JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Organizations throughout Joint Base San Antonio rely heavily on a dedicated group of individuals who contribute hundreds of thousands of hours of their own time annually to the installation’s varied missions and at numerous events.
It’s conservatively estimated that nearly 10,000 of these volunteers – who represent a cross section of the JBSA community – donated more than 327,000 hours to the installation last year.
Yet only a fraction of these military members, their dependents and civilian employees are registered in a system that helps them manage their volunteer service record and allows organizations at JBSA to advertise their volunteer openings.
The 502nd Air Base Wing is reaching out to current and prospective volunteers at JBSA to register in the Volunteer Management Information System, an online tool that provides a real-time snapshot of volunteer opportunities.
“The Volunteer Management Information System, or VMIS, is a job bank for volunteer opportunities,” said Sally Gonzalez, JBSA volunteer coordinator and JBSA-Fort Sam Houston community readiness consultant. “It’s also a mechanism to track volunteer service. My goal is to get the word out that this is the system to use if you’re a volunteer or an organization seeking volunteers.”
In addition to creating a centralized location for the community to see what opportunities are available and helping volunteers track their hours and manage their volunteer service record, trainings and certificates, VMIS spotlights the extent of volunteers’ service, said Elizabeth Treon, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Military & Family Readiness chief.
“It helps show the command how valuable volunteer support is for our community,” she said.
For volunteers and prospective volunteers to be part of VMIS, it is necessary to go to the Army OneSource website, www.myarmyonesource.com, and click on “Register” at the top right corner of the main page, then follow the registration process.
Individuals who are already registered can access VMIS by clicking on “Volunteering” in the Family Programs and Services dropdown menu on the left side of the main page. A way to quickly access volunteer opportunities is to click on “Volunteer Tools” on the right side of the main page.
“VMIS is hosted on an Army website, but all military branches can use the system,” Gonzalez said.
Although individuals seeking to become volunteers register in VMIS on the Army OneSource website, JBSA organizations and private organizations publicizing volunteer opportunities have a different process to follow, Gonzalez said.
“Organizations have to register through the Military & Family Readiness Center at any of the three main locations, but that can be done by email or by phone,” she said. “Once they are registered they can advertise their volunteer positions in the system directly.”
Short- and long-term volunteer opportunities are available at organizations such as hospitals and clinics, museums, libraries, chapels, youth programs, legal assistance offices, housing offices, ID card sections and tax offices throughout JBSA, Gonzalez said.
Volunteers are also needed at a variety of events during the year. Just a few of the upcoming events are the Rambler 120 adventure race Oct. 13 at JBSA Recreation Park at Canyon Lake; Make A Difference Day, which is scheduled Oct. 27 at JBSA locations; and the Basura Bash, a Salado Creek cleanup effort in February at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston.
Another advantage of registration in VMIS is that it gives volunteers such as military spouses a record of work experience to help them secure employment and military members a record of community service that can enhance promotion opportunities.
Gonzalez said her office’s responsibility is to promote volunteerism and recognize outstanding volunteers on the installation.
“We use the VMIS system to show proof of that volunteerism and, on a quarterly basis, organizations can nominate their volunteers to be recognized,” she said. “We also award the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which is based on hours served. On a yearly basis, during National Volunteer Appreciation Week in April, we host an awards ceremony for outstanding volunteers who served during the previous year.”
JBSA community members can learn more about volunteering by attending a class at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston M&FRC that is offered twice a month, Gonzalez said. The next class is from 1-3 p.m. Sept. 18.
“Topics covered in Volunteering 101 are the regulations governing volunteering on a military installation, rights and responsibilities of a volunteer organization and volunteers, how to search and apply for volunteer opportunities, how to track volunteer time and how to access volunteer records,” she said.
For more information, call 210-221-2705 or 210-221-2418.