Business Volunteer Council

Daniel Casillas
Email: daniel.casillas@viainfo.net
P.O. Box 898
San Antonio TX 78293-0898
Office: 210-362-2370

Business Volunteer Council

Volunteer Is Our Middle Name

The San Antonio Business Volunteer Council was formally organized in September 1982 as a non-profit organization for corporate volunteers. Our objectives are to promote volunteerism by enlisting other businesses to develop corporate volunteer programs and assist them in developing these programs.

We encourage BVC members to participate in internal and BVC community supported projects. The BVC serves as a liaison between its members and the Military Volunteer Council, The Volunteer Center at United Way, and non-profit agencies. We also provide members with training and development through materials, workshops and information.

The BVC is a great source of information for volunteers and a major resource to local community outreach programs; BVC partners with the United Way Volunteer Center on many volunteer activities. We look to the United Way for volunteer activities and they look to us for enthusiastic, willing volunteers.

BVC's Benefits
The BVC can benefit your company or corporation by:
-Building morale as employees from all departments band together to reach a common goal
-Providing opportunities for businesses to increase their visibility within the community and improve their company-community relationship
-Developing leadership abilities among employees which can be utilized within the community

Annual Projects

The BVC sponsors three major projects each year--Paint Your Heart Out, a bowling tournament fundraiser, and Christmas Under the Bridge. The BVC supports The HEB Feast of Sharing, and United Way's Saturdays of Caring. Each project is special and each meets a different need.

Paint Your Heart Out is an opportunity for the BVC volunteers to roll up their sleeves and ''paint their heart out'' for someone who really needs it. The BVC locates homes in an area in the community where elderly citizens are financially and physically unable to keep up their homes. The BVC provides paint and the volunteers bring enthusiasm and elbow grease to paint the exterior of the homes. The residents love the look of their freshly painted home and the volunteers feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

The annual fundraiser is a bowling trounament. The BVC selects a non-profit organization to receive the proceeds. Corporate teams compete for prizes; everyone is in competition to see who can have the most fun while raising money for a worthwhile group.

Christmas Under the Bridge came to BVC for help--they needed volunteers. CUB, as we fondly call it, is Christmas for the homeless in San Antonio. CUB is held downtown under the I-35 overpass in a designated area, the homesless know where it is and are very appreciative for being remembered at Christmas.

Join the BVC Volunteers

Membership in BVC is open to all businesses in San Antonio and Bexar County. Annual dues are $100. The dues are used for monthly meeting expenses and to purchase supplies for our community projects. The BVC also sponsors an annual appreciation dinner in December for all BVC members to recognize corporate group volunteer activities as well as individual volunteer efforts.

The BVC also provides support to the ''Night of a Thousand Stars,'' an annual volunteer recognition event coordinated by the Volunteer Center at United Way. This event honors volunteers from San Antonio and Bexar County who dedicate their lives to helping those in need.

Your company can become part of the San Antonio Business Volunteer Council, a corporate volunteer organization affiliated with the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, providing volunteer support to the community.

For more information contact:

The United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County

P.O. Box 898
San Antonio, Texas 78293-0898
210-352-7097