Featured Agency - The Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau

Today we are highlighting one of the 100+ organizations that the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley partners with to make the community a better place!

The Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau 

The Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau digs helping you. Visitors. Residents. Partners. We're your go-to resource for information about Waterloo. We love our city and it shows. Contact us or stop by and say hello. We'd be happy to assist you or answer any questions you may have.

The mission of the Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the region as a premier destination, welcoming visitors with a personal touch, in order to generate jobs, tax revenues and, thus, an exceptional quality of life for area residents.

Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau: The Convention & Visitors Bureau is conveniently located downtown near Highways 63 and 218 (Exit 180) and is close to attractions, dining, shopping and entertainment. It offers visitor information and services available for individual, group tour, meeting, reunion, and wedding assistance.

Waterloo is located in the northeast quadrant of Iowa and easily accessible from all major Midwest markets. It’s conveniently located at the crossroads of Interstate 380 and Highways 218, 63 and 20, and just minutes from Waterloo Regional Airport.

Waterloo is part of a larger metropolitan area known as the Cedar Valley, which includes the cities of Cedar Falls, Evansdale and Hudson. Waterloo's population is 68,747.

Volunteer Opportunities

Be a Travel Waterloo ambassador! The Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau is always seeking friendly and helpful volunteers at the Waterloo Regional Airport Visitor Center. Volunteers will greet visitors, share information, and answer questions. Materials and training provided.

For more information about this volunteer opportunity, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley by calling (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org.

10 of the Best Volunteer Abroad Organizations

Volunteering is becoming more common place in the United States, and while there will always be more to accomplish locally, there are also ways to serve world-wide. Consider voluntouring or volunteering abroad.

Here is a list of reputable agencies that offer numerous experiences.

1. GO ECO

WHAT: If you love travel and are passionate about planet conservation, Go Eco is your resource for pairing your hobby with meaning.
JUST CAUSE: Challenged communities, wildlife and the environment.
WHERE: All over the world.

2. GLOBAL CITIZEN YEAR

WHAT: A bridge year program that places graduating seniors in projects in far-flung and challenged regions. Global Citizen Year's mission is to cultivate prospective societal leaders and social entrepreneurs, giving them experience and tools to create impact.
JUST CAUSE: Various projects in challenged regions.
WHERE: Brazil, Ecuador and Senegal.

3. ONE WORLD 365

WHAT: Self-described as a “directory of meaningful holidays and travel opportunities”, One World 365 offers a wide variety of volunteer and offshore temporary holiday jobs.
JUST CAUSE: Various.
WHERE: Worldwide.

4. WWOOF

WHAT: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF, is a global network of organizations that matches volunteers with organic farms worldwide. In return for volunteer work, hosts provide food and accommodation.
JUST CAUSE: Organic farming.
WHERE: Worldwide.

5. BUNAC 

WHAT: A large variety of volunteer, work and summer camp programs is available on Bunac, an organization that has been around the block since 1962.
JUST CAUSE: Various.
WHERE: USA, Canada, New Zealand, Ghana, Australia, Britain, China, South Africa and many more.

6. AMERICAN HIKING SOCIETY 

WHAT: The American Hiking Society runs volunteer vacations in the form of trail building projects in the US. If you love the outdoors, you’ll love this opportunity to explore - volunteers enjoy backpacking or hiking tours provided by the host agency or organization.
JUST CAUSE: Building trails in public American land.
WHERE: All over the US.

7. GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS 

WHAT: A pioneer of volunteer vacations organizations, Global Volunteers was founded in 1984 - that is, long before it was a trend. It has since been recruiting short-term volunteers for various projects overseas.
JUST CAUSE: Projects for the benefit and welfare of children and youth.
WHERE: All over the world.

8. GO VOLUNTOURING

WHAT: A user-friendly search engine for volunteer abroad projects culled from a variety of organizations.
JUST CAUSE: Categories include Community Development, Environment & Wildlife, Learn Abroad, Teach & Coach Overseas and Women & Youth.
WHERE: Worldwide.

9. PROJECTS ABROAD

WHAT: Projects Abroad one of the more large-scale volunteer abroad organizations out there; it matches volunteers with a tremendous range of projects worldwide. According to their website, they cater to volunteers aged from 16 to 75; as it turns out, there's a growing interest in volunteer abroad projects among retirees and career breakers.
JUST CAUSE: A variety of projects from archeology and building to sports and medicine.
WHERE: Worldwide.

10. GEOVISIONSWHAT: GeoVisions offers opportunities for volunteering abroad alongside paid English teaching and au-pair gigs.JUST CAUSE: Various.WHERE: Worldwide.

Summer Volunteer Opportunities

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley serves 140 member agencies with approximately 165 volunteer opportunities throughout Waterloo, Cedar Falls and the Cedar Valley.

June 22 - 26
Superhero Camp
Grout Museum District

June 27
Sorting Donations
The Larrabee Center

July 8-10

Horsemanship Classes

Aspire TRP

July 31 – August 2

Volunteers

Iowa Irish Fest

4-H Leaders

Black Hawk County - Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Blue Zones Project Advocates

Cedar Valley Blue Zones Project

Sports and Athletic Enthusiast

Boys & Girls Club of the Cedar Valley

Family Volunteers

Care Initiatives Hospice

Refugee Community Guides
Catholic Charities

Oral Historian

Cedar Falls Historical Society

Welcome Center Greeters

Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

Baked Good Donation Volunteers

Country View

Green Thumbs Needed

Friendship Village

Be a Scout Leader

Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois

Art Educators
James & Meryl Hearst Center for the Arts

Flower Care

National Cattle Congress Grounds

TAI CHI Instructor

North Star Community Services

Domestic Violence Victim Volunteer
Waypoint Services

To view a full list of available volunteer opportunities, visit www.vccv.org.

Service Stay-cation

Are your friends going to exciting places for summer vacation while you have to stay home?  Are you depressed that you have no money for that plane ticket for an exotic vacation?  Do you think summer will be boring?

Never fear, we have a solution to cheer you up and make this summer memorable. This summer you have an opportunity to build self-esteem, develop problem solving skills, gain experience as you build a resume, and learn the value of helping others.

Volunteer in the Cedar Valley!

Some possibilities include:

·                         Teach games, dances, or sports to youth at the Boys and Girls Club

·                         Entertain residents at a local care facility or at Country View

·                         Cook and serve a meal at the Salvation Army or the Catholic Worker
       House

·                         Stock shelves at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank

·                         Clean up litter in your neighborhood

·                         Make play-dough and take it to a local pre-school

·                         Do data entry or type for a local non-profit

These are but a few suggestions. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley serves 140 member agencies with over 160 volunteer opportunities. To secure volunteer opportunities call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087 or email information@vccv.org. Volunteer opportunities may also be accessed at www.vccv.org.

Remember, a sun tan will fade quickly. Your contribution to making the community a better place will last a long time in the hearts and mind of those you help.  

Summer Volunteering

Interested in volunteering this summer because you want to try something new, gain some experience in a certain field, earn service hours, give back to your community, or just to get out of the house? Take a look at some of the opportunities below:

• Cook meals for Catholic Workers House: Make at home, freeze and deliver
• Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens: Clean flower beds, water
• Cedar Valley Association of Soft Trails: Clean trails 
• Hartman Reserve Nature Center: Clean trails, assist with property and trail maintenance
• Northeast Iowa Food Bank: Sort food donations, stock shelves, pack food packs, and assist with weeding, watering and picking produce from community garden.
• Country View Care Facility: Play games with residents
• Any Nursing home in the area—play games with residents
• Grout Museum District: Prepare dog tags for museum patrons, assist with one-time events, help with mailings
• Newel Post: Play games with clients
• North Star: Take part in crafts and activities and play games
• Salvation Army: Help prepare and serve noon meal
• Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging: Design and create cards, place-mats, and other decorations to go with delivered meals.

Here are some other ideas you can do on your own!

• Make play dough and take to day care center
• Volunteer to bag cat and dog food or make fleece blankets and pull toys for the Cedar Valley Humane Society
• Collect cans and bottles to give money to agency of choice
• Have a lemonade stand or bake sale and give money to agency of choice

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley has 140 member agencies with over 160 volunteer opportunities. To get involved call the VCCV at (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org