So you’re convinced that giving back to your community is
the right thing for you – you either have time during the semester or you’re
making plans for the break between classes, you have a mode of transportation
to get yourself somewhere, and you have the drive to help others by working
with people in your community. The part that comes next is the hardest part:
finding a volunteer opportunity that suits your personality, values, and
interests. Here are a few that come to mind:
·
Your
local animal shelter. Animal shelters are often the first suggestion for
new volunteers for a few reasons: the animals desperately need attention
(playing with animals and walking dogs) and shelters typically have a protocol
for volunteers so coming on-board is an easy and well-known process. You
typically must complete an orientation and work with someone else your first
few times in, but after you get familiar with the system you can come and go as
you have time. Shelters rarely allow or request volunteers to clean cages or do
gross things because they’d rather volunteers spend their time with the animals
who are otherwise often caged 24/7.
·
Master
Gardeners/Master Naturalists. These are two programs in your area that do
nothing but volunteer work with the goal of spreading information. If you don’t
want to go through the program to become a Master Gardener or a Master
Naturalist, no problem! They have plenty of programs that use the public as
volunteers to do things such as planting community gardens, creating tranquility
gardens for hospitals and nursing homes, and creating and working in childrens’
gardens at local schools or the local recreation center.
·
Habitat
for Humanity. Habitat has opportunities for volunteers once a day or on a
regular basis. If you enjoy working outdoors and with your hands, this might be
a good option for you!
·
The
United Way. The United Way gathers local volunteer opportunities from
helping people do their taxes to helping other non-profits find volunteers for
their projects. Once you get dialed in with the United Way, all kinds of
opportunities present themselves!
·
River and
Trail Maintenance. If you really enjoy the outdoors and use a local river,
lake, pond, or trail system as your outdoor playground, you might consider
volunteering to help with the upkeep! You can often find local groups that
sponsor clean-up or maintenance days (think free materials and supplies to use
and often free food!) by searching FaceBook or contacting a local outdoors
store.
·
Tutoring.
Whether you’re an amazing student or a decent student, chances are you are
capable of tutoring and helping someone else to learn. Whether you tutor peers
in college or younger students, tutoring can not only be personally rewarding,
but can help you brush up on the basics!
I hope you’ll take some of your free time and give back to
the community – remember to make it a family affair if you’re able! I can’t
wait to hear how your volunteer experiences shape who you are!
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