On Wednesday, I had the privilege to meet with faith leaders from different parishes around our State. We had great conversations on a variety of topics, but what struck me most was what they confirmed. They confirmed once again what I already knew: Marylanders are a generous and compassionate people.

Every leader told a story about a member of their parish giving back to their community. I heard about folks in Baltimore City volunteering serving meals to sick children. I heard about college students spending their free time reading to kids at homeless shelters and elementary school kids writing letters to our brave men and women serving our country overseas.

I hear these stories all the time because the spirit of volunteering runs deep in every Marylander. In fact, over the last two years alone, 1.3 million Marylanders volunteered nearly 200 million hours of community service, making our State one of the top six states in the nation in the number of hours our people volunteer.

That’s why last week, we launched the “Maryland: Stronger Together” campaign to shine a light on the important work of Maryland volunteers and to connect more Marylanders with volunteer opportunities.

There are a couple of ways that you can become a part of the campaign:

1. Sign up to volunteer: We know that it’s sometimes difficult to find volunteer opportunities near you. That’s why we put together this interactive map to help connect you with more opportunities.Take a look and sign up today.
2. Nominate a Compassionate Marylander: We are on the search for extraordinary Marylanders who go above and beyond to build a stronger future for our State. We’ll be selecting 5 Marylanders to receive an award and thanks to our generous partners at Care First, they will receive $5,000 each to donate to the charity of their choice. You can nominate someone here.
3. Share your stories: This campaign is about sharing our experiences and encouraging others to get involved. Here’s how you can help promote volunteering in Maryland:

• “Like” the Maryland, Stronger Together Facebook Page
• Use the Twitter hashtag #MDTogether
• Display the official “Maryland Stronger Together” digital badge on your Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Thank you in advance for participating in this campaign and I look forward to hearing about your volunteer experiences.

Martin O'Malley is the Governor of Maryland. He writes a regular blog for his official website.