By Staff
ADULTS
Usted habla espanol? Gateway- Milestones for Life provides therapeutic services and vocational training that supports the advancement, hopes, and dreams of disabled individuals of all ages. Gateway would like to improve their services to Spanish speakers by translating existing brochures and their guide to services. This work could be done at your convenience at home. Contact el Centro de Voluntarios to connect.
Spring has Sprung! Celebrate new life by donating blood today.
For a complete listing pf Berrien County Chapter of the American Red Cross blood drives visit www.berrienredcross.org
For a complete listing of Michigan Community Blood Center blood drives visit www.miblood.org
ADULTS AND YOUTH
Southwest Michigan is a great place to live. Visitors come from Chicago land and from all over the world to see our beaches, parks, vineyards and towns. If you enjoy bragging about the area and like meeting new people consider volunteering this season at your local welcome center or chamber of commerce. Many museums, parks and downtown development groups also have these types of opportunities. You may give directions and information to visitors, work on distributing brochures, assist in developing new materials or assist in tracking data. There are many choices available seven days a week.
Do you love horses? The Therapeutic Equestrian Center north of Buchanan seeks to enhance the lives of people with special needs through horse related activities. As a volunteer Sidewalker you will attend lessons helping ensure riders maintain balance and safety. You will also help with clean up after the session. You should expect to commit to an eight week session of volunteer service for a minimum of one and a half hours a week. Lessons take place in the late afternoons and early evenings Monday – Saturday. Training will be provided by a North American Riding for the Handicapped Association instructor. You do not have to be a horse expert to help.
USA Adult Soccer Association, Midwest Region is hosting a regional soccer event in St. Joseph/Benton Harbor on June 14 -17. This exciting event is usually held in the big cities, but this year is bringing over 1,000 players from 50 teams to play on our fields and beaches. Are you friendly, reliable and accountable? If so, you can choose from a long list of volunteer opportunities. You can help sell T-shirts on June 15 and 16 (Friday and Saturday) anytime between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Rockey Weed Complex, or on the 17th (Sunday) between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Upton Middle School Complex. You can also sell t-shirts and enjoy the fun at the Friday night beach party 5:30 to 10 p.m. at Jean Klock Park on the 15th. If you would like an indoor position and enjoy meeting new people, you could be a greeter and information resource at the Park Inn Hotel on any of the days. If you are an early bird, you can help serve breakfast beginning at 6 a.m. at the different hotels where players are staying.
You can volunteer as an Emergency Room or Surgery Assistant at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. This is a great summer opportunity for college students, high school students 16 or older or others considering a career in the medical field. You can serve seven days a week, throughout the day so there is a shift that will fit your schedule. You must be willing to commit to a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service and attend a mandatory training. In addition, you will receive free tuition at Lakeland classes, such as Medical Terminology, Human Anatomy, and CPR.
FAMILIES
For the past 15 years the National Association of Letter Carriers from the US Postal Service has sponsored a food drive "Stamp out Hunger." Since this event was organized in 1993, over 658 million pounds of food have been collected to help feed America's hungry. On Saturday, May 12 your family can work with mail carriers to collect the food set out on their routes either on foot or in your personal vehicle.
YOUTH
There are a number of local nonprofit organizations that are in the process of building, or would like assistance in maintaining their websites. If you have a solid knowledge of website design and maintenance and would like to support the work of a local organization, please contact the Volunteer Center and we will give you the opportunity to put that knowledge to work!