A look at how volunteers have built communities of care and support throughout history and continue to meet the needs of Veterans today. Today’s Veterans Health Administration traces its roots back to 1865 as the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. These homes were the first residences for the nation’s sick and disabled volunteer soldiers of the Civil War. Their establishment was largely through the efforts of U.S. Sanitary Commission, a private volunteer relief agency, to support sick and wounded soldiers that included the ranks of Red Cross founder Clara Barton and Walt Whitman among others. In 1946, General Omar Bradley modernized and transformed the Veterans Administration and established the VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) which has grown and evolved into today’s Center for Development & Civic Engagement (CDCE). This organization remains one of the largest volunteer programs in the federal government. Katie and Shawn talk with Sabrina Clark and Prince Taylor about how volunteer efforts that are deeply rooted in history are still evolving and how they have been shaped by the COVID 19 pandemic.

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