Category: Volunteer Opportunities

Cherith Brook is looking for volunteers next Saturday the 14th! They are a residential Christian community dedicated to hospitality, peacemaking, and sustainability. They offer temporary housing, showers, clothes, and a warm meal to anyone who needs it. They grow food, care for chickens and bees, and are always looking for more ways to get closer to the land.

Here’s the information for their monthly work day:

“We work from 9-11:30am and finish with lunch together at 12pm.   We have lots of jobs that require no prior experience.  We have a variety of inside and outside jobs, such as, sorting clothes/food, preparing lunch/breakfast, working in the garden, cleaning the chicken coop, etc.  Please let us know if you plan to help work the workday so we can plan tasks and jobs accordingly.  RSVP to cherithbrookkcmo@gmail.com.”

I received this email over the weekend from Alleen VanBebber:

“Thanks for being interested in this. As you know, the Shawnee Indian Mission (at Mission Road south of Bishop Miege and St. Agnes schools) has long been a Kansas State Historical Site. Last year, due to the famous Kansas financial problems, the State stopped all funding of activities at the site. Fortunately, Mayor Jerry Wiley and the City of Fairway (where the Mission is located), stepped up. The Mission is still a State historical site, but is funded by the City, the Mission’s Foundation, and volunteers, of which I am one.

For more than 30 years, the Mission has presented a Fall festival event on the third weekend in October.  It is a way to spotlight  the role and work of the Mission as a historical site  and to raise funds to help with ongoing expenses of maintaining the Mission premises.  The objective is to keep it open for the community and tourists to learn about and enjoy the experience of 19th century Kansas life.

The hours are 10-5 on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, there is a free folk and bluegrass concert on Friday night (with burgers and beverages for sale).   And there is a free campfire with singing and stories by the Missouri Trappers at dusk on Friday night.

Except for the City’s assistance, all of the planning and staffing of the event is volunteer labor.  This year, for the first time, we are asking for a $2.00 donation for those over 15.  The event is family friendly (although beer and wine are available this year. and geared especially toward children.  There are children’s games, a crafts tent for kids, displays of frontier cooking and frontier gardens, rides on a mule-driven wagon,  a cider press, an “encampment” of trappers, the Missouri Town Dancers, food trucks featuring “frontier-style” food, and a Boy-Scout rope climb.  There also are a number of folk artists and crafters selling their products, as well as some demonstrating how to make them.  This year, there are musicians performing all day in the West Building.  The ending event each day is a performance of Native American dances by the Haskell  Dancers from the Lawrence  campus.

There may be 4,000 or 5,000 people in attendance.  We are very short of help at this point.  Jobs may include manning a booth, helping with children’s games or at the craft tent, working the admission gates, helping me at the information/pop booth, picking up trash, running errands, etc.

Any help the JCCC students could give, or those from SM East, or any other folks you might know would be greatly appreciated.  If any potential volunteer will contact me at 816-769-6017 (cell), I can put them in touch with the volunteer scheduler.  They could work any hours they have available from 10-5 on Saturday or Sunday or both.  Thanks!”

 

For more information about Shawnee Mission Indian, visit their website. They are located at:

3403 W 53rd St
Fairway KS 66205-2654

Happy Monday JCCC!

Shawnee Community Services is a local food pantry and free clothing resource, serving the entire KC metro since 1982. They are looking for food donations and volunteers for the holiday season!

Needed by November 1st: 240 each spaghetti & canned spaghetti sauce & peanut butter & cream of mushroom soup & canned pumpkin

All items will be used for the Thanksgiving pantry dinner boxes distributed Nov 18th.  If you can help with these please let Marlisa or Sylvia know by email at shawneecommunityservices@gmail.com or call 913-268-7746

Volunteers needed to pick up bakery products & to sort donated household goods

Apply by contacting Marlisa at 913-268-7746 or walk in Mon/Tues from 2p – 4pm

I just met with Sean Swindler of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training at a meeting for the Autism Spectrum Support Club here on campus. What a great group! The club is inclusive, made up of JCCC students with Autism and their friends, peers, and supporters. The goal of the club is for all members to learn from one another, experience social activities, and develop friendships. The group includes both activities on campus and activities in the surrounding community.

They need volunteers at their meetings to help with social skills and social interactions. Usually they have a short meeting and then do some sort of activity, either on or off campus. Today they were on their way to tour JCCC’s athletic facilities and next time they’re taking a bus to the Oak Park Mall!

Swindler said they’re always looking for volunteers to help out every other Thursday at 3:30pm and that volunteers can commit to as few or as many meetings as they need. He also mentioned they’re happy to write recommendation letters for student volunteers!

For more information you can contact:

Sean Swindler, sswindler@kumc.edu, 913-897-8472

or

Carla Dodge, cdodge@jccc.edu, 913-468-8500 ext. 4248

MOCSA is an amazing organization that JCCC has partnered with many times in the past. They are always looking for volunteers that are dedicated to ending sexual violence in our society.

If you want to help sexual assault victims, spread awareness or help with fundraising – this is the place to go. Men and women alike above the age of 18 are welcome to volunteer.

For more information and to apply visit their Volunteer web page. Their next training sessions are on November 18th and 19th!

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series is the world’s largest, most successful fundraising and education event for breast cancer. Race for the Cure® truly makes an impact, with 100 percent of the net proceeds allocated to our mission:
• 75 percent of the net income stays in our community to help fund local programs offering breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment.
• The remaining 25 percent goes toward Susan G. Komen® Research and Training Grants program.
In addition to raising funds for the breast cancer movement, Race for the Cure® also increases awareness, celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

They need volunteers to help on race day, Saturday October 7th at Black & Veatch, 11401 Lamar Ave, Overland Park. Below is the list of volunteer jobs and a link to sign up!

*Environmental Team – Expo Area Set up trash boxes and monitor them in Expo area, replace trash bags when full and take bags to dumpsters. Pick up trash. Vinyl gloves will be provided.

October 7, 2017            3:00 PM – 7:00 PM                     13 volunteers needed

http://kansascity.info-komen.org/site/VolunteerMgmtUser?event_id=59640&job_id=59657&volunteermgmt.user=vm_event_details#jobdetailanchor

*Environmental Team – Race Route Walk the route cleaning up after walkers and runners, then pick up the bagged trash along the route throwing the trash bags into the trash truck. Also, do a walk through parking lot areas to make sure they are cleared of trash. Vinyl gloves will be provided, but you are welcome to bring work gloves. 

October 7, 2017            4:00 PM – 7:00 PM                     6 volunteers needed

http://kansascity.info-komen.org/site/VolunteerMgmtUser?event_id=59640&job_id=59661&volunteermgmt.user=vm_event_details#jobdetailanchor

*Muscle Men for the Cure Help in all areas of the Expo. Must be willing to lift heavy items, be able to go in different directions at a given time, be able to make the human chain for the survivors to walk through at a designated time from the survivors’ area to the stage area.

October 7, 2017           2:00 PM – 5:00 PM                  16 volunteers needed

October 7, 2017           5:00 PM – 9:00 PM                  18 volunteers needed

http://kansascity.info-komen.org/site/VolunteerMgmtUser?event_id=59640&job_id=59699&volunteermgmt.user=vm_event_details#jobdetailanchor

*Parking Lot Attendants Monitor pedestrians as they make their way through the parking lot and while crossing the road to the race and Expo area. There will be 3 attendants per crossing area.

October 7, 2017            2:00 PM – 4:30 PM                     19 volunteers needed

http://kansascity.info-komen.org/site/VolunteerMgmtUser?event_id=59640&job_id=64209&volunteermgmt.user=vm_event_details#jobdetailanchor

*Tear Down – Expo Area & Race Signs Will help dismantle and pack up the Expo area, as well as remove race signs along the course. May include lifting and carrying heavy boxes or items. Will also monitor trash boxes in Expo area, replace trash bags when full and take bags to dumpsters. Vinyl gloves will be provided.

October 7, 2017            7:00 PM – 10:30 PM                   40 volunteers needed

http://kansascity.info-komen.org/site/VolunteerMgmtUser?event_id=59640&job_id=64152&volunteermgmt.user=vm_event_details#jobdetailanchor

Happy volunteering!

I received this information today and it sounds like an amazing organization. Check it out:

About Little Warrior Princesses:

When Brandon and Cassandra Dickerson found out they were pregnant with twins, neither one of them expected to be in the delivery room at just 26 weeks. Their daughters, Ava and Olivia, entered the world weighing less than a pound each and with the odds stacked against them. Like all parents faced with a premature birth, Brandon and Cassandra were scared, unsure and overwhelmed. But their daughters were born with a fighting spirit. Miraculously, after four long months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kansas City’s St. Luke’s Hospital, Ava and Olivia were able to go home.

The experience of Ava and Olivia’s birth profoundly impacted the Dickerson’s, and the couple began looking for a way to give back. That’s when Little Warrior Princesses was born. The non-profit organization helps NICU families with transportation and food assistance during their extended stay at the hospital. Little Warrior Princesses seeks to offset some of those basic needs by providing gas and food gift cards to NICU families.

Current Volunteer Opportunities:

Currently LWP has two major ways in which you can help as a volunteer. The first way is through delivering gift cards to the families at the hospitals. We need people who have a reliable mode of transportation and who can preferably deliver to hospitals on Wednesdays and Thursdays. There are numerous hospitals in the KC area that we deliver to. It’s quick and easy! We provide you with the food and gas gift cards in our LWP bags and all you have to do is deliver them to the family, snap a quick picture for us to post on our Facebook page, and you’re done! The second need for volunteers is for our upcoming 2nd Annual Storybook Gala. On November 11th from 7pm-12am we will be hosting a Wizard of Oz themed Gala to raise money for our organization. We need various helping hands to ensure the event runs smoothly. This will be a fun evening to be a part of!

If you are interested in helping with either of these volunteer opportunities please email our founder at cassandra@littlewarriorprincesses.com or if you would like more information about LWP please visit our website at http://www.littlewarriorprincesses.com

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Did you know that you can volunteer at the Nerman Contemporary Art Museum on campus? They have a few different positions they’re hiring for right now. They are looking for help with receptions as well as assistants for their youth art classes.

Check out their website for more information!

Howdy! Next weekend in the Carlsen Center, JCCC is hosting the Kansas Cowboy Jubilee. This event looks like a ton of fun with music, dancing, and art and they need volunteers to help run the show! Check out the full program here.

They are looking for volunteers for the following activities:

1)      Assist in the courtyard with the mining for gold troughs and “Tiny Town” both are for small children.

2)      Outside, by the panning for gold,  need someone to “cash out” the gold by issuing fake money to the children.

3)     Participate in the Barn Dance and Ballet Folklorico de Topeka cowboy/cowgirl dance. Approximately 20 minutes of participation.

If you’re interested, make sure and contact Angel Mercier at amercier@jccc.edu.

Giddy up!

I visited Goodwill yesterday and met with their Volunteer Experience Specialist. I had no idea about all the great things they’re doing to help people overcome barriers to gain employment! They have a great range of duties for volunteers from conducting Mock Interviews to Helping in their “Career Corner” to put together professional outfits for job seekers. Really they have something for everyone!

Check out their website for a list of positions, their descriptions and availability:

http://www.mokangoodwill.org/volunteer 

YOU can make a difference by helping them with their mission of empowering people with disadvantages and different abilities to earn and keep employment through individualized programs and services.