Hello, everyone.Some of you may know that a dozen #smckc members worked closely with the United Way of Greater Kansas Cit (UWGKC) this year to provide guidance on their social media strategy for the 2010 Live United Week.One thing we learned is that they compile a monthly list of opportunities for individuals to give back to the community, something at which #smckc members seem to excel.One background note: UWGKC supports several hundred organizations throughout the metro from the famous like Harvesters to dozens you’ve likely not heard of. Every non profit seeks money at this time of year. Here, though, is a chance to help by volunteering just a few hours of your time. As you will see in the list below, local agencies need all areas of expertise – building holiday care kits, spending time with the elderly or tutoring young minds to name a few. Take a look. Connect. Volunteer. Bring a friend. Make it a tweet up. Most of all, have fun and give back. A few hours donated by each of the many of us can make a huge impact.Stay tuned for future installments, and happy Thanksgiving to each of you.
Volunteer Opportunities for November
To sign up for one of these highlighted opportunities, or for more information on volunteering in the
Kansas City metropolitan area, please contact the person listed below the
opportunity. For additional questions, please contact Shelly Bolling-Strickland
at (816) 559-4667 or ShellyStrickland@uwgkc.org.
Community
Assistance Council
Pam Meek
(816) 763-3277 x108 or pamm@cackc.org
The Harvesters BackSnack program provides weekend food to elementary school
children that are nutritionally at risk. A South Kansas City social
services organization coordinates the program through Harvesters and the
Hickman Mills School District, providing volunteers from area churches that
fill the backpacks with food and transport those backpacks to the
school. They have an immediate opportunity open to take filled
backpacks to Burke Elementary School, 11115 Bennington, from the office on
Friday mornings. The time commitment is about 30-45 minutes to deliver
100 backpacks to the school.
Central Avenue of Hope
Marsha Nave
(913) 233-2511 or marshanave@centralavenueofhope.us
A Kansas City, Kansas based organization serves hot lunches Monday – Friday to those in
need. Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve meals, and clean up
afterward. This is a great group project for families, school groups or
company volunteer programs.
MARC
Donna Martin
(816) 701-8369 or dmartin@marc.org
The University of Kansas Hospital is hosting its annual in-house flu clinics,
scheduled multiple times between now and Monday, December 13. Each of
them utilizes a computer system to track the people that receive a flu
vaccination, and the clinic coordinators at the hospital are looking for
volunteers who can help on an as-needed basis. Please mention if you are
either a non-medical or a medical professional. As the hospital
staff determines their needs for each clinic, they will call upon volunteers on
the list to see who’s available to fill needed positions.
St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church
Gail Reynolds
(913) 485-2527 or morningstar66204@everestkc.net
A Kansas City, Kansas Episcopal church food pantry needs volunteers to assist clients on
Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Volunteers are needed to
serve as greeters, check in clients, sort and stock food stuffs and maintain a
clean and welcoming environment. You must be 21 years old and have
good people skills. Training will be provided.
Bridging the Gap
Sadie Gardner
(816) 561-1061 x126 or sadie.gardner@bridgingthegap.org
Help boost recycling rates in targeted Kansas City area neighborhoods. An
environmental organization needs volunteers to engage and educate residents via
door-to-door canvassing and dropping off literature about recycling and other
environmental issues in the city. Volunteers with civic, political or
school organizing experience are especially encouraged to help. Great for
groups or individuals.
Community Action
Partnership/Greater St. Joseph
Stephanie Lux
(816) 233-8281 or slux@endpov.com
A social services organization in St. Joseph is currently looking for help with several
programs, including financial literacy, education and emergency assistance.
Youth Volunteer Corps of
Greater Kansas City
Team Leader
(913) 432-9822 x305
Does your ‘tween/teen need community service hours for a school requirement? An area
youth-based volunteer agency is currently working with area nonprofit
organizations to offer service projects during the winter break. Youth
volunteers will have the opportunity to experience what it means to help their
community through daily or weeklong projects with various community-based
organizations in the Greater Kansas City area. Projects usually run from
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday – Thursday, unless otherwise noted. Click
here for
more information.
Community Services
League
Flora Buford
(816) 254-4100 or bufordf@communityserv.org
Drivers are needed to provide transportation for Independence area seniors needing to go to
the doctor, grocery store or pharmacy. Volunteers can work a minimum of
four hours per day on Monday – Friday between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm.
You must have a valid driver’s licenses and auto insurance, and maintain
records and provide monthly reports to the organization.
Blessings Abound Thrift
Store
Deborah Napoli
(913) 648-0700 or blessingsabound@yahoo.com
Clothing enthusiasts and DIY’ers – lend a hand at a Johnson County-based thrift
store. Tasks include merchandise display and preparing products, sorting,
cleaning, inspecting and pricing donated items. Other duties include
shampooing upholstery, inspecting electronic items and setting shelf
layouts.
Toy and Miniature Museum
Laura Taylor
(816) 333-9328 or taylorls@umkc.edu
Help visitors celebrate the spirit of play at an area toy museum. Become a
docent trained to further the public’s knowledge and understanding of the
museum collections. Docent duties include giving guided highlights tours
to adults, seniors, children, families and school groups, greeting visitors and
answering questions, and participating in the presentation of high quality
educational public programming.
