Category: Volunteer Opportunities

Every year the office of Community-Based Learning holds a volunteer fair to give nonprofits and students an opportunity to meet. This gives nonprofits the chance to spread the word about their volunteer needs and students the chance to find a place to give back.

This year, we’re doing things a little differently. For the VIRTUAL volunteer fair, I will be posting current volunteer opportunities every day from February 8-12. You can follow along here or on Instagram, @jccc_cbl. Through Instagram, JCCC students will have a chance to win prizes every day!

During this pandemic, many nonprofits need help more than ever. So make sure to subscribe and check back next week!

Happy volunteering!

Bridging the Gap’s mission is to work towards making the Kansas City region sustainable by connecting the environment, economy, and community. 

They are looking for volunteers for their various events and community service projects! 

Some of the upcoming opportunities include tree planting, WildLands restoration, helping out at community recycling centers!

Tree Planting

Need a breath of fresh air? Come out to plant trees to help improve Kansas City’s air quality for generations to come!

Location: Falcon Ridge neighborhood in Lenexa, KS

Date & Time: Friday, November 6th | 1pm-4pm

Register Here!

WildLands Restoration

Fall is a beautiful time to visit Rocky Point Glades in Swope Park! You can help remove invasive honeysuckle to conserve this unique ecosystem, then spend some time exploring!

Location: Rocky Point Glades in Swope Park

Date & Time: Saturday, November 7th | 9am-12pm

Register Here!

Community Recycling Centers

Still trying to figure out what can and can’t be recycled? Spend a few hours volunteering at the Community Recycling Center to up your recycling knowledge and help KC recycle better!

Location: North KCMO, South KCMO

Date & Time: Every Wednesday and Saturday 

Register Here!

*In response to Covid-19, all these opportunities will follow CDC guidelines. Volunteers will be required to wear a mask and social distance.

Can’t make any of these dates? Click here for a calendar with more volunteer opportunities with Bridging the Gap.

Happy Volunteering!

Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical gardens, are committed to creating an experience that embraces the Midwest’s spirit of place and inspires an appreciation for the importance of plants in our lives.

Festival of Lights is returning to Powell Gardens for the 4th year! Festival goers are able to walk a mile-long path through the gardens and experience a variety of immersive light displays.

They have an URGENT need of volunteers!

Dates: November 12th to January 3rd

Location: 1609 NW US Hwy 50, Kingsville, MO 64061

Volunteers will be needed to help with greeting guests, parking, and serving attendees.

Your safety is of utmost importance, CDC guidelines will be strictly enforced.

For helping, volunteers will be given a t-shirt, 2 free tickets to the festival, and dinner for those who work more than 3.5 hours.

There are 3 ways to get signed up!

1. Email volunteer@powellgardens.org with the dates you will be able to work    or
2. Call at 816-697-2600 ext. 304 and leave a message with the dates and times that work for you   or
3. Signup with the links provided below:

Nov. 9-12

Nov. 16-20

Nov. 23-27

Nov. 30-Dec. 4

Dec. 7-11

Dec. 14-18

Dec. 21-27

Dec. 28-Jan. 3

Half shifts (3.5 hours) are available upon request.

For more information, please contact Mikaela Papageorgiou, the volunteer coordinator.

Email: voluneer@powellgardens.org

Phone: 816-697-2600

Happy Volunteering!

Villa St. Francis is committed to caring for the elderly so that their last days are spent in comfort. They were founded in 1945 by the Sisters of Charity, and for the past 75 years, they have continued the same tradition of quality care to the citizens of Kansas. Their team is dedicated to compassionate care and comfort for residents and their families.

Villa St. Francis has begun to open their doors to volunteers again starting Monday, October 12!

They are seeking 10 volunteers to assist residents and their visiting loved ones.

Location: 16600 W 126th St, Olathe, KS 66062

CDC and St. Villa policy requires that volunteers be treated as staff members and will undergo weekly Covid-19 testing, free of charge.

Villa currently DOES NOT have any Covid-19 cases in the building.

If you are interested, please contact Amanda Myers for further details and scheduling:

Phone: (913) 747-0260 or (913) 490-9276

Email: VolunteerMail@volgistics.com

Notice: The building will not be open to volunteers unless they are scheduled with Amanda.

Duties would include:

• Assisting residents to and from their visit location
• Assisting family members to and from the visit location
• Monitoring visits while providing safe distance and privacy
• Making sure the families are going only to their designated location

Qualifications:

• Must be 18 years or older
• Must be able to push residents in wheelchairs

Happy Volunteering!

Bridging the Gap is holding a Kansas City Wildlands Restoration day this coming Saturday, September 26^th!

This ecological restoration opportunity will provide many educational moments while volunteers work to protect the biodiversity of the wildlands.

There will be guidelines set in place in order to uphold social distancing.

Location: Jerry Smith Prairie – South KCMO

Date & Time: Sept. 26^th from 1 – 4pm

During this workday, the team will be cutting and treating shrub honeysuckle that threatens the prairie. Tools and training will be provided. Online registration is required to participate.

If you are interested, please sign-up with this link.

If you have any questions, please contact Linda Lehrbaum, the Kansas City WildLands Program Manager, at Linda@bridgingthegap.org

Happy Volunteering!

Blessings Abound Thrift Store is in need of volunteers! They need help anytime between 9am and 6pm Monday through Friday, as well as 9am and 4pm on Saturday.

For more information about volunteering, check out their webpage.

Happy volunteering!

Safehome is a nonprofit organization and domestic violence shelter near you in Johnson County. They are looking for volunteers to staff a couple of upcoming fundraising events:

This event will take place at the Bowery in Spring Hill on September 17, 2020.  Volunteers would help with registration, games, the hat contest and so much more.  If you would like to volunteer for this event, please use this link to add your name to the list of volunteers:

The mission of Cross-Lines is to provide people in the Kansas City Area affected by poverty with services and opportunities that encourage self-confidence, meet the needs of today, and provide tools for future self-sufficiency.

They have been particularly busy during this pandemic, working extra hard to feed their neighbors and serving more people than ever before.

They can’t do this without the help of volunteers. I cannot stress enough that in-person volunteering should only be done by people who feel healthy enough to help others. Cross-Lines provides masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to all volunteers.

Here are three ways you can help:

Community Kitchen (lunch) – 10AM-1PM – Volunteers prepare and serve lunch to approximately 100 people. Clients are served through to-go window. Individuals accepted or groups of 2-5.

Senior Commodities – 9AM-12PM – Volunteers work assembly-line style to pack boxes of shelf-stable food for seniors in need. No contact with the public. Individuals accepted or groups of 4-8.

Community Garden – flexible times – Volunteers do various tasks in the Community Garden. No contact with the public. Individuals accepted or groups up to 5.

The days of availability depend on the month, but volunteers can use this link to sign up.  Questions can be sent to Christina Hofer, christina@cross-lines.org.

Operation Breakthrough is partnering with Crossroads Charter Schools and DeLaSalle Education Center to provide in-person summer school for 200 more students in Kansas City’s urban core.

For our last post of National Volunteer Week, we’d like to recognize Operation Gratitude. We appreciate all of the deployed troops, first responders, and emergency medical personnel working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in saying thank you to them!

Operation Gratitude is sending out care packages to deployed troops as well as first responders that include letters from those who appreciate their hard work and sacrifice in helping keep us safe. The mission of Operation Gratitude is to forge connections between civilians and  Military and First Responder heroes through volunteer service projects, acts of gratitude, and meaningful engagements in communities nationwide.

Show your appreciation with letters, notes, or drawings expressing your gratitude for their service. Check out their website for details and instructions on how to mail your packages.