Volunteer Recognition Day – April 20, 2027

History of Volunteer Recognition Day

As the name suggests, Volunteer Recognition Day is a day to recognize, honor, and celebrate people who selflessly volunteer their time, energy, and resources towards helping others without seeking any compensation for themselves. A volunteer has been defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as — “a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it.” The act of volunteering is perhaps as old as humanity itself — or close. People have been offering to help and assist others in times of need for eons.

However, the word ‘volunteering’ made its first appearance during the 1630s but only came into full use in 1755. Then, it was construed in a military sense, referring to people who volunteered to join the army. Indeed, the origin of organized volunteering can be traced directly to wartime. Women would volunteer to nurse wounded soldiers on the battlefield, while others would put all their efforts into making uniforms for them. One of the foremost volunteering organizations of all time, the Red Cross, was also founded in response to war. Henry Dunant, who had witnessed injured soldiers being left without adequate medical support in the Battle of Solferino, couldn’t help but take up the matter. He wrote down his ideas in a book called “A Souvenir of Solferino,” which advocated that every army should be made to care for wounded soldiers, regardless of what side they were fighting for.

Ever since, volunteering takes different shapes and forms and transcends various industries. People volunteer to visit old people, some work on weekends at community kitchens, while others travel to foreign lands to help the needy. Volunteering is a noble, worthy act that should be carried out by all of us.