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Hands On Miami (HOM) was created in 1993 by people in search of a user-friendly approach to community service. Hectic or unpredictable schedules often make it difficult to conform to the hours most social services agencies require of their volunteers. HOM provides the solution by creating flexibly-scheduled, meaningful, direct service volunteer opportunities.
In partnership with schools, social service and environmental organizations, HOM organizes more than 70 service opportunities each month offering thousands of Miamians the chance to make a difference in our community. Volunteers can spend a morning delivering care packages to AIDS patients in a local hospital, an evening reading bedtime stories to children in an emergency shelter, or an afternoon planting native vegetation to restore our natural beach ecosystems. The HOM model makes community service accessible on anyone's schedule. Projects take place outside traditional work hours. Flexible time commitments permit volunteers to serve once a week, once a month, or whenever they can. Our hallmark Flexible Volunteer Program has been a resounding success. Through our work, HOM has recognized additional volunteerism needs in our community, and has evolved to meet them.
The first annual Hands On Miami Day took place in November 1995. 800 volunteers turned out in one day to give their time to better our community and raise funds for HOM. Corporate sponsors underwrite the day and volunteers tackle projects in teams. The event just celebrated its eighth anniversary and has grown to more than 3,000 volunteers
In 1996, United Way of Miami-Dade and HOM formed a strategic partnership to promote volunteerism. At that time HOM began operating United Way's volunteer referral network. Through this program individuals are placed according to their interests and skills in long-term, more traditional volunteer jobs at one of nearly 400 nonprofit agencies.
In 1997, HOM began its Business Partners Program dedicated to increasing workplace volunteerism. HOM acts as a consultant on a fee-for-service basis to design volunteer opportunities to meet a company's particular needs and objectives.
In 1999, HOM launched the Family Volunteer Program. One of the first of its kind, this program designs volunteer projects especially for families. Through this innovative program, parents are able to teach their children first-hand about the value of serving the community, while meeting important social needs.
Every day, HOM volunteers - whether as individuals, employees, or families - bring hands-on community support, hope and joy to lives often overshadowed by instability and uncertainty, making Miami-Dade County a better place to live and work.
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