A Sebring, Florida resident, Leanne Paynter has been in social welfare work for more than 25 years. Leanne Paynter is an independent living coach with Volunteers of America (VOA), an organization that serves those who are vulnerable and in need.
This past January VOA announced that it had turned 125. Established in 1896, VOA was created after one of the founders, Ballington Booth, left the Salvation Army to form the organization along with Frances Hesselbein.
Since this time, the organization has expanded to offer a number of services to the populations it serves. In the beginning, the organization operated an employment office, medical dispensaries, and stores. During the Great Depression, the charity ran soup kitchens to feed many who were hungry and homeless.
By the 1960s, VOA’s mission included fundraising and thrift store operation, with an additional focus on affordable housing. In the 1970s, the organization added professional long-term nursing care to its services.
Today, all of these objectives have been expanded. The organization is one of the country’s largest providers of affordable housing, owning 500 properties that provide shelter for an estimated 25,000 residents. In addition to providing housing, VOA also buys, renovates, builds, and develops homes for the country’s homeless, veterans, seniors, and families. It also owns and operates assisted and independent living residences and nursing facilities.
Since its inception in 1896, the organization has come to be one of the country’s largest and most comprehensive charitable organizations. Today, it has 30 affiliates in 46 states including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
