Vicky Verhage of Plymouth is getting ready to retire this year, but after years as a caregiver, she said it won't be long until she'll be back in the community — this time as a volunteer.

“I’ve been in the business for so long, giving back kind of gets instilled in you,” she said.

There are more than 50 organizations in the community who rely on volunteers, so it can be tough for those looking to donate their time to decide where to do it.

Verhage turned to her friends for advice — one who volunteers at Generations Daycare in Plymouth, and another who walks dogs at the Sheboygan County Humane Society.

“Before I retired I wanted to do something with dogs, so when I heard about the dog walking, I did that,” Suzette Vergow, of Howards Grove, said. "In May, I’m going to start at (Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center) in the neonatal intensive care unit helping infants in there.”

All three attended a volunteer fair put on by the United Way on Thursday to see what other opportunities are available in the community.

Bill Weinaug, of the Sheboygan Athletic Club, signed up several new volunteers for the organization during the event. The Sheboygan A's have one paid employee, a field manager, and rely on volunteers for everything else.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization,” Weinaug said. “If we don’t have volunteers, we don’t have a group, we don’t have a park, a team, or a program. We need those people.”

Weinaug said he is glad for the help of corporate group volunteers to complete large projects, but often struggles to find individual volunteers to help out on game nights.

“Some nights we just need two to four people for a night to come volunteer," he said. "Sometimes that is hard to find.”

Volunteers from area corporations often use volunteerism in the community for team-building opportunities. Ariana Herbst, project support specialist with Kohler Stewardship, said employees enjoy building with Habitat for Humanity, while others find time to volunteer during their lunch breaks.

In 2015, Kohler Wisconsin associates put in 3,370 volunteer hours.

“People love Habitat for Humanity,” Herbst said. “They love the builds. We have a lot of people who, independently over lunch, do Big Brother Big Siter lunch buddies or deliver Meals on Wheels.”

Habitat for Humanity also runs the ReStore, which is also mostly volunteer-driven. Funds from the store go toward building houses, and Patty DePas, a manager at the store, said they are always looking for more to help out.

“We have room to accommodate any skill there is,” DePas said. “We have IT, loading docks, truck drivers, merchandisers, and we’re always needing certified forklift drivers.”

The United Way, noticing a disconnect between volunteers and organizations seeking volunteers, developed a website to help the two connect. Called the Volunteer Center, the website at www.uwofsc.org/volunteer allows volunteers to search out opportunities to fit their interests.

“We can’t do what we do without volunteers,” Brenda Weavers, a volunteer coordinator for Sharon R. Richardson Community Hospice, stressed. "We need all kinds."