In cooperation with the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan, the Star will publish opportunities for volunteers each week. To find out about these or other volunteer opportunities, please call 983-0912 in the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor area, 683-5464 in the Niles area; visit our website at www.volunteerswmi.org; or e-mail us at volunteer@volunteerswmi.org for further information. To arrange an appointment, please call ahead.

Appointments do not constitute an obligation to accept a volunteer opportunity. The center is a United Way partner agency.

Spotlight of the Week
• People from all over the area look forward to Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joseph. It is consistently rated one of the top art fairs in the country. You can enjoy this event and make a difference by doing everything from distributing surveys to visitors and artists, directing parking, hosting artists in the hospitality suite, helping with children’s activities and many, many more. Opportunities are available prior to the fair as well, such as distributing posters.

Families
• Even though it rained hard, volunteers and postal workers collected food for the National Association of Letter Carriers annual Post Office Food Drive on May 8. Don’t worry if you forgot or didn’t put out your food because of the rain. Contact the Volunteer Center or United Way to find out about your local pantry that needs your donations all year long.

Adults
• How do you Live United? Your local United Way has opportunities to be part of the committees that decide funding. You can also work with special projects such as helping with free tax preparation for working families, books for children and healthy choices for middle school aged girls.

Berrien and Cass counties are served by United Way of Southwest Michigan and Van Buren County is served by Van Buren United Way.

• Harbor Harvest Urban Ministries is gearing up for its eight-week summer kids program in Benton Harbor. This year has brought new challenges and they are requesting individuals and congregations to get involved to ensure they are able to offer their wonderful program. Check out the ways you can get involved at www.volunteerswmi.org.  The kids are counting on us!

• The Berrien County Trial Court-Family Division and the Juvenile Center in Berrien Springs would like you to assist with recreational activities such as sports, music, art and educational tutoring. Why not get a friend to join you? Young people need to get out and burn off some energy!

• Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency serves Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties and exists to assist people in economic need and enable them to achieve and sustain self-sufficiency. As a friend of a SMCAA fundraising representative, you will help raise the funds vital to the success of SMCAA to serve the community.

• Are you a buy local/farmers’ market fan? Why not join the Volunteer Center in manning a welcome booth on Saturdays at St. Joseph’s downtown market.  Welcome visitors and provide handouts to promote the market and downtown St. Joseph. Also sell reusable bags to help raise funds for the Volunteer Center. You can volunteer for one Saturday or more and choose your hours.
Blood saves lives.  Donate today!

Berrien County Chapter of the American Red Cross
For a complete listing visit www.berrienredcross. org.

Michigan Blood (formerly known as Michigan Community Blood Centers)
• Tuesday, May 25 – St. Joseph Center, 2710 Cleveland Ave., St. Joseph, noon to 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 26 – Niles District Library, 620 East Main St., 2 to 7 p.m.
For a complete listing visit www.miblood.org.

Adult and youth
• Would you like to be a Walk and Roll Citizen Adviser? Residents of the greater Benton Harbor-St. Joseph area are encouraged to attend meetings for a regional pedestrian-bicycle transportation plan.  Offer your opinion about walking and biking to the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission’s committee of engineers and elected officials. You can also help with outreach to get others involved.  Tasks could include attending meetings, advertising meetings, distributing flyers, administering surveys and much more.

• This is the second year for the Girls on the Run program in Berrien County and more girls than ever have been involved.  You can be part of the big day on Thursday, May 27 at Buchanan High School.  You can pick a few hours anytime that day or come the whole day for all the fun. You can assist with set up, distributing race bags, marking the 5K route, parking, clean up and much much more. If you aren’t available then, how about helping on the Monday the 24th in the evening to assemble the race bags and sort T-shirts?

• Are you interested in the medical field? Do you just want to help those dealing with illness? Area hospitals have many interesting volunteer opportunities you would be surprised to learn about. At Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph you can  assist nurses in the critical care unit waiting room by serving as a liaison between visitors and the nurses; escort patients, deliver newspapers and help with clerical duties in admissions; be an endoscopy assistant assisting with patient discharge, preparing rooms for patients and stocking supplies; or you can choose from some of the many other opportunities they have available. This looks great on a resume and you’ll meet the staff and can learn about their jobs and careers.

Youth
• Time to start thinking about your summer plans. Paying jobs may still be hard to find, but volunteer jobs pay in other ways such as building your resume, developing your talents and exploring career fields.

Contact Callie or Traci at the Volunteer Center or explore www.volunteerswmi.org to find the right opportunity for you.

• Youth volunteers will engage senior residents of Lakeland Continuing Care in St. Joseph in a variety of organized activities with a team leader on the first Saturday of each month. Volunteers should arrive 10 minutes early for instructions. This opportunity is open to youth in middle and in high school. Contact the Volunteer Center to learn more.