March of Dimes – March for Babies

The March of Dimes, March for Babies is coming to Kansas City on April 28, and they need volunteers!

The March for Babies raises money to expand programs and educate medical professionals to make sure that moms and babies get the best possible care. By marching or volunteering, you not only help to raise money, but you also advocate for policies that prioritize their health. You fund research to find solutions to the biggest health threats. And you support moms through every stage of the pregnancy journey, even when everything doesn’t go according to plan.

Volunteering at a race is so much fun and there are a lot of different areas that need help. Here is a list of volunteer roles:

Clean-Up – Assist with breaking down the event, bringing all supplies used at your station to the truck, box break down, trash clean up, break down table and chair, gather all signs used for the event, collect any rope or stakes, make sure all portable trash and recycle bins have been collected and returned to the truck. 1pm – 2 pm (10)

Event Registration – Greet attendees, register walkers, provide event info. 8am – 11am; 35 volunteers

Event Set-Up – Assist with setting up tables, chairs, tents, signs, stakes, rope, dress all tables with tablecloths, hang banners, unloading event supplies to all areas and stations. Unloading truck is 6am – 7am; (10); Tent set up 7am-9am (6); Banner setup 7am – 9am (6); Tablecloths 7am-9am (4).

Family Team Assistance – Assist family teams unloading and loading, volunteers will drive carts to help family team. 7:30am – 9:30am (2) 11am – 2pm (2)

First Aid, Information & Lost Kids Tent – Work with the radio operators and staff where lost children are brought to or where parents come to looking for their lost child. 9am-1pm; (2) 

Food – Food truck load in, be available to answer questions, be point of contact for the food truck vendors, and have trucks breakdown/out by 2pm. 8am – 1pm (2)

Kids Zone – Collect waivers for all kid activities for the Kids Zone station, provide each child with a wristband, assist children entering/exiting at each inflatable for safety. 8:30am – 12:30pm; 11am – 2pm (25) for each shift (50) total.

Route – Provide direction to walkers and route safety, hand out water with high energy for walker/runners to keep them going! 10am – 12pm (6) (3 at each station)

Traffic Control – Direct traffic to the appropriate garage and keep cars off the route. Parking – At the garages north of Paige field, direct traffic into and out of the garages including sending cars to the next garage once one garage become full. 7:30am – 12pm (6) 11am – 2pm (6)

Trash – Assist with setting up the portable trash and recycle bins throughout the event area on Paige field and route. Monitor bins throughout the event and empty full bins. At the end of the event, empty all bins and return them to the truck. 9am- 1pm (10)

Volunteer Check-In – Check-in volunteers as they arrive for their shifts and distribute volunteer t-shirts to volunteers as they check-in for their shifts. am – 1pm (2)

Water – Water station setup on Paige field, providing water to walker/runners and keeping water troughs stocked. Water station setup 7am – 9am (2); Water troughs on Paige field 8am – 12pm (3); 11am – 2pm (3)

Why I Walk Tent – Making sure attendees have their beads and the sticker bibs are distributed. 9am – 1pm (2)

If you’re interested, contact Ashlee J. Sundermann at ashlee.sundermann@apo.org.

Happy Volunteering!

The Whole Person Yard Clean-Up Project

The Whole Person is a local agency that provides services to people with disabilities and their families and strives to help them identify and implement resources appropriate to their situation.

Yard maintenance can be a tough situation for people with disabilities.  Planting Independence is an event in the Kansas City area that provides assistance with general yard clean-up for people with disabilities. TWP partners with volunteer groups to perform low to moderate risk activities such as mowing, raking, weeding, and planting. Work will be at the pre-selected homes of TWP consumers.

This activity with our volunteers helps TWP consumers get a handle on their yards and avoid unnecessary fines from the city where they live. This is an excellent volunteer opportunity for individuals, families, clubs, schools, scouts, organizations, and businesses who are looking for an activity to give back, be outdoors, and serve individuals in our community that live with disabilities.

Contact Kelly Grooms at 816-627-2232 or kgrooms@thewholeperson.org to sign up and help! Or visit www.thewholeperson.org/plant.

Happy volunteering!

Reach Out and Read Volunteer Opportunity

Reach Out and Read is a great organization that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. I received this opportunity from them recently, check it out!

Hi Volunteers!

We are approaching the end of our big Hooked on Books drive, and we could really use your help sorting the thousands of gently-used books that schools around the region have collected for us.

We’re holding a big sorting party on March 23rd from 9 a.m. – Noon at the ROR-KC offices, and we’ll be providing lunch to thank you for the hard work.

There are a variety of tasks, but some will involve lifting fairly heavy boxes of books.

We’re looking for 35-40 volunteers, so if you’re interested, we’d love to have you!

When: Saturday, March 23rd from 9 a.m. – Noon

Where: Reach Out and Read KC – Conference room 121 in the Support Services Building on the Kansas University Medical Center Campus, 2100 W. 36th Ave., KC, KS.

The Support Services Building is right across from the Post Office. You can park in the visitor parking spots or the adjacent lot.

Please email Marianne Sharp (msharp5@kumc.edu) if you are interested!

Happy Volunteering!

Uplift Volunteer Opportunity!

Uplift is a homeless outreach program founded in 1990. They are a completely volunteer- run group that  survives by donations and your personal commitment to feed and clothe the area’s homeless.

Their mission:

“We who acknowledge God’s providence and fidelity to his people, especially those in poverty, do dedicate our efforts toward the support of those who are homeless. Our goal is to deliver those basic human needs, care and compassion that are not usually received from other organizations.”

A lot of what Uplift does is make and deliver meals to the Kansas City homeless population – and they always need help, so make sure to check out their volunteer webpage to find out more.

They are also currently looking for groups to come to the warehouse to make candles! If you’re interested, call 816-241-0060.

Happy Volunteering!

Cherith Brook Catholic Worker Workday

The monthly Cherith Brook Catholic Worker workday is coming up on March 9, 2019! They will put you to work cooking lunch, sorting food and clothing donations, cleaning, working outside (weather permitting) etc.  Afterward, they have a lunch and table fellowship for everyone.

Please RSVP by March 4th so they can plan projects accordingly.    You can call (816) 241-8047 or email at cherithbrookkcmo@gmail.com.  They are located at 3308 E. 12th  KC, MO  64127.

Happy volunteering!

Johnson County Corrections Volunteering

Today I want to write a post about a cause that’s close to my heart. We all volunteer for different reasons, for different causes, and in different ways. The trick is to find an opportunity that fits your reasons, that’s for a cause you care about, and to help in a way that’s meaningful to you. When you’ve checked off those three things, you’ll know because you’ll be excited to keep going back. 

For me, one cause that I’m particularly passionate about is reducing recidivism. Recidivism is the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend. I think many people are capable of turning their life around, but often there are outside circumstances that keep them from doing so. I believe that rehabilitation and reducing recidivism – not just punishment – should be in the mission of every correctional facility. Johnson County is lucky to have a correctional facility like that. Here is their mission statement:

Johnson County Corrections supervises juvenile and adult offenders through progressive, effective and sound correction, rehabilitation, and recidivism reduction programs. The Corrections department forges partnerships to bridge the gap between offenders and the community by encouraging client responsibility and behavioral change. 

Another thing that’s awesome about Johnson County Corrections is that their volunteer opportunities are flexible. I also happen to be an artist, so helping people through art is very meaningful to me. When I reached out to the volunteer coordinator about teaching art to their clients, I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when she was as excited as I was! I have been teaching art classes there for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it! I go in twice a month and work with the adults. They are always so excited to see me and they are so grateful! I get about 20 ‘thank you’s’ a class. Every time I leave, I can’t wait to go back. 

I hope that everyone who reads this blog can find opportunities like this – opportunities that are meaningful to you and that serve a cause you care about! 

If Johnson County Corrections peaked your interest, make sure to visit their webpage and check out ways to get involved

 Happy Volunteering!

Tara

Bra Couture KC

Sharon Butler Payne from Bra Couture KC spoke at JCCC today and was so inspiring. She founded Bra Couture KC in 2011 and it has made such a huge difference in the Kansas City area since then. Her passion for helping cancer survivors is so evident and contagious. If you haven’t heard of this great organization, keep reading, here’s a little background info and how you can help!

The mission of Bra Couture KC is to provide life-empowering services to uninsured and underinsured individuals in the greater Kansas City area who have been touched by all cancers.

Their signature annual event is a unique and fun auction and runway show featuring cancer survivors modeling eclectic couture designed bras to celebrate their triumph over cancer. A tribute to survivors’ fighting spirit, Bra Couture KC donates funds to Kansas City service providers, such as the University Of Kansas Cancer Center, who support uninsured/underinsured men, women, and children touched by all cancers and has raised close to $2m in the past eight years.

This event is totally volunteer driven! If you want to help, click here to see their volunteer opportunities.

You can also help by creating and donating a bra! The deadline is coming up on March 1st, but we all might be stuck indoors this weekend due to weather, what better way to pass the time then to lend your artistic abilities to a great cause! Check out the design guidelines here.

Happy volunteering!

Tara

Green Works Volunteer Opportunity!

Green Works in Kansas City is committed to providing high-quality educational and workforce opportunities to motivated young people living in the urban neighborhoods served by the Kansas City Public Schools. Through an environmental education platform, they teach students about the environment and involve them in meaningful service projects. In their Excelerate program, Green Works provides career exploration, teaches job and life skills, and offers digital and financial literacy trainings to prepare students for summer internships and life after high school.

They welcome interested individuals to become Green Works volunteers for their Excelerate or environmental programs. And they value partnerships with local businesses and organizations, as these connections open doors for their students and positively impact their futures.

Learn more about how to get involved here!

Happy volunteering!

Bridging the Gap Volunteer Opportunity!

Bridging The Gap works to make the Kansas City region sustainable by “connecting environment, economy and community,” and is the premier organization in the area providing environmental education and volunteer action through more than 1,500 volunteers annually. They are looking for volunteers for next Saturday, 2/23 from 1-4pm, to do some ecological restoration! You’ll need to layer up for this annual Long Johns and Loppers work day!

There are two different sites:

Ernie Miller Prairie, Olathe KS. Sign Up.
Hidden Valley Natural Area, northland KCMO. Sign Up.

They need 25 more volunteers at each site – so sign up today! Let them know if you have a group. Your work will help native plants and wildlife thrive!

Happy Volunteering!

Kansas City Community Gardens – Volunteer Opportunity

The Kansas City Community Gardens aim to support schools in growing their own vegetable gardens that increase students’ access to healthy food, hands-on learning, and community building. They do this by providing new garden site consultations, low costs plants and seeds to schools, free workshops and training to teachers and other resources as needed. They need volunteers to help with these gardens! Volunteers can get matched with a schoolyard garden site and help students and teachers plant, water, weed, harvest, and maintain their schoolyard garden. See the flyer below for the two training sessions coming up!

Happy Volunteering!