5 Opportunities for Students to Volunteer While In School
As summer comes to a close and you head back to school, you may find it hard to imagine fitting in time to volunteer. Schedules become packed with sports practices, school plays, homework, and other extracurricular activities and it may be tempting to put giving back on the back burner. Volunteering, however, is a wonderful resume builder and will help you build skills for a future career. Learn about a new industry, or gain skills to put towards a dream job. Volunteering is also a great opportunity to build up time management skills. In fact, even if time is a limited commodity, there are many ways for you to give back that require minimal time commitment and still allow you to get to soccer practice on time.
1. See what Opportunities are Near You:
Start your search by looking for volunteer opportunities in your area. All For Good allows you to search events based on location and on causes you are passionate about. There are many events that don’t require a heavy time commitment, so you can build volunteering in to your schedule.
Serving with the people closest to you is a fun and motivating way to give back. Doing Good Together arranges volunteer opportunities for families in select cities across the country, whether it’s cleaning up a park on the weekend or volunteering at a local foodbank after school once a week. If Doing Good Together is not in your area, do not be discouraged. generationOn, Points of Light’s youth service division, provides resources for you to create a service project for students of any age.
Why not put the skills you’re gaining in the classroom to good use. Whether you enjoy photography, graphic design, social media, or other hobbies, use what you are passionate about to help a cause you care about! Many organizations are constantly looking for volunteers to put their skills-based knowledge and talents to work. You can find a great database of skills-based volunteer opportunities that allows you to search by skillset at Idealist.org.
4. Join or Make a Club:
Does your school have a Relay For Life event? Many schools and college campuses host their own Relay events, which provides a fun and convenient way to give back. Join a team for a cause you care about or make your own! Don’t want to start it yourself? Get some friends together to do it with you or simply fundraise for a charity of your choosing instead.
Breaks from school are the perfect opportunity to set aside time to give back. During the holiday season, there are a large variety of volunteer opportunities for students. Volunteer with your family at a local soup kitchen or write greeting cards to soldiers or hospital patients spending their holidays away from home. When spring break season comes around, consider alternative spring break programs as a way to travel and give back on a budget.
How You Can Help Fight Childhood Hunger This Summer
Summer is almost here! This is the season to enjoy endless fun in the sun with sunscreen, flip flops, and cold beverages. But if you’re one of the 15 million children living in food-insecure households, surviving summer means finding a way to not go hungry. School is often the most reliable place where kids can get a meal. With the end of the school year approaching, the fight against childhood hunger becomes especially urgent.
As a volunteer, you can play a big role in achieving hunger relief. Whether you choose to volunteer at a local food bank, host a food drive or engage your civic leaders around childhood hunger – you can make a difference for hungry kids this summer.
Here are three things you can do to help fight hunger this summer:
Be a Champion: Take the Vote to End Hunger pledge, and inspire your friends and family to do the same.
Use Your Skills: Whether you are a marketer, teacher or computer coder, share your professional talents with hunger organizations to help increase their effectiveness.
Get inspired by stories of these volunteers who are fighting on the front lines to end hunger:
“Urban Farming”
Nashville teen Camryn Magsby, teaches kids about urban gardening, meal planning and healthy nutrition.
“Bags of Kindness”
Braeden Quinn Mannering, age 12, provides homeless individuals with brown bags packed with healthy food and water.
“A Family Affair”
The Chung family shows that you can fight hunger, no matter your age.
“Tech for Good”
College student Maria Rose Belding built an interactive website to help facilitate distribution of fresh, healthy food to food pantries.
6 Ways to Do Good for the Environment Through Civic Engagement
Warm weather has arrived, and if you’re like us, you can’t wait to get outside and soak up some sunshine. The best part? You can get your daily dose of Vitamin D while making a significant and lasting impact on the environment, your community and the world!
Here are six ways to give back in the great outdoors, as told by Parks and Recreation.
1. USE YOUR PURCHASE POWER TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE GOODS & SERVICES
Have you ever thought about the impact your purchases make? You have the power to use your voice in many ways, including your wallet. When it’s time to make your next purchase, choose a company that supports a healthy environment and uses sustainable practices. Check out this free issue of
We know that volunteers are happier, healthier people as a result of making a difference in the lives of others, and studies show there are similar health benefits from gardening. So double up on health and happiness by contributing to a local community garden! Just BYOS (bring your own seeds) and grow your own produce — or donate your goods to a local food bank. Not only do community gardens yield fresh, nutritious food, they build neighborhood relationships, promote community development, conserve resources and improve quality of life. Find a community garden near you, or start your own.
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “To exist as a Nation, to prosper as a state and to live as a people, we must have trees.” There are myriad reasons to plant trees – they produce oxygen, provide habitat for wildlife, assist in water conservation, and prevent soil erosion. You can plant a tree any day of the year, or you can take part in the annual national celebration of trees – Arbor Day. Check out the Arbor Day volunteer center to find out how you can help.
4. Join or Organize a Park Clean-up in your Community
Just a few hours of clean-up work can result in the removal of multiple garbage bags’ worth of waste. Check your local government’s website to learn about ongoing clean-ups for which you can volunteer. Can’t find an opportunity in your area? This guide is full of useful tips for starting your own park clean-up and enlisting other volunteers to help you.
Like cities and parks, rivers are often left neglected during the colder months. The National River Cleanup campaign enlists volunteers annually to get outside as the weather warms up to help clear trash and pollutants out of the river environment so that natural recovery processes can take place.
Pitch in to help preserve America’s natural and cultural resources by volunteering at a state or national park. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are needed for one-time service activities, long-term commitments. Opportunities range from park improvements, upkeep and preservation and visitor services and campground hosts to more specialized roles for those interested in scientific fields, such as geology, botany and archeology. Browse the volunteer portal to find out what opportunities are available near you.
Spring has sprung, which means sunnier days, weekend barbecues and National Volunteer Week are just around the corner. As the weather warms up, don’t miss out on these fun opportunities to get outside, get involved and make a difference!
Many organizations take advantage of warmer weather by hosting fundraising walks and fun runs. From 5Ks benefitting causes like cancer research and mental health awareness, to events like the Boston Marathon, which raises millions of dollars every year for a variety of charities, there are plenty of ways to get active and do good. And if you don’t consider yourself a runner, there are plenty of fun, low-key walks and runs to participate. Find a race in your area or search for events by cause.
With the return of the spring comes the return of outdoor youth sports leagues. We know that kids benefit immensely from sports programs, so whether you volunteer as a coach, an assistant or as a team parent, you can be certain you’re making a significant difference in a child’s life. Check your local government’s parks and recreation website to learn more about getting involved with youth sports leagues.
3. Sign up as a dog walker or adoption volunteer at a local animal shelter
Volunteering at an animal shelter is an awesome experience — all the fun of having a furry friend, with a lot less responsibility! Shelters need help with all sorts of tasks, from walking dogs to socializing rescued animals to helping at adoption events, and more. Contact your local animal welfare group or humane society to learn more about volunteer opportunities. Not sure where to start? Find a shelter near you.
4. Take travel to the next level with a volunteer vacation
A volunteer vacation is a great way to travel the world, explore new cultures and make a meaningful difference. There are many ways to engage in purposeful travel, through organizations such as Discover Corps that seek to foster cultural understanding and promote global citizenship. Founded on a deep commitment to volunteer service, Discover Corps coordinates trips in response to requests from communities in need, where travelers can make a lasting impact in a short amount of time.
Interested in a longer-term commitment? You can build nature trails, construct homes, fight wildfires or help clean up after natural disasters with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. The team-based service program recruits young adults ages 18-24 to work and travel the country participating in a wide range of hands-on, direct service projects alongside community partners and local non-profits. Members receive a living stipend and education award, as well as lodging and travel expenses. Learn more and apply today!
Looking for more ways to get involved this spring? Search for volunteer opportunities in your community at AllForGood.org.
4 Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Sweeter by Giving Gifts and Giving Back
Dinner reservations, boxes of chocolate, flowers – are you tired of the same old Valentine’s Day traditions? Make Valentine’s Day a little sweeter this year by spending time volunteering and giving back with the ones you love.
1. Send a Valentine to someone who won’t expect it.
Valentines and love notes aren’t just for secret crushes. This year, send one (or several!) to someone you think could use a pick-me-up. Many children’s hospitals have great, easy ways to send a Valentine online and brighten a child’s day. Check out Children’s National Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Cincinatti Children’s Hospital, or contact your local hospital to get involved. You could also participate in DoSomething.org’s “Love Letters” campaign, to help spread the love to seniors around the country. And, the National Salute to Veteran Patients program, run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, encourages volunteers to contact local VA medical centers to learn about ways to show love and appreciation to veterans during the week of Feb. 14.
2. Visit a local senior center.
Many older folks have lost their spouses, and the holidays can be an especially hard and lonely time for them. Just being there to listen can make a huge difference in a resident’s day. If you prefer a more structured approach, you could plan to perform a short play or a series of songs, inviting seniors to join in to sing along. Other activities include reading, board games, and scrapbooking. For more suggestions on planning your visit, check out this guide to visiting nursing homes.
Give your significant other a gift that benefits a good cause, or make a charitable donation in their name. Need some gift-buying inspiration? Check out these lists of gifts that give back, from Refinery29 and Buzzfeed.
Few things bring people closer together than volunteering. You get to go do something new and feel all the warm fuzzies you get from helping others. Need some ideas? Here are 20 volunteer date ideas to get you started.
Get involved in your community! Explore local volunteer opportunities at www.allforgood.org.
5 Ways to Serve on MLK Day
How will you make the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday a day on instead of a day off? Join millions of Americans across the country on Jan. 18 for volunteer service and dialogue to honor Dr. King’s memory.
MLK Day of Service volunteers assemble care packs for wounded veterans.
– Inspired by the legacy of Dr. King, America’s Sunday Supper invites people from diverse backgrounds to come together to share a meal, discuss issues that affect their community and highlight the power each one of us has to change lives.
to teach young people workforce skills. With help from volunteers like you, the MLK Day bootcamps will give 16- to 24-year-olds valuable exposure to critical workforce skills, such as effective communication, resume building, project management and networking.
. This special President’s Volunteer Service Award honors volunteers who perform extraordinary everyday acts of service.
For more about the MLK Day of Service, please visit
Hunger affects people in urban centers, suburbs, rural areas – and communities like yours.
Putting your skills and passions to work, you can help.
Maybe you’re a terrific cook who can make meals for those who can no longer cook for themselves. Or a digital expert who can help a hunger-focused nonprofit improve its website.
Check out the volunteer project search at HungerVolunteerConnection.org. You can narrow your search by your location and the issues that interest you. The site sorts through service opportunities that match your schedule and skills, and there are even virtual projects you can do from your computer.
In partnership with the ConAgra Foods Foundation, Points of Light and five other leading volunteer organizations have collaborated to bring you HungerVolunteerConnection.org, which works to inspire and engage more people to dedicate their time, talents and voice to the fight against hunger.
And if you work at a nonprofit centered on hunger, check out these resources designed to help your organization enhance and expand its volunteer program and rethink the possibilities of volunteer engagement.
Through HungerVolunteerConnection.org, volunteers like you have pledged more than 115,000 volunteer hours so far. Become one of them today – see how you can get involved and help end hunger for good.
7 Ways to Spread Joy This Holiday Season
It’s easy to spread holiday cheer. Donating to support your favorite causes is a great option, and there are many other ways to bring joy to neighbors in need. Here are seven things you can do to help make the holidays bright.
works with volunteers to make wishes come true for kids who need a little extra holiday cheer. You can help by donating money or toys, hosting a collection site or volunteering at a local warehouse.
Caroling is not only a perfect way to lift spirits; it’s also a great way to raise money for a good cause! Gather friends and family to participate in a caroling fundraiser such as the Nationwide Children’s Hospital “
Make your neighborhood a brighter place by offering to help hang holiday lights and decorations for an elderly neighbor, or someone who could use some seasonal good will. If you need some inspiration, just check out this story about a
Satisfy the holiday sweet tooth while giving back to the community! Get friends and family together to host a holiday bake sale benefiting the cause of your choosing. Have leftovers? Make sure you identify a local food pantry or shelter that will accept your extra holiday treats.
. If you don’t have room for a new pet, consider volunteering at your local shelter or donating pet supplies.
7.
Provide warmth to someone in need.
As the weather gets colder, consider helping someone who can’t afford winter clothing stay warm. Many local charities and volunteer groups host coat and blanket drives for homeless shelters and families in need (for example, check out these annual coat drives hosted by our affiliates
location in your community where you can volunteer or donate your spare coats to provide warmth for those in need.
6 Ways to Give Back on #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a global celebration of generosity and giving back. For many charities and nonprofits, it’s one of the biggest fundraising days of the year, a day when supporters turn out in droves to donate money to the causes they care about.
While not all of us have money to give, most of us have time. So here are a few of the many ways you can give back on #GivingTuesday, without reaching for your wallet.
Skills-based and pro bono service makes a deep and lasting contribution to the organizations you support. According to A Billion + Change, 91 percent of Fortune 500 human resources managers said volunteering knowledge and expertise to a nonprofit can be an effective way to cultivate business and leadership skills. Whether you’re an accountant, an IT expert, a visual designer or a marketer, your skills can benefit nonprofits. Find opportunities in your community through All For Good.
Getting the neighborhood to donate goods to the local food pantry or homeless shelter is a great way help those in need this holiday season – and to clean out your shelves and closets while you’re at it! You can donate food, warm clothing or blankets, hygiene supplies and more. Choose a date and location where you will accept donations, and identify the community organizations the items you collect will benefit. Then, spread the word. Get more info here, and make your donation drive a fun activity for the whole family!
The Internet has done a lot to make doing good easier than ever before. From “passive giving” through websites like Amazon and eBay to crowdfunding opportunities to digital volunteer databases, giving back is just one click away. Another way to give back is through virtual volunteering. Help feed the hungry by answering vocabulary questions, share career advice with low-income youth online or provide counseling via text to young people in crisis. Find more virtual volunteering opportunities at All for Good or UN Volunteers.
Volunteering with family and friends at a local soup kitchen or food pantry is not only a great way to help your community, but also a wonderful bonding activity – and a great way to teach your kids the importance of helping those in need! Check out All for Good to find opportunities near you.
The holiday season is the perfect time to think about the things we are grateful for, and say thank you. Send a thank-you card to your children’s teachers, to a local organization doing good things in your community, to a veterans’ group or military service member, or any person who has had a positive influence on your life this year. Spreading kindness is an easy way to brighten someone’s day.
Care packages not only bring a smile to someone’s face, but also provide some much-needed relief for those in need. Pinterest features a number of ideas for creating care packages for different recipients: Whether it’s filling resealable bags with basic supplies for the homeless, putting together healing items for cancer patients or sending fun and practical items for soldiers deployed overseas, these thoughtful gifts make a real difference in the lives of those who receive them.
For more ways to get involved on #GivingTuesday, please visit www.givingtuesday.org.
How Volunteers Are Helping Refugees – And What You Can Do
In central Rome, a former cultural center has found new life as a temporary home for hundreds of refugees. Without formal leadership or organizational structure, citizens have transformed the Baobab center into a safe haven where refugees can arrive at any hour and find food, shelter and someone who is willing to help.
Refugees gather at Budapest Keleti railway station in Hungary.
Volunteers provide meals, hand out clothes and work a small first aid station, all made possible by donations and cash contributions from the people of Rome – including the Pope, who recently donated medical supplies to the center. As migrants prepare to move north, volunteers provide travel packs containing bottled water, a sandwich, a basic dictionary, a map of Europe and often a train ticket.
“Baobab represents a symbol of hope, of ordinary citizens not closing their eyes in front of need. It is a real example of people realizing their potential to make a difference,” says Mauro Cipparone, president of
.
RomAltruista, inspired by the actions of these “ordinary citizens,” has joined the effort, too. In addition to lending a hand at the center, the organization is promoting volunteer opportunities to help fill additional needs.
The Baobab center is not alone. The outpouring of volunteers is a common theme in places where refugee numbers are the highest, where citizens are desperate to help and official direction is lagging or non-responsive. And the refugee crisis has only accelerated in recent months.
A volunteer serves beverages to refugees near Budapest Keleti train station in Hungary.
Following a spike in refugee populations in 2014, the number of migrants arriving in Europe has already doubled in 2015. The unprecedented movement of people around the world has created the highest number of displaced persons – many fleeing civil war in Syria – since World War II.
More than half of the nearly 400,000 registered refugees are children and youth. Upon arrival, refugees must stay in detention camps or reception centers until they either begin to travel to another country or find a way to stay in the nation in which they arrive.
However, many nations lack the infrastructure to respond, given the current influx of refugees. Volunteers are playing a key role in helping solve this problem.
Like the volunteers at the Baobab center, many Hungarians are helping refugees however they can. Points of Light partner
sees citizens donating their time at nearby railway stations to pass out food and water, collect trash and help refugees bridge language barriers.
One group set up a projector to entertain kids with their favorite cartoons, right in the middle of Budapest’s central train station. Corporations have also stepped up. Telekom, the country’s leading telecommunications company, is providing free wi-fi at rail stations – which not only allows refugees to connect with loved ones, but supports volunteer groups that are organizing via social media.
Refugees use donated mobile phones to keep in touch with their families near Budapest Keleti train station in Hungary.
is working with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to help coordinate the volunteer response. The group’s website has become a virtual corkboard where organizations can post requests for specific volunteering services, as well as a repository for educational materials and tools for NGOs – a precursor to an upcoming seminar on the best practices of volunteer management during times of crisis.
And, while Greek citizens are eager to help, the country’s geography makes an effort like the one at the Baobab center more challenging. Most refugees passing through Greece end up on one of its many islands, where volunteers are doing their best to keep up with limited resources.
Costs for volunteer travel and the shipment of donated goods can be prohibitive. Volunteer4Greece is working to connect NGOs with private companies willing to support these efforts.
Farther north, in countries that are more removed from the crisis than their Mediterranean neighbors, volunteer efforts are just beginning to take shape. However, Points of Light network members such as
are taking steps to respond. The group will donate warm clothing collected at its annual Wrap Up London coat drive in November.
The outpouring of volunteers across Europe is inspiring, and we will surely see more stories like these emerge as volunteer centers are able to develop sustainable plans to support these efforts. Points of Light provides programmatic support to our global affiliates and encourages our domestic affiliates to host donation drives to support local response entities.
What can you do?
Many organizations have been overwhelmed with donated goods that have created logistical challenges in storage and transportation. Cash donations are the fastest and most efficient way to reach vulnerable populations.
Such donations allow relief organizations to respond to changing needs throughout the region’s response and long-term recovery. You can also host a fundraising event to increase your community’s collective impact.
Volunteer domestically with the International Rescue Committee to mentor refugee families, develop job skills and maintain a
. Consider volunteering with your local HandsOn Network volunteer center, and keep up to date on our response by following the HandsOn Network Facebook page.
For more about how to help, check out this article from The Guardian and this notice from the UK government.
