Lexington, KY - Organizers of the United Way's latest effort to promote volunteerism in the Bluegrass have been counting the hours for almost a year.
The 10,000 Hours Show, an initiative launched last spring to reward and inspire local volunteers with a free concert, will come to fruition on April 8 with a performance at Buster's by the band Augustana. Tickets to the show are available only to the first 1,000 registered volunteers who have claimed a ticket after logging at least 10 hours of volunteer work during the past year, which would represent a combined 10,000 hours of service to the community.
But in addition to promoting volunteerism, planners hope the show will give Lexington's young adults an added incentive to get involved and strengthen their connections to the Bluegrass.
"The ultimate goal of the whole initiative would be to retain young professionals and young talent in the area," said Hannah Huggins, who serves on the 10,000 Hours Show executive committee and is also executive assistant to the CEO for presenting sponsor W. Rogers Company.
The idea for the 10,000 Hours Show initiative began during Commerce Lexington's 2009 Leadership Lexington class. Participants were looking for new ways to engage and attract young professionals to Lexington, and the 10,000 Hours Show, which had been used in four other communities, offered the added benefit of promoting and rewarding local volunteer efforts at the same time.
"We saw this as a way to sort of kill multiple birds with one stone," said David Kitchen, director of communications for United Way of the Bluegrass. "As a community, we are pretty active in volunteerism, but we really want to push people to the next level."
While the concert tickets are available to any volunteers over the age of 18 who meet the 10-hour community service requirement, the concept is designed to appeal particularly to a demographic of young professionals and college students. These young adults, who can be a valuable economic asset in a community's workforce, often want to get involved in local philanthropic efforts, but they may not know where to start, Huggins said. The 10,000 Hours Show has allowed the United Way to open the door for these volunteers, according to Kitchen, by giving them an incentive to register on its Web site and search the United Way's database for opportunities that fit their interests and availability.
"Young people tend to want to give back by volunteering, by getting engaged in their community," Kitchen said. "More and more, they are being required to do community service as part of their enrollment in school."
Business support for the initiative has been present in the early sign-on of W. Rogers Company as the event's presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include Raising Cain's and Kentucky American Water. Radio stations WKQQ (100.1), WLKT (104.5), and the show's site, Buster's, have signed on as in-kind sponsors as well. Huggins also credits Lexington Legends owner Alan Stein for serving as a valuable resource during the show's initial planning stages.
The show's planners have promoted the initiative on the radio, Huggins said, and they have also had a presence on local university campuses and at major public events. In addition, the organization has employed social networking tools to help spread the word. The 10,000 Hours Show's Facebook site recently listed 832 fans for the effort. And many of those following the initiative have already completed their 10-hour requirement and claimed their place at the free concert. On Feb. 10, the 10,000 Hours Show committee announced that it had signed Augustana, a San Diego-based rock band best known for its songs "Sweet and Low" and "Boston," to perform at the event. The group sent e-mail messages to registered volunteers to inform them that tickets were available, and within the week, roughly one-third of the 1,000 available tickets had been claimed, Kitchen said.
"Ever since we've announced the band, everyone's been excited that I've been talking to," Huggins said. " They've actually performed for other 10,00 Hours Shows before, so we're thrilled to have them."
Kitchen said volunteer registration on the Web site has spiked since the band selection was announced. For qualification purposes, the 10,000 Hours Show counts any volunteer work completed between April 2009 and the end of March 2010. The group also confirms any logged hours with officials at the charitable organizations listed by the volunteers, Kitchen said.
"The best thing about the registration process is that it's a tool the United Way already uses," Huggins said. "It's an amazing way to find volunteer opportunities in the community."
Kitchen noted that there has been a steep learning curve for the planning and promotion of the event in its inaugural year, but both he and Huggins hope to see the show become an annual celebration for the community. In addition to being good for the community today, volunteer work often serves as a young adult's entryway to other types of philanthropic involvement later in life, Kitchen said. Encouraging their involvement can be the kickstart needed for a lifetime of community service.
"There are a lot of people and a lot of organizations that are working to build Lexington," Kitchen said. "We want to encourage and promote that throughout our community."
For more information about the 10,000 Hours Show or to register as a volunteer, sign on to the organization's Web site, www.10khoursshow.com.