Archive for the ‘Volunteer Opportunity’ Category

Ever wish you could reenact The Breakfast Club, with you as a friendlier version of Principal Vernon and the club as a group of 15-20 adults with specials needs? If so, this is the volunteer opportunity for you.

The Walter Reed Adult Day Care Center needs a few dedicated, patient and energetic individuals to help start its clients’ day off right one morning per week.

Volunteers will work from 8:00 to 9:45 on Tuesday mornings while the Center has its weekly staff meeting. Volunteers are expected to welcome the clients and serve morning meals.

The Center serves mostly older residents, as well as younger adults with cognitive difficulties. It’s located within the Walter Reed Community Center at 2909 16th Street South.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact volunteer coordinator Randy Feliciano at rfeliciano [at] arlingtonva.us or (703) 228-0958.

Want to make a real positive difference in a teen’s life? An Arlington-based affordable housing organization is in “serious need” of tutors for its educational programs this fall.

AHC Inc. (formerly Arlington Housing Corporation) has been running its teen tutoring program for more than 15 years. Tutors act as a teacher, mentor and role model for ask-risk middle school and high school students who live in AHC communities. They work one-on-one with the teens, devoting at least an hour and a half per week.

The program has been a great success so far. Last year, all of the program’s seniors graduated high school and 80 percent went on to college. Many of the students who went to college were the first in their family to do, according to AHC spokesperson Celia Slater.

This year, the non-profit is searching for up to 60 mentors to meet the needs of its growing programs. The 90-minute tutoring sessions take place on weeknights at six locations in Arlington, two of which are Metro accessible.

Tutoring will start on September 13.

For more information on becoming a tutor, contact Jennifer Cavaliere at cavaliere [at] ahcinc.org or 703-486-0626.

In an effort to promote the use of energy-saving solar water heaters, Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment is launching a new initiative this fall. The group will organize volunteers to install solar water heaters for Arlington residents willing to shell out the cash to purchase the systems.

ACE is calling it their “Solar Raisers Program” — a take-off on Amish barn raisings. They’ve started recruiting members to volunteer on weekends for the day-long installations. They’re also looking for homeowners who are interested in the solar systems.

Homeowners who participate in the program will save $3,500 in labor costs, ACE says. They will still have to purchase the water heating system itself — which should cost about $2,300 after tax rebates. And they will have to provide food and drink to the volunteers.

“With the reduced labor costs, the system typically pays for itself in less than four years,” ACE noted in an email to supporters. ”This compares to a seven to nine year period payback a full-priced installation.”

Arlington homeowners interested in participating (and anyone who wants to volunteer) should contact Dan Conant at conantd [at] gmail.com or 571-243-0745.

Conant says he’s received 15 applications from homeowners and has about 30 volunteers who have expressed interest in helping out.

Photo via Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment

Believe it or not, it’s almost back-to-school time. With August just around the corner, the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless is seeking volunteers to help the children of homeless families get some new gear.

Specifically, AACH wants individuals or groups to commit to buying a complete outfit — pants, shirt, underwear, socks, shoes — for an individual student. The organization is also accepting donations of gift cards.

The deadline for donations is August 23. To donate, contact Katie Tressel (ktressel@aachhomeless.org).

Could you care for an special needs puppy or kitten for a few weeks, then have the heart to let it go? Even if he or she is as cute as Cooper? If so, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington needs your help.

They’re looking for “dedicated, energetic and patient foster parents to care for underage and underweight puppies and kittens, nursing mothers, and ill or injured animals.” From the listing on Volunteer Arlington:

Foster parents will care for shelter animals in their own homes on a temporary basis, typically between four and eight weeks. The foster program is flexible, and is open to all types of people, regardless of work schedule. The time commitment may range from a few days to a few weeks, from a few hours a day to round-the-clock care, depending upon the age and situation of each fosterling. The League will provide all supplies, necessary training, and veterinary care.

Prospective foster parents must be 18 or over. The only other requirement for the job is dedication and compassion.

If you’re interested, contact AWLA volunteer coordinator Lindsey Moon at 703-931-9241, ext. 245.

The Ethiopian Community Development Council is looking for a French speaker to communicate with recent immigrants about health issues. Specifically, the volunteer would help French-speaking African immigrants — mostly women — obtain screening for breast and colorectal cancer.

The organization, based near Columbia Pike, says the volunteer position would be ideal for a student or anyone else with a flexible schedule.

For more information contact Drishti Khatri at (703) 685-0510 x247.

Last month, a plan to move the Columbia Pike library to a new location was shelved. This month, the Columbia Pike library is looking for a shelver.

The library needs an assistant to help put books and AV items back on the shelves, while sorting by call number and genre.

If you’re interested in helping out, contact library volunteer coordinator Barbara Dean at 703-228-7688.

The teen program office of the Arlington parks department is looking for finance gurus who can explain to middle school-aged teens the importance of being smart with money.

Volunteers would make a presentation during a half day, teen-focused money workshop on July 15.

If you have a finance background and you’re interested in helping out, contact Mary McMullen at 703-228-4711.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is looking for a few good barristers.  Here’s the listing from Volunteer Arlington:

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness, seeks volunteer attorneys and law students to provide general legal information and referrals (not legal advice) to people affected by mental illness issues.

NAMI’s 1,100+ affiliates engage in advocacy, research, support and education. Its members are families, friends and people living with major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder.

Volunteers must have law degree or be in law school, have good oral and written communication skills, sensitivity to people affected by mental illness issues, and conscientious work habits. Must be available at least 4 hours a week between 10 am and 6 pm weekdays for, ideally, at least 6 months.

NAMI is located at 3803 N. Fairfax Drive, in Courthouse. Anyone interested in this opportunity should contact Maggie Scheie-Lurie at 703-516-0689.

Give to the World, an Arlington-based organization that helps the U.S. military conduct humanitarian relief efforts, is seeking volunteers to help box up supplies destined for Afghanistan.

Volunteers will meet at an area thrift shop to pack up clothes, shoes, blankets, stuffed animals and other donated items. The goods will then be sent to villagers in Afghanistan.

Adults and teens are welcome to volunteer for the effort, which will take place between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on June 13, June 27 and July 25.

Those interested in helping out should go to the organization’s web site or call Shannon Stapleton at 703-532-4734.