In February, 1993, SU students who wanted a way to learn of current service opportunities in the local area established the Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) clearinghouse.  Simply by making current information available, this project has generated an estimated 10% increase in student service each year.

 Almost from the beginning, local organizations which rely on volunteers to deliver services, expressed interest in a clearinghouse which would make current information on volunteer opportunities available to the public.  Sparked by a Community Awareness Seminar sponsored by the Greater Salisbury Committee, a steering committee of leaders representing non-profits, education, business, religious organizations and volunteers formed to establish a regional volunteer clearinghouse serving the tri-county area of Maryland's lower Eastern Shore.

 Sponsored by Salisbury University, Shore C.A.N. began publishing its monthly volunteer needs newsletter in February, 1995.  Since then, we have enlisted 215 agency partners and 37 media partners on the Lower Shore.  In 1998, Shore C.A.N. became part of the Institute for Service Learning at Salisbury University.

Shore C.A.N.'s mission is to generate citizen action through community service to address current volunteer needs on Maryland's lower Eastern Shore.  Our name reflects a Shore tradition of citizens responding to those in need and our capacity to meet needs through community-based citizen action.  The Shore C.A.N. slogan, "Bringing human resources to human needs", conveys that the diverse talent, energy and caring spirit of individual citizens represent our greatest untapped resource in addressing the needs of communities in the region.

  Agency Partners - 172  Private non-profit and public agencies which have a current need for volunteers.

  Media Partners   -   35 Media organizations taking a leadership role in generating citizen action by informing the public of current volunteer needs.

  Service Partners  - 636 Local organizations taking a leadership role in addressing community needs by promoting service and citizen action with their members.  Service partners include schools and colleges, businesses, churches and civic organizations.