Weekly Volunteer Opportunity Updates

• Exceptional Persons Inc. need volunteers to assist children with disabilities in a group setting which could consist of games, crafts, puzzles, etc. Monday-Friday, evenings or weekends. Volunteers need to be scheduled in advance. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome. 

• The Family & Children's Council needs program committee members to meet as needed to develop and assess current programming within the organization. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday with flexible times. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome. 

• The Grout Museum District needs volunteers to provide 30 minute tours to third grade students on Thursday afternoons from 12 - 2 p.m. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome.

• Hartman Reserve Nature Center needs interested individuals to assist in leading programs for school groups. Group’s size, age, and topics vary. Programs are offered for PreK-12th grade. Most school visits are 3 hours long with students rotating through 20-45 minute sessions. Opportunities exist Monday through Friday with flexible times. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome.

75 Ways to Keep MLK Day Active All Year

Send a letter or care package to a soldier deployed overseas

Visit a wounded veteran at the hospital

Donate unused frequent flier miles to a military family organization

Do home repairs for a veteran or military family

Drive a veteran or military family member to a medical appointment

Help a veteran tell their story through an oral history project

Serve and prepare food at a homeless shelter

Help someone who is out of work with their resume or job search

Donate to your local food bank

Volunteer as an income tax preparer

Help build or renovate a home

Donate gently used professional clothes to an organization that helps people rejoin the workforce

Volunteer at a food pantry to prepare and distribute meals

Clean your closets, attic, basement, or garage and donate gently used items to a homeless shelter

Organize a coat and winter clothes drive

Deliver meals to homebound seniors

Stop and have a conversation with a homeless person

Help a local nonprofit post their volunteer opportunities on Serve.gov

Spread the word about your city's emergency warming centers and hypothermia hotlines

Help connect a homeless person to services they need

Serve on a nonprofit board of directors

Share your technology skills with a nonprofit that needs them

Volunteer on a hotline

Become a mentor

Teach English classes to adults

Volunteer or donate books to your local library

Teach a senior how to use a computer

Serve as a tutor

Teach parenting classes to young fathers and mothers

Participate in a service-learning project

Become a homework helper at your school

Volunteer to lead a club or teach an after-school enrichment class

Read books to elementary school students

Chaperone a school field trip

Organize a book drive

Participate in a school beautification project

Be a recess or lunchroom monitor

Bring someone new with you when you volunteer

Participate in a charity ride or race

Hold a dance for your local senior center or nursing home

Become a virtual volunteer by helping a nonprofit with graphic de

Volunteer at your local youth or recreation center

Invite local police officers to present a drug awareness or safety program

Read books or the newspaper on tape for the visually impaired

Be a hospice volunteer

Take a volunteer vacation

Attend a meeting of your neighborhood association

Visit patients or provide administrative support at a hospital

Assemble emergency supply kits

Get trained to respond to emergencies

Become CPR certified

Make presentations to schools and community groups about emergency preparedness

Become a volunteer firefighter or EMT

Volunteer with your local police department

Help create or expand a community garden

Clean up a nearby empty lot, or pick up trash on your street or in your neighborhood

Walk or bike to work or school once a week

Test the health of the water in your local lakes, rivers, and streams

Replace old light bulbs with energy efficient ones and turn off appliances when you're not using them

Take mass transit more often

Make an intensive commitment to serve by joining AmeriCorps

Join the bone marrow registry

Become a coach for a youth sports team

Make quilts or blankets for hospitalized children or wounded soldiers

Volunteer on MLK Day and the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

Create a neighborhood safety patrol

Help build a playground

Rake leaves, shovel snow, clean gutters, or wash windows for a neighbor

Share your lifetime of skills and experience by joining Senior Corps

Give blood

Be a friend to someone with mental illness

Pick up groceries for a senior citizen in your community

Volunteer at a local animal shelter

Check in on your elderly or disabled neighbors regularly, especially in hot and cold weather

Visit Serve.gov to find a volunteer opportunity

Featured Board Member: Laura Folkerts

Laura is an Iowa native, born in Waterloo and raised near Nashua. She will always be a farm girl at heart. She is a HUGE Panther fan, so it was pretty easy for her to decide where to go to college. Laura earned bachelors degrees in Management and Communication at UNI. She also graduated with a Dance minor. That was her favorite pastime and stress relief while at UNI. After UNI, she moved on to her second favorite university, the University of Iowa, to attend law school. Passing the bar exam last year may have been the second-best day of her life so far. She is now an attorney at Dutton, Braun, Staack and Hellman.

Laura and her husband, Nate, live in Cedar Falls. They love to travel and spend time outdoors --hiking, biking, running—you name it. This explains why the trails and the UNI Dome are two of her favorite places in the Cedar Valley.

Laura’s involvement in leadership and community service projects started at a young age and has continued to be an important part of her life. Growing up, she was active in 4-H. During law school Laura was a member of the Pro Bono society and was the community service coordinator for the Christian Legal Society and the Organization of Women Law Students and Staff. At that time their service activities focused on the Salvation Army and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program. Since returning to the Cedar Valley, she has joined the Cedar Falls Jaycees and serves on the Board for the Black Hawk Grundy Mental Health Center. Laura looks forward to becoming more involved in the VCCV!

The VCCV welcomes Laura!

MLK 25 Challenge

To mark the 25th anniversary of the King Holiday, and to encourage ongoing service throughout the year, we are promoting the MLK 25 Challenge – a call to all Americans to honor Dr. King by pledging to take at least 25 actions during 2011 to make a difference for others and strengthen our communities.

From something as simple as cleaning a neighborhood park to a more intensive commitment such as becoming a mentor, the key is to give of yourself in some way to help others. You may want to volunteer in a range of efforts, or make a sustained commitment to a single cause. There is no shortage of work to be done, or lack of ways to get involved. Follow your passion, and find something that’s right for you. You can find volunteer opportunities and get ideas for your own projects by visiting Serve.gov.

Find a great list of ideas at, http://mlkday.gov/twentyfive/index.php

Residents Mark 25th Anniversary of King Holiday By Serving Others

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley will lead UNI Students in volunteer opportunities to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy by working together to tackle area problems. The local students will join hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country in making the holiday a day on, not a day off by serving others.

“Martin Luther King devoted his life to advancing equality, social justice, and opportunity for all, and taught us that everyone has a role to play in making America what it ought to be,” said Lauren Finke, the Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley. “By serving on January 17 and throughout the year, we honor Dr. King and help realize his dream of equality and opportunity for all.”

UNI students share this commitment, and in doing so, have planned volunteer opportunities for this special day of service. Any student, student organization, resident hall, class, faculty or staff may participate on Monday, January 17. Check in begins at 9 am at Maucker Union with buses leaving the Union at 9:30 a.m. The event will last until approximately 1 p.m. Participants will receive a free t-shirt, transportation, and lunch. Keynote speaker, Dr. Dwight C. Watson, will open the program and a photo slide show of the day will occur during lunch. Several locations will be available. Students may select their top choices on the registration form. This event is sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, the American Democracy Project at UNI and the UNI Student Leadership Center.

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal holiday, and organizers see the milestone as a perfect opportunity for Americans to remember Dr. King’s life and legacy and to honor him by taking action to solve problems in their communities.

Many organizations are using MLK Day as a springboard for service throughout the year. “Because of the economic downturn, needs in our community are particularly great right now. Addressing the challenge of mobilizing people and resources to solve community problems will take a sustained effort, and we hope many who are serving today will make an ongoing commitment to serve throughout the year, said Finke.

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley works to promote and support effective volunteerism; to serve as the resource and coordination center for volunteers and a catalyst in building coalitions and community partnerships.

Please contact Lauren Finke at the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley to express interest in participating. To secure additional volunteer opportunities call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley offers over 170 local volunteer opportunities from 55 nonprofit agencies. Volunteer opportunities may also be accessed at http://www.vccv.org/ or 1-800-Volunteer.org.

Weekly Volunteer Opportunity Updates

• The Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens are led by several talented committees with members providing a broad variety of talents and professional expertise. Most of the committees meet monthly for one-two hours with some independent work. Arboretum committees include: Board of Directors, Development, Education, Finance, Planning & Operations, Fall Harvest Festival, Site Development, and Public Art. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome. 

• Cedar Valley Hospice needs volunteers to act as Quincy or Katie Koala or their friend to support children who are chronically ill, or grieving the death of a loved one. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday with flexible times. 14 hours of training are required. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome. 

• Country View needs volunteers to accompany and assist residents attending appointments in the community. Volunteers will meet residents at their appointment and wait with them before and after until their transportation arrives. Opportunities exist Monday through Friday with pre-arranged times. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome.

• The Department of Human Services needs volunteers to assist with filing, copying, answering phones, and other administrative duties. Opportunities exist Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Volunteers age 18 and over are welcome.

2010 in Review

What an amazing year we have experienced: incredible volunteer numbers, a multitude of signature service days and an overwhelming response to calls to serve. All of these factors have truly made 2010 an exciting year for all of us.

By the Numbers
This year, 3912 people were reached and received information regarding our member agencies and volunteer opportunities.

Key Moments in Time
In addition to the ongoing service projects and volunteer opportunities offered on a regular basis, the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley executed overwhelmingly successful signature service days in 2010, including:

• MLK Day of Service
• National Volunteer Week
• VALU Trainings
• Mayors’ Volunteer and Top Teen Awards
• A sold-out Volunteer Management Training Series
• Volunteer Tuesdays at UNI
• National Day of Service and Remembrance
• Make A Difference Day
• Family Volunteer Day

We wish you continued success in 2011!       

Lauren, Jean, and Anne