HISTORY of the VIP PROGRAM

For more than two decades the City has sponsored an active volunteer program that strategically targets the needs of its staff and community. With a shared, common vision of healthier communities, City staff have led volunteers in a myriad of activities. Whether it's implementing Parks and Recreation or Library Programs, teaching children the benefits of recycling and composting, or patrolling neighborhoods to reduce crime, it is our volunteers who help City services stay strong. Articles featuring the VIP program in publications by the International City Managers Association, Volunteer Administration Journal, Texas Town and City, and other professional magazines have led numerous cities to start and expand similar programs. The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M utilized the program for research purposes when studying the government/nonprofit sector.

Volunteer Programs were officially initiated with the Volunteers In Plano (VIP) program by Plano's City Council in 1983. The mission was to encourage citizen participation in government, provide a means of enhancing services, and keep expenditures down.

Additional responsibilities now include:

• Creating programs that enhance department services
• Developing and managing an employee-driven volunteer program
• Assisting the Fire Emergency Management Analyst in coordinating a City plan to:
  a). Design a Volunteer Resource Center
  b). Liaison with the community non-profits in charge of Donations Management

Over the years it has been called a model program. Presentations have been made at the Governors Conference, Texas Municipal League, International City Managers Conference, International Association of Volunteer Management and elsewhere to assist cities around the U.S. in starting and enhancing their own programs. Plano has also received several awards of excellence for its volunteer programs, including one from the Texas Governors Conference and the National Betty Scharf Award from the HOST Corporation.

Our volunteers represent the rich diversity of Plano's population. They come from all walks of life and all age groups. VIP volunteers are truly an essential part of Plano. City officials and staff welcome their assistance and are impressed with their enthusiasm and skillfulness. This has helped to produce a positive environment for volunteerism to flourish in our City.