Individual Volunteer Opportunities
The Volunteer Center can link you to hundreds of volunteer opportunities that match your skills, interests and time. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Center at (816) 559-4667. The following highlighted opportunities are ongoing, unless otherwise dated:
MAY 2012
1. The Days of Action for Health are right around the corner! Groups of five or more people can participate in this service event on Saturday, June 2. Days of Action is United Way’s commitment to impacting the community and generating excitement for people in the Kansas City area to give, advocate and volunteer. Please click here to sign up to host a project or to volunteer.
2. Volunteers 13 years old (with an adult) are needed to serve as dog and cat socializers, help with office duties and assist with the foster care and humane education programs.
3. The Green Impact Zone and the Brush Creek Community Partners are hosting ’Meet Me At The Bridge’, a street festival celebrating the completion of the Troost Avenue Bridge over Brush Creek, on Saturday, May 5 from 5:00 – 11:00 pm Volunteers will assist with event set up and tear down, family activities and other tasks. This event is in the Troost Corridor, the target area for the Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI), a collaborative effort of the United Way of Greater Kansas City and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
4. Several volunteer opportunities are available through this senior-targeted organization, including lunch set-up and clean up, assisting the planning team or the newsletter, and serving as a guest speaker/teacher or registration host.
5. Twenty volunteers ages 17 and up are needed to sort donations for this Lee’s Summit organization’s thrift store. Flexible hours are available. Tasks can include merchandise display and preparing products,cleaning, inspecting and pricing donated items.
6. The RSVP program is hosting a community blood drive on Wednesday, May 9 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Ivanhoe Council, 3700 Woodland Avenue. Please book your appointment at www.savealifenow.org, enter code RSVP. This event is in the Troost Corridor, the target area for the Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI), a collaborative effort of the United Way of Greater Kansas City and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
7. The MFCAA Compassionate Adult Role-models Encouraging Success (CARES) Program was created to meet an ever-increasing need in the Greater Kansas City Community for at-risk youth in the foster care system to have one-on-one guidance to keep them from the path of crime, drug abuse, homelessness, and ultimately incarceration. Twenty volunteer mentors ages 21 and older will provide guidance to the youth in the areas of building social and emotional connections two hours per week. Orientation and training will be provided.
8. The Ozanam Golf Classic will be held at the Ironhouse Golf Club in Leawood on Monday, May 14. Two hole-in-one attendants are needed at four holes from 11:00 am – 5:30 pm (this shift can be split up). Putting contest attendants are needed from 9:30 – 11:45 am to explain the rules of the putting contest, take entry tickets and other tasks. You will need to bring your own sunscreen and outdoor chairs. All volunteers will receive a goody bag and lunch from Panera Bread.
9. A large group of 15-25 volunteers is needed to place gravel around the shrubs and walkways of the building. You must be at least 17 years old. Great teambuilding project!
10. Volunteers are needed to serve as Shuttlecart drivers inside or outside the museum. Shuttlecarts are electric golf carts that make it easier for museum visitors to move through the museum space. Indoor drivers sign up for a regular ongoing schedule; outdoor drivers are needed for a limited time to support the museum’s newest featured exhibition. You must be at least 21 years old and willing to volunteer twice per month. This is a great opportunity for anyone who loves art and wants to help as many people as possible connect with the museum's art treasures.
11. Drivers are currently being recruited to deliver meals to the homebound in Clay County. You must be available 1.5 hours per week from 10:45 am – 12:15 pm, and have a valid driver’s license and car insurance.
12. Food preparation volunteers are needed at a Midtown food pantry. You must be 16 years old and older, and will assist with food preparation for over 50 people, serve food and clean up the kitchen and dining areas on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. A volunteer is also needed once a week Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday mornings to pick up food from Harvesters for the Wednesday meal and food pantry. The chef will accompany the volunteer to Harvesters to select food.
13. A shed kit was recently purchased by a South Kansas City social service organization to store gardening tools, and a few people with construction skills are needed to build it. The work must be done as soon as possible, and can be built on a weekend.
14. The family empowerment program is hosting two events at the Choteau Courts location. The Mother’s Day Tea and Luncheon will be held Tuesday, May 15 from Noon – 2:00 pm. Volunteers will assist with serving food, greeting and decorating the venue. Poets, singers and dancers are also encouraged to participate. A Field Day and Carnival is scheduled for Thursday, May 24 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Volunteers are needed to be game facilitators, face painters, monitor the bouncy house and other tasks. A clown and a DJ are also needed.
15. Powell Gardens now has a 14-passenger tram to help people see and enjoy the Heartland Harvest Garden. Volunteer drivers need to be 18 and older, must have a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record and a friendly personality. Daily shifts are available from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm or 1:00 – 4:00 pm, starting Saturday, May 19. Volunteers are also still needed to help in the Heartland Harvest Garden, a garden of edible landscape.
