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Many of us have done volunteering in some shape or form, whether for PMI, church, other institutions, or community causes. Have you ever wondered why?  It is interesting to note that we choose to volunteer for various reasons; for some, it provides an opportunity to make a positive difference to the folks around them, or to make a beneficial impact on the community they live in.  The work involved can also provide opportunities to network, or to help others to build new skills. Irrespective of motivational factors, though, we all agree that we enjoy volunteering because it is both challenging and rewarding.

Last week I was fortunate to attend the PMI Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) 2022 conference. It was exhilarating to see close to 300 volunteers from North America attend the conference and share their success stories. These included accounts of volunteering while navigating through the turbulent times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This outstanding response shows that we are a community of ordinary folks making an extraordinary impact on society at large.

One example of this effect occurred last fall when, because of your leadership and generosity, we completed the Diaper Drive for Guardian Ad-litem. During this project, we generated 18,000 diapers and 26,000 wipes for the kids in need. "Thank You" very much for that!

So, what plan has our chapter in store to cope with similar projects for this coming year? Well, we are working on development of a volunteering framework that can connect people, processes, and community. This framework will guide us on how we recruit, retain, nurture, and recognize our volunteers. On the community side, it will guide us on how we select the projects and how we will subsequently deliver our services. To name a few projects under consideration: mentor-mentee Program, learning clubs for certification, institutionalizing project management concepts in schools and universities, resume workshop for jobless, and food drives.

Please stay tuned for updates. We are looking forward to your zeal and enthusiasm for upcoming volunteering projects. If you have any suggestions or would like to be involved in the planning stages, please contact me, Shajil Kalathil at vpfirst@pmitlh.org.