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October 2015 - Twin Cities |
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We need your input! Be on the lookout for our upcoming DGT communications survey, which will be emailed to you mid-October. We appreciate your feedback!
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Rake a Difference Day
Community Thread
Date/Time: Saturday, October 24, 9am - noon. We encourage groups to rake yards between 9am - noon, but group leaders are welcome to work with homeowners to schedule another raking time prior to or following the event. The inclement weather date for the event is Saturday, October 31.
Location: Seniors' yards around Washington County
Make a difference in your community by helping seniors and individuals with disabilities remain independent in their homes. Volunteer with Community Thread for Rake a Difference Day on Saturday, October 24 (known as Make a Difference Day nationwide!) to rake the yard of a fellow community member. This is a great family-friendly opportunity to connect with local seniors and enjoy a morning outdoors. Locations are available throughout Washington County. Volunteers should bring their own rakes and gloves; homeowners provide leaf bags.
Ages: Open to all ages; volunteers 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult (one adult per every five children age 12 and under).
Time Commitment: Three hours or until yards are finished.
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Twin Cities CureSearch Walk
CureSearch for Children's Cancer
Date/Time: Sunday, October 4, afternoon. Exact times will vary depending on volunteer task.
Location: Lake Phalen in St. Paul
CureSearch Walk unites the community and local hospitals to walk towards ending children's cancer. The Walk celebrates families who have been affected by children's cancer, and is family-friendly and fun. Volunteers are needed to help with registration, set up, tear down, refreshments, cheer stations, T-shirts, form Walk Teams, etc.
Ages: Everyone can participate in the walk. Families with children ages three and older can help distribute T-shirts, participate at cheer stations, and hand out refreshments. Setup and tear down volunteers must be at least 12; registration volunteers must be at least 16.
Time Commitment: Between two and seven hours, depending on activity
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Mentor a Child
Kids 'n Kinship
Date/Time: Ongoing opportunity
Location: Your home or the community
Kids 'n Kinship matches volunteer mentor families, couples, & individuals with youth ages 5-16 in need of additional positive role models for fun and enriching weekly activities. Mentoring Works! Please consider stepping forward today to mentor a child with your family. We are based in Dakota County and have served families in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville & Rosemount for 42 years. Matches are made based on compatible personalities, ages and interests as well as preferences of both volunteer family and the youth and parent/guardian. Our families say that mentoring together ensures they have weekly family time and that it's easy to include another child with the family activity, whether it's a board game, sledding, a trip to a park, or going to the zoo or a museum. We offer discounted passes to area attractions to make activities more affordable, a 45-minute information session, a 2-hour training session, as well as ongoing training and support. We ask mentors and mentees to commit to a year's time together in order to build their relationship; however, many of our matches become lifelong friendships and our average match is about 3 years. Please consider being a mentor to a child - it is one of the most challenging and rewarding ways to volunteer!
Ages: Mentors are families, couples, or individuals over 21
Time Commitment: One to four hours per week, on your own time (very flexible scheduling: can be weekends, evenings or after school)
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Prairie Planting in Mendota Heights
Great River Greening
Date/Time: Saturday, October 3, 8:30am - 12:30pm
Location: The Dodge Lilly Property, 680 Highway 110, Mendota Heights. The Dodge Lilly Property is located on Highway 110 between Dodd Rd and Delaware Ave in Mendota Heights. Parking for the event will be available in the Mendota Church of Christ parking lot at 680 Highway 110, Mendota Heights.
Join Dodge Nature Center and Great River Greening in a prairie planting event to accelerate prairie restoration, increase diversity, and provide nectar sources for pollinators at Lilly Prairie, a locally famous jewel for hiking. Prior to European settlement, Minnesota boasted more than 18 million acres of prairie. Today, less than two percent remains. Join us as we work with neighbors and other community volunteers to help this secluded gem return to ecological health.
Ages: Families are welcome to volunteer
Time Commitment: Four hours
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Rake the Leaves Fall Clean Up
HOME Program of Senior Community Services
Date/Time: Pick your own date and time, starting in mid-October (depending upon the weather).
Location: Yard cleanup at a senior's house in any of the following communities: Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, Mound, New Hope, Orono, Osseo, Plymouth, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Shorewood, Spring Park, St. Louis Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata, and Woodland.
Leaves do fall. Improve your health while helping a senior citizen remain independent in their home! Volunteer tasks include yard work, leaf raking, window washing, weeding, garage sweeping and cleanup. The Household & Outside Maintenance for Elderly (HOME) Program of Senior Community Services provides affordable home maintenance and chore services to help seniors age 60+ continue to live independently in their own homes in 29 Hennepin County communities.
Ages: Families with children age seven and older are welcome to volunteer.
Time Commitment: Varies, feel free to volunteer once or multiple times.
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Help Clean and Refurbish Used Bikes
Free Bikes 4 Kidz
Date/Time: Bike Donation Day, Saturday, October 10, 9am - 6pm. Shifts are 9am - noon, 11:30am - 3:30pm and 3 - 6pm.
Bike repair and cleaning shifts: October 12 - December 5, shifts are scheduled 9am - noon, noon - 3pm, 3 - 6pm and 6 - 9pm.
Location: Health hospitals and clinics on Saturday, October 10th, from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Exact Mall of America location for Bike Repair volunteers will be sent via email with map and directions.
Volunteers are needed to haul, move and organize over 5,000 FB4K bikes! Bikes will be transported to the FB4K warehouse at the Mall of America to be staged for cleaning and fixing. Join the Cleaners, Preppers, or Mechanics for a shift to repair bikes. We love folks with mad bike repair skills, but if you and your family members are handy with rags, we'd be happy to put you to work. We need volunteers of all skill levels to help us move and clean bikes. This is a fun activity for a family to do together!
Ages: Children age eight or older with adult supervision are welcome to volunteer. Youth groups with ages older than 12 are welcome, but we ask for a 1:5 adult to child ratio.
Time Commitment: Three to four hours
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Senior Chore Program Fall Clean Up
Northeast Youth & Family Services (NYFS)
Date/Time: Arrange a time between October 25 and November 7 that works for you.
Location: Seniors' home in Shoreview and White Bear Lake
Northeast Youth & Family Services Senior Chore Program is having their annual Fall Cleanup for seniors in need. Volunteers are needed to spend a few hours improving the lives of area seniors and help them live independently for as long as possible. Rake and bag leaves, pick up debris, sweep sidewalks and bring in lawn furniture for seniors who are no longer able to complete these tasks themselves. If possible, bring a rake and work gloves! Please dress for the weather.
Ages: Families with children of all ages can participate.
Time Commitment: Up to four hours
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Fall Yard Clean Up
DARTS
Date/Time: Pick your own date and time between October 24 through November 7.
Location: Seniors' homes in West St. Paul/South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Farmington or Rosemount
Families can play a crucial role in helping older homeowners in Dakota County area by raking and bagging up leaves this fall. This is a great way for families of all ages to spend time together and connect with a senior. Please bring rakes and gloves.
Ages: Families with children ages five and older are welcome to participate.
Time Commitment: Two to three hours per yard.
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Beat Back the Buckthorn
Three Rivers Park District
Date/Time: Friday, October 16, 9am - noon; Saturday, October 17, 9am - noon; Saturday, October 31, 9am - noon.
Location: Tierney's Woods, Hyland Lake Park Reserve 8163- 8319 Highwood Dr, Bloomington
Help preserve forests and woodlands by removing buckthorn. With no natural controls, this invasive species produces a dense shade that prevents the establishment of native habitat. Volunteers work in wooded areas with uneven terrain and use different methods of removal such as loppers, handsaws, and handwork via pulling younger plants.
- Removal sites are off trail and/or may be in remote areas of the park. Therefore, volunteers must arrive on time or early at the designated meeting location. The group is then led to removal sites.
- Volunteers must come prepared for the weather and bring something to drink (and snacks, if desired). Water and restroom facilities are NOT on site and require a drive to nearby Hyland Park Reserve at Richardson Nature Center.
- Training, equipment, and spare gloves are provided at the start of each session, but it is recommended to bring your own preferred work gloves.
- Dress to get dirty and wear comfortable, sturdy closed-toe shoes (no sandals) with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
- Be aware that poison ivy, ticks, mosquitoes, hornets, etc. may be found in some areas of our parks. Use bug spray, learn to identify and avoid poison ivy and check after walking through vegetation.
Ages: Families with children ages eight and older are welcome to participate. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Time Commitment: Three hours
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Food Packing- Youth & Family Service Day
Second Harvest Heartland West
Date/Time: Saturday, November 7, 9 - 11:30am, or 12:30 - 2:30pm. Plan to arrive 10 minutes prior to the start of your volunteer shift. That will give you plenty of time to check in, hang up coats and secure purses and jewelry in lockers.
Location: 6325 Sandburg Rd. Suite 1700, Golden Valley
Youth Service Days are focused on opening our doors to youth groups and families with youth for a high-energy and fun service opportunity. Volunteers sort and repack donated food into consumer size packages. This activity includes a variety of positions, so there are jobs for a variety of ages and abilities. These repackaged items then go to our partner agencies, such as food shelves and soup kitchens that serve our hungry neighbors. We hope you will join the fun!
Ages: This opportunity is available to youth ages eight and older. Adults who bring infants and children under eight years old will not be able to volunteer.
Time Commitment: Two hours
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Clean Up Your Neighborhood
Nicodemous Wilderness Project
Date/Time: Flexible
Location: Pick a location to clean up in your community
Fall winds are sending wayward wrappers flying out of open car doors and fluttering school papers out of our hands. In spring, everyone is in the mood for neighborhood clean up, but by October, the Earth Day influence seems to have worn off. Recommit to cleaning up during your fall walks. Clear out litter from a section of park, beach, vacant lot or your own neighborhood. Take all necessary precautions, including wearing sturdy gloves, being careful on riverbanks or near roads, having adults handle dangerous items and supervising children closely. You can pick your favorite walk and do a one-time sweep, or make clean up a regular family event. Take a few digital photos of what you've picked up. Then have your family send an essay about your experience along with your favorite photo, your names, age(s) and address to [email protected]. Your essay will be published on the
Nicodemus Wilderness Project website, your children's names will appear in the Registry of Apprentice Ecologists, and you'll get an official certificate. Visit the DGT™
Clean Up Your Neighborhood project page for reflection ideas, book suggestions, and ways to take this project further.
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
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DGT WORKSHOPS
Did you know? Doing Good Together™ offers engaging workshops that are perfect for parent groups. We offer two popular topics:
Both provide attendees with dozens of ideas for fun, meaningful activities that fit easily into families' lives. The format includes discussion, problem solving, and idea sharing. We have presented to schools, faith communities and community groups, both locally and nationally, for over 10 years. For more information, contact Jenny at [email protected].
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| This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations.
© 2015 Doing Good Together™
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