Home/Mission, Vision & History
Our Mission
Voluntary Action Center is a local non profit responding to the immediate basic needs of the
individuals and families within our community
individuals and families within our community
Our Purpose
VAC exists to to empower possibilites. Our purpose is to call on our community to rise and
serve one another- moving humanity forward through the power of action.
serve one another- moving humanity forward through the power of action.
Our Vision
We envision a new reality where our community takes radical responsibility for each other.
Where support, service, and generosity are guiding principles of daily living. Where there is
a shared understanding that what happens to one happens to all.
We’re sometimes the seeker, sometimes the giver but we all have a role to play in the
ecosystem that is our community. We understand the more my neighbor thrives the more I
thrive - the more we thrive.
Where support, service, and generosity are guiding principles of daily living. Where there is
a shared understanding that what happens to one happens to all.
We’re sometimes the seeker, sometimes the giver but we all have a role to play in the
ecosystem that is our community. We understand the more my neighbor thrives the more I
thrive - the more we thrive.
Our History
Voluntary Action Center began in 1969 when three determined community members, Hazel Riback, Gertrude Marshall, and Helen Mitchell, noticed a gap. Local volunteers were eager to serve, yet there was no central place to connect people to the needs in our community. So, they created the Volunteer and Information Center, operating out of a small office with morning-only hours and a whole lot of heart.
By 1971, the demand for services was growing. The organization incorporated as a nonprofit, hired its first director, and received its first United Way funding. Two years later, we joined the National Center for Voluntary Action and officially became Voluntary Action Center (VAC).
As the needs of our neighbors continued to evolve, so did VAC. What began primarily as volunteer coordination expanded into providing information, referrals, and direct advocacy. Over time, we identified critical service gaps, especially around urgent, everyday needs, and began offering emergency assistance with essentials like housing support, utilities, transportation, clothing, and prescription help.
In 2011, after decades of steady leadership from Cindy Mustard, Nick Foster became VAC’s Executive Director and continued guiding the organization’s growth and partnerships. In 2019, VAC proudly celebrated 50 years of service in Boone County.
Still Evolving. Still Responding. Still Here.
The needs of our community are changing rapidly, and we refuse to stand still. Under the leadership of Ed Stansberry, VAC’s third Executive Director in more than 50 years, we are entering a new era of impact.
VAC is leading one of the most significant expansions of support in Boone County in over two decades:
the Opportunity Campus.
This bold, collaborative project will add 150 shelter beds, increasing access to safe, dignified shelter in our community for the first time in 20 years. The campus will also bring together programs and resources that help individuals and families stabilize, rebuild, and thrive.
We’re not just building beds. We’re building possibility, dignity, and a stronger future for our neighbors.
For more than half a century, VAC has been a constant, connecting people to help, and connecting helpers to impact. And as long as Boone County has needs, we’ll keep showing up. No one should face hardship alone.
By 1971, the demand for services was growing. The organization incorporated as a nonprofit, hired its first director, and received its first United Way funding. Two years later, we joined the National Center for Voluntary Action and officially became Voluntary Action Center (VAC).
As the needs of our neighbors continued to evolve, so did VAC. What began primarily as volunteer coordination expanded into providing information, referrals, and direct advocacy. Over time, we identified critical service gaps, especially around urgent, everyday needs, and began offering emergency assistance with essentials like housing support, utilities, transportation, clothing, and prescription help.
In 2011, after decades of steady leadership from Cindy Mustard, Nick Foster became VAC’s Executive Director and continued guiding the organization’s growth and partnerships. In 2019, VAC proudly celebrated 50 years of service in Boone County.
Still Evolving. Still Responding. Still Here.
The needs of our community are changing rapidly, and we refuse to stand still. Under the leadership of Ed Stansberry, VAC’s third Executive Director in more than 50 years, we are entering a new era of impact.
VAC is leading one of the most significant expansions of support in Boone County in over two decades:
the Opportunity Campus.
This bold, collaborative project will add 150 shelter beds, increasing access to safe, dignified shelter in our community for the first time in 20 years. The campus will also bring together programs and resources that help individuals and families stabilize, rebuild, and thrive.
We’re not just building beds. We’re building possibility, dignity, and a stronger future for our neighbors.
For more than half a century, VAC has been a constant, connecting people to help, and connecting helpers to impact. And as long as Boone County has needs, we’ll keep showing up. No one should face hardship alone.
