VOLUNTEER NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE |
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"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." |
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Tutors Needed to Help Students Succeed |
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Help students of all ages build their skills for greater success this fall by serving as a mentor or a tutor.
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Be a literacy tutor for second graders: Assist Germantown Global Connection in its work to help 2nd graders improve literacy by reading in small groups of 2-3 students on Mondays and Tuesdays from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Stedwick Community Center in Montgomery Village. No prior experience is required. Participation in a 2-hour orientation session (September 12 and September 27 at 4:30 pm at the same location) and background check are required. To sign up for later sessions, call Norm at 240-750-8848 for the next orientation date.
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Be a tutor for a first-generation college student: Future Link is seeking tutors to assist Montgomery College students with a variety of subjects including ESL, writing, science (biology and physics), math (developmental and statistics), and accounting. Opportunities vary: one-time or weekly for a semester depending on the student's needs. If interested in learning more, complete this short form and a staff member will reach out to schedule some time to talk.
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SPOTLIGHT ORGANIZATION: CELESTIAL MANNA |
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Celestial Manna, a faith-based nonprofit that has been serving the community for almost 35 years, works in eight states to reduce food insecurity through food rescue and recovery. They work with restaurants, local farms, and grocery stores to take food that would otherwise be discarded, and deliver it "wherever the food is needed," says Deb Hopkins, Vice President for Marketing and Communications. That can mean women's shelters, pantries, military bases, congregational ministries, and senior centers.
Celestial Manner works to rescue food that approaches or exceeds the recommended "sell-by" date but is still edible for a few more days. The majority of this food is thrown away, clogging landfills. In 2020 alone, they rescued 6,107,721 pounds of food.
The organization grew out of the efforts of Charlie Mann, who at the time was a young educator looking to supplement the food on this table for his family. As he began reaching out to local food purveyors with success, he shared what he got with school families and the broader community. They now supply monthly support to 20,000+ in the state of Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia locally, but also in Minnesota, Nevada, and California. \
As an all-volunteer, virtual organization, Celestial Manna is dependent on its 300+ volunteer pool. It is currently looking to build that pool to have more long-term volunteers who are willing to stay at least six months plus. This includes field positions -- the front-line work with the community where volunteers get to see the results of their work. The Operations area is the largest volunteer segment of Celestial Manna. This group helps with strategies and processes to coordinate the pickup and distribution of food to the needy.
Ms. Hopkins says that they are looking for volunteers that have both the attitude and the willingness to serve and that they are hard workers, passionate about making a difference. They are looking for skilled volunteers in all areas from technical, financial, communications and marketing, and operations backgrounds, to support their efforts. Their current opportunities for volunteers are listed on the MCVC website. This is an organization that would benefit from 50+ volunteers who are looking to use specialized skills and those who seek to make a difference in the community on the issue of food security. |
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FEATURED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES |
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Virtual Mentor Recruitment Event September 14 |
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As part of its mentor recruitment outreach this fall, Future Link, Inc. is partnering with MENTOR MD/DC to host a virtual mentor recruitment event for volunteers in the DMV on Wednesday, September 14 at 6:30 pm. About 20 local nonprofits will join to share their respective mentoring opportunities. Visit wwwmentorrecruitmentfair.com for more information. |
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Volunteer for These Outdoor Events This Month!
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September is a great month to begin or renew a commitment to serving your community. Find hundreds of ways to serve, including the opportunities below, on the Volunteer Center website. To focus your volunteer interests, use the red search box at the top of this email or visit our All Opportunities page and select one or more search filters (hidden under the wrench symbol when viewing on a mobile device) and/or keywords to narrow the results. Below you will see a number of outdoor events that |
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ROCKVILLE WEED WARRIORS: Join Rockville Weed Warrior Leaders for a non-native, invasive plant removal workday at Dawson Farm Park. Volunteers under 14 must always be accompanied by a responsible adult. Volunteers under 16 may only use tools if their parent/guardian is present and at the parent/guardian's discretion. For details and questions, please contact Weed Warrior Leader Chuck Woolery at 240-997-2209. or chuck@igc.org.
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PARADE EVENT VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers are needed to help with the Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival on Sunday, September 25, rain or shine. The event will have more than 40 booths of original art, continuous performances from 12-5 pm, art demonstrations, and children's art activities. Volunteers are needed to help with activities such as manning the parade route, helping performers, and working with children's activities. Volunteers must attend one 2-hour orientation on either September 17 or 18 at 2 pm. SSL hours will be provided for orientation. Orientation will be held at the WAP Gallery at the Westfield Wheaton Shopping Center. Click here to see the festival map; click here to see the parade route. Register by September 16. Contact Dan Thompson at Danthompson@wheatonartsparade.org. |
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RIDE DAY OR PRE-RIDE DAY VOLUNTEERS: The 13th Annual Lymphoma Research Ride on October 2nd needs volunteers to put together registration packets, help with route marking, staff registration, set up and check-in, clean-up, serve as bike marshalls, and other roles. The ride starts at The Barnesville School and goes through Poolesville, Dickerson, and Beallsville, around Sugarloaf Mountain to Boyds, and back to Barnesville. Volunteers can do shifts or the full day. To volunteer, sign up here. For more information, please contact Robin Richman. |
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Opportunities marked with the graduation cap icon meet the MCPS guidelines for 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.
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Are you over age 50 and looking for ways to contribute significant time and talent to serving our community?
Our advisors can help you find your best volunteer fit! Watch our video to learn more.
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Senior Fellow Gretchen Zekiel Departs to
Join Md State Delegate's Staff;
Volunteer Beth Isen Retires
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We bid a fond farewell to Gretchen Zekiel, who, after seven years, left the Volunteer Center in June to join the staff of a Maryland State Delegate. Gretchen began working at the Volunteer Center in 2015 as the RSVP Manager, primarily responsible for managing the RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program. Beginning in 2018 as a Senior Fellow, she worked with colleague Deborah Missal to develop, launch, manage, and grow the 50+ Volunteer Network program, recruiting skilled volunteers and matching them with nonprofits needing assistance.
During the early stages of the pandemic, Gretchen moved to a new position as the Senior Fellow in charge of Emergency Management and Agency Support. She worked with the new County Consolidation Hubs focused on food access and established the Community Ambassador program, in conjunction with the Office of Community Partnerships, to provide volunteers for vaccine and other public interest outreach efforts. In addition, she supported the more than 1,000 nonprofits registered with the Volunteer Center with volunteer recruitment efforts. We wish Gretchen success in her new role.
Beth Isen, the smiling face of the Volunteer Center at many public events, is retiring after many years of community service. She joined the Volunteer Center in 2009 when she saw a notice advertising MLK Day and the need for volunteers on a listserv. A former social worker, Beth was intrigued by the role as an ambassador to inform the public about the Volunteer Center. Her many outreach engagements included being the public face at Montgomery College Volunteer Fairs and the Montgomery County Public School Back to School Fair, speaking at senior centers, and assisting with the MCVC MLK Day. Beth would often tell people, "I had the best volunteer job" and credits former colleagues Kathleen Meaney Stobie and Molly Callaway for their mentorship.
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2022-23 School Year Student Service Learning |
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All Montgomery County Public Schools students must earn 75 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours to graduate from high school. Middle school and high school students can work towards this requirement by engaging in in-person and select virtual remote opportunities during the 2022-2023 school year.
Students may find SSL organizations and opportunities on the Volunteer Center website; these organizations and opportunities are identified with the blue MCPS SSL graduation cap icon. Virtual opportunities can be found here.
All SSL Activity Verification Forms for service completed during the summer of 2022 should be turned in to the school’s SSL coordinator by the recommended due date of September 23, 2022. All SSL forms for service completed during the summer of 2022 and the 2022-2023 school year should be turned in to the school's SSL coordinator no later than the required deadline of June 2, 2023.
Middle school students are also encouraged to work towards earning the Superintendent’s SSL Award by completing the 75-hour graduation requirement while in middle school, and high school seniors are encouraged to work towards earning the Certificate of Meritorious Service (and accompanying purple tassel) by earning 240 or more SSL hours. Any SSL Activity Verification Forms documenting SSL hours for these two SSL awards must be submitted to the school’s SSL coordinator no later than the required deadline of March 30, 2023.
Students may view the full details of their SSL record on Student/ParentVUE by following the step-by-step directions provided here. Students may also access SSL forms, guidelines, resources, and more at the MCPS SSL Hub for Students/Families.
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Subscribe to Our Partner Newsletters |
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Follow these links to subscribe to our other partner agencies' electronic publications:
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Montgomery County Volunteer Center
240-777-2600
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Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved. |
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