know of all of the city’s volunteer opportunities. Last year, she formed the Community Volunteer Alliance as a way to better communicate with and between agencies that regularly seek volunteers. The agencies, including FUSION, Federal Way Boys and Girls Club, AmeriCorps, St. Francis Hospital and Communities in Schools, meet every few months to discuss volunteer opportunities with others and Teeler.

“We exchange ideas and get more bang for our buck,” Teeler said.

City resources and word-of-mouth are then used to spread the word. Instead of just listing projects undertaken by the City of Federal Way, the city’s volunteer Web page now supplies a comprehensive list of city-wide projects.

The setup has worked nicely, Teeler said.

“The citizens looking for volunteer work are better served,” she said. “It’s kind of one-stop shopping for them.”

Get involved

Several chances to volunteer for Earth Day are still available. Volunteers will be needed for one to four hours Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cleanup, landscaping and planting in the city’s parks will take place. Volunteers under 16 need an adult supervisor. To find out more about these or other volunteer opportunities in Federal Way, contact vnp@cityoffederalway.com or (253) 835-2652, or visit the city’s volunteer Web page: www.cityoffederalway.com/Page.aspx?view=286