Volunteerism Is A Way Of Life For Maryland's Rob Willis

For National Volunteer Week – April 18 – 24, the Young Marines honors Rob Willis of Leonardtown, Maryland with the Volunteer of the Year award for Division 2. He was the Unit Commander for the Southern Maryland Young Marines from 2012 to 2020, but he recently turned over that position to a new Unit Commander, so he could serve as the Division 2 Training Officer.

In addition to his new role, Willis is the Maryland Regimental Commander, and he was the Advanced Leadership School Director in 2020. In 2021 he will be the National Leadership Academy Director.

The Young Marines is a national youth education and service program for boys and girls, ages eight through completion of high school. It promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on character building, leadership, and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Division 2 includes Washington D.C. and six states: Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

“Rob’s passion and determination really stand out in all he has done for his unit as well as for the organization,” said Col William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. "It is especially meaningful to present this award during April which is National Volunteer Month. Rob is a very effective mentor and teacher, reflecting all the best traits of our volunteers.”

Being able to volunteer with the YM program quickly became a passion of Rob’s, and he has been - in his words - “hooked since day 1.” To be able to pass along the values he learned as a 25-year United States Marine to the next generation of leaders, he says, is an incredible blessing.

The Young Marines program provides Willis with the opportunity to use the gifts he has received to make a positive impact in the lives of America’s youth. He says, “There is no greater endeavor than this.”

For more information about the Southern Maryland Young Marines, call 240-577-1489 or email: somdyoungmarines@gmail.com.

About the Young Marines

The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through the completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Since the Young Marines' humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to 235 units with 7,500 youth and 2,500 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Okinawa with affiliates in other countries.

For more information, visit the website at https://www.YoungMarines.com.