Giving Back: Volunteer Opportunities
Reba is in a unique situation and would like your advice on good volunteer opportunities. Any come to mind?
I am in search of ideas. I am the mother of an 8 month old baby and a business owner. The last couple of years have been all about being a business owner and mom. I would like give back to the community and I am searching for volunteer opportunities. I am looking for a weekly, biweekly or monthly commitment. The catch is that I want to do it with my daughter so that we can share the adventure together. If anyone has ideas they would be willing to share I would appreciate it.
If your baby doesn't mind riding in the car for a while, Meals on Wheels is a great parent/child volunteer gig. I worked through the Loaves and Fishes at East Portland Community Center and my son and I delivered hot meals to very sweet elderly folks. They were very flexible about arranging my route to avoid apartment buildings or other stops that were difficult with a toddler. We did it once a week, and it took about an hour to an hour and a half. If you time it right, you can enjoy indoor playpark at the community center before or after your delivery! And there are always cookies to munch on while you wait for your order to be filled.
http://www.loavesandfishesonline.org/content/getinvolved/volunteer.asp
Posted by: AnEmily | February 20, 2007 at 08:56 AM
We volunteer occasionally with Hands on Portland. They have a large variety of projects and you can find something that fits your schedule (a one-time thing, on-going, etc.)
Many of their projects family-friendly. I used to volunteer w/them before I had my sons and as you can tell, I've had great experiences.
http://www.handsonportland.org
Posted by: peg | February 20, 2007 at 09:57 AM
The recent conversation on Recyclables - http://urbanmamas.typepad.com//urbanmamas/2007/02/recyclables.html - led me to look into the Master Recycler Program: http://www.masterrecycler.org/class-registration.php It meets weekly through March and April. Then, after completing 30 hrs of service, one can be a Certified Master Recycler. This may be too intensive and isn't child-friendly, but I thought I'd still mention it.
Posted by: olivia | February 20, 2007 at 04:22 PM
HI Reba,
How wonderful! You may wish to consider the Portland Family Time Bank. It's a way to volunteer but also to give your unique skills to your community in exchange for receiving from other community members. See our posting here on the urban mamas site -- search Portland Family Time Bank or you can learn more at www.timebanks.org or e-mail me at pdxtimebank@gmail.com if you want more. As a mom and business owner, I too was seeking a way to connect with my community in a meaningful way. And thus--I founded the PFTB!
We've just started our efforts-- here are some of the reasons to consider joining:
Dear Portlander!
Welcome to the Portland Family Time Bank. You are about to adventure into an exciting relationship with your community.
Strengthening Community by Utilizing Neighborly Wealth of Time and Talent
* Ability to give and receive in an equal exchange of time, talent and service
* A tool for neighbors to get to know each other
* The safety, comfort and warmth of a neighborhood that looks after each other
A Tool for Social Change--because we are all family!
* Contributing to an international movement of social community weaving
* Retaining human potential that is valued on contribution rather than monetary value
* A system for acknowledging and applying our interdependence in the real world
Our Core Values:
*Assets--everyone in the community is an asset able to contribute to quality of life
*Reciprocity--being able to give and receive enhances the natural balance in life
*Redefining work--defining all work as valuable
*Comnmunity--knowing and interacting with our neighbors builds trust and honors our interdependence
*Respect--a celebration of humanity and diversity
Posted by: Jesse Henderson | February 20, 2007 at 04:48 PM
Oh, and the joy of it is that YOU decide what you'd like to offer. Thus you can always have your baby along--brilliant mom thinking--we want our babies to be socialized in a village community, yes?!
: ) Jesse
Posted by: Jesse Henderson | February 20, 2007 at 04:49 PM
I work for a local transportation non-profit called Ride Connection, we provide transportation for seniors and people with disabilities. We work with a network of social service agencies in the metro area to provide the transportation. Many of our volunteers provide transportation in their own vehicles. It is really a win-win situation when you can help a senior by taking them to shopping and doctor's appointments,and your daugther gets the benefit of more "grandparents" in her life. You can check out www.rideconnection.org for more details on our volunteer opportunites. You are setting a wonderful example for your child by volunteering with her.
Posted by: lesa | February 21, 2007 at 10:35 AM
I love SMART...Start Making a Reader Today. It's a half hour to hour commitment once a week. You see two kids over the course of a school year (or whenever you start to volunteer), and I have always seen marked improvements in their reading skills by the end. Not to mention that you make a new little friend, who is so very appreciative of your attention/time. You can volunteer in a school near you, and they are always looking for volunteers.
Posted by: Laura | February 22, 2007 at 04:03 PM
You might consider volunteering as a breastfeeding peer counselor with the Nursing Mothers Counsel of Oregon. After receiving thorough training, you can answer questions from breastfeeding mom who call the NMC help line--from your home or even place of business. The help line calls are forwarded to whatever phone number you choose during your shift (most volunteers do one 3-hour shift a month). The NMC is very oriented to making volunteer opportunities that work with busy moms' lives. Our evening meetings even have free childcare for those who need it. You can also work on various committees--we do community outreach/education, publish a newsletter, sell & rent breast pumps, connect moms with lactation services, lobby for laws that support & protect breastfeeding--if answering the helpline isn't all you want to do. www.nursingmotherscounsel.org
Posted by: Chris Musser | February 22, 2007 at 08:13 PM
I also wanted to put in a pitch for Hands on Portland. They offer a variety of community service events that are family-friendly. In December, my DD8 and I participated in an event to make Christmas ornaments that were donated to a children's shelter. This month, we participated in the Love Letters program (www.makeachildsmile.org) and made greeting cards that will be mailed out to terminally ill and/or very ill children.
Posted by: betty | February 26, 2007 at 11:36 AM