Calling All Exceptional Volunteers
Our county abounds with amazing volunteers--and you probably a few of them. Recognize their service by nominating them for the 2017 Montgomery Serves Awards. This prestigious annual awards program, Montgomery County's highest honor for service, commends volunteers in the following categories:
- Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award, for lifetime service by residents age 60 and up
- Youth Achievement Award, for remarkable volunteers age 18 or younger
- Corporate Award, for outstanding volunteerism by a business
- Individual Community Service Award, for extraordinary volunteerism by an individual
- Group Community Service Award, for a group's noteworthy volunteer efforts
Award recipients will be honored at a gala ceremony attended by county and state dignitaries Monday, April 24, 6:30 pm, at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. Tickets are available at no charge, but
advance registration is required.
|
|
|
Interfaith Works
Helping County Residents Lift Themselves From Poverty
|
Volunteers from the Church of the Redeemer show off some of the gardening they accomplished at an Interfaith Works emergency shelter
|
Every day, hundreds of people in crisis in Montgomery County turn to
Interfaith Works, a non-sectarian coalition of more than 165 affiliated congregations of diverse faiths plus schools, community groups, and individuals, all working together to meet the needs of the poor and homeless. And Interfaith Works responds, providing a range of services aimed at helping people lift themselves out of poverty--everything from emergency shelter and longer-term supportive housing to clothing, home goods, and job training.
In fact, the nonprofit organization, founded in 1972, now assists more than 16,000 county residents annually. That means making a difference in the life of a schoolchild whose family cannot afford to provide a backpack and school supplies, in the life of a mom who has been laid off from work and worries that she and her family will be evicted from their home, and in the life of a man who has struggled for years living on the streets and worries he won't survive a harsh winter.
In addition to trained, professional staff members who lead the work to help individuals and families in crisis, Interfaith Works relies on the incredible support of thousands of volunteers each year who dedicate their time and provide donations that enable the agency to continue to enhance the lives of those whom they serve. There are
numerous opportunities available for volunteers of all age groups (young children, students, professionals, parents, retirees, and so forth) and from all backgrounds, cultures, and careers. Schools and other groups are also welcome.
Currently, the organization's greatest volunteer needs include
providing meals at the Interfaith Works Women's Center in Rockville and the Carroll House men's shelter in Silver Spring,
sorting and organizing donations at the Interfaith Works Clothing Center in Rockville, and
hosting a supplies drive for essentials such as cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, and toiletries for the Interfaith Works Empowerment Center in Silver Spring.
To sign up or learn more about volunteering with Interfaith Works, visit the organization's
online volunteer page,
email Yvonne Esipila, or call her at 301-315-1097.
|
|
FEATURED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
|
Put Your Heart Into Helping
|
February marks Valentine's Day and American Heath Month. What better time to demonstrate a little love for those in need? Here are just a few of the opportunities listed on the Volunteer Center's website. Check our calendar for more date-specific opportunities and our newest listings for those posted most recently. Or use the red box on our home page or at the top of this email to search for more opportunities.
These opportunities are pre-approved to provide MCPS Student Service Learning (SSL) hours--but they're not just for students! Other opportunities may be eligible for SSL hours; visit the MCPS SSL website to learn more.
|
|
Science Event Assistants: Saturday, Feb. 11, 8:30 am-4:30 pm, Silver Spring. Help
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff with activity and information booths and other guest assistance at the agency's annual open house, which draws about 1,500 visitors.
Email Laura Gutierrez or call 301-427-8452.
Indoor Play Day Crews: Sunday, Feb. 12, 12 noon-5 pm, Takoma Park. Set up the
city of Takoma Park's annual afternoon of indoor fun for kids, help with activities, and clean up at the end of the event.
Email John Webster or call 301-891-7225.
Daddy/Daughter Ball Volunteers: Saturday, Feb. 25, 5-9 pm, Damascus. Assist the
Stop Drop and Play Children's Museum with its annual formal event. Minimum age: 14; high school students preferred.
Email Kymberli Petronio.
Community Theater Ushers: Fridays and Saturdays, Feb. 24-25 and March 3-4, 7 pm; Sunday, Feb. 26. 12:30 pm; and Sunday, March 5, 1 pm, Rockville. Greet patrons, take tickets, hand out programs, and assist older guests into their seats for the
Victorian Lyric Opera Company's production of
La Perichole. Volunteers get to see the performance for free.
Email Amanda Jones.
Homeless Teen Clothing Drive Volunteers: Sunday, Feb. 26, 4-6 pm, Washington. Collect and sort professional clothing for homeless teens involved in the Convenant House Youth Shelter's job training program. Organized by the
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington's Young Leadership program. Minimum age: 16.
Register online,
email Lauren Kessler, or call 301-230-7292.
|
|
ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Mediators: Help local and national consumers resolve their disputes with businesses, service providers, and government agencies. Mediators answer calls and investigate cases from the Rockville offices of Call for Action, a nonprofit network of consumer hotlines. Training provided. A one-year commitment to serving a few hours once a week is preferred. Minimum age: 18. Email Edward Bartholme.
Grocery & Meal Packagers: Prepare and package meals and groceries for clients of Food & Friends, which delivers specialized, nutritious food and nutrition counseling for individuals facing cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other life-challenging illnesses. Volunteer shifts are generally scheduled 9 am-12 noon or 1-3 pm in Washington. Groups are welcome; many make this volunteer service a team-building activity. Email Beth Stewart or call 202-269-6878.
Learning Lab Monitors: Support and supervise students in
Family Services Inc.'s Keys to Success program, which serves pregnant and parenting high school and college students. Volunteers may be asked to offer homework support and are needed to staff the lab Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, 4-6 pm, in Gaithersburg. Minimum age: 21.
Email Mary Murphy or call 301-840-3183.
|
|
Volunteer From Home
Just as some businesses now allow their employees to telecommute, several local agencies offer opportunities to "tele-volunteer"! Some of these serve-from-home ideas go to organizations' regular volunteers, but some are up for grabs to new help. Here are a few:
Compile a quarterly newsletter for
Holy Cross Home Care and Hospice. Requires familiarity with electronic publishing software.
Email Dotti Moorman or call 301-754-7744.
Serve as a Spanish-English translator for
Gaithersburg HELP, which assists area residents with basic needs such as food, medicine, transportation to medical and social service appointments, and referrals to other agencies. Home-based translators handle voicemail messages left in Spanish, call clients, and schedule their support via an online system. Other Gaithersburg HELP volunteer-from-home opportunities include
food distribution coordinators,
grant writers, and
IT team members.
Email Patricia Bronson.
Assist with donation acquisitions for
Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland's ReStore locations in Silver Spring and Rockville. Donation acquisition interns research local businesses, solicit donations, and follow up with donors. Requires excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and basic computer experience. The organization is also seeking a
social media intern to regularly post to Twitter, Facebook, Craigslist, YouTube, Flickr, and Habitat's blog. Both positions require some hours in the store as well as volunteering from home. For the Rockville store,
email Alena Biagas or call 301-990-0014 x16. For the Silver Spring store,
email Heather Bouley or call 301-990-0014 x29.
For more ideas,
search our website for the keyword phrase "from home".
|
|
Thousands Serve the Community on MLK Day
More than 5,000 volunteers participated in MLK Day of Service activities throughout Montgomery County last month.
A huge thank you to everyone who made the day off into a day on and honored Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy by serving others. Working together at multi-project sites in North Bethesda, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, and Germantown, as well as individual service locations, our county's volunteers packed food for low-income families, donated blood, assembled toiletries kits for homeless individuals, made dog toys for animal shelters, bundled socks for hospitalized veterans, cleaned up streams, manned food drives, and much more!
|
|
Learn What It Takes to Be a Foster Parent
Have you ever thought about one of those ultimate forms of volunteerism--foster parenting? Get details about how foster care works, eligibility requirements, and the application process at an
information session sponsored by
Montgomery County Foster and Adoptive Parent Services on Thursday, Feb. 9, 6:30-9:30 pm, in Rockville. (Additional information sessions are scheduled for Thursdays, March 9, April 6, and May 11.)
Families are particularly needed to foster children 13 years old and up, teen mothers and their babies, sibling groups, babies and toddlers, and children with complex medical and/or behavior needs.
|
|
In Case of Snow ...
February is typically our region's snowiest month, and thus the time when elderly and disabled residents may need help with shoveling. You can volunteer to help your neighbors or sign up to get help with snow removal on
Snowcrew, an online service that matches volunteers and needs through a GPS-based database.
This grassroots neighbor-helping-neighbor site isn't coordinated by Montgomery County or the Volunteer Center, but the county is encouraging residents to give it a try. The more people that use it, the greater the tool's value!
|
|
Nominations Open for Education Service Awards
The Montgomery County Board of Education is now seeking nominees for its Distinguished Service to Public Education awards. This annual awards program recognizes exemplary contributions to public education in Montgomery County. Up to three awards will be presented in each of the following categories: community individual, community group, business, MCPS staff, school service volunteer, and individual pioneer.
|
Follow Us on Social Media and Get the Latest!
Learn about new and last-minute service opportunities, volunteer news, and information to inspire on the
Montgomery County Volunteer Center Facebook page. If you haven't already done so, Like us to get the latest information in your Facebook feed.
You can also stay connected through these links:
|
Subscribe to Our Partner Newsletters
The Montgomery County Volunteer Center is part of the
Office of Community Partnerships
, which works to strengthen the relationship between the Montgomery County government and the residents it serves, with special emphasis on underserved and emerging communities.
Subscribe to the monthly OCP newsletter
to keep up these activities.
Follow these links to subscribe to our other partner agencies' electronic publications:
|
Montgomery County Volunteer Center
240-777-2600
|
|