Volunteer Center eNews, January 2010

7 spectacular ways to serve in the new year

Volunteer Tax Preparation: Help those who qualify receive the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Disaster and Readiness Response Volunteer: Rotate on-call to respond to local disasters (such as fires).

Spanish/English Interpreters: Provide accurate interpretations between medical or dental providers and clients.

International Family Tracing Caseworker: Work in a team to connect and communicate between separated families of international refugees.

Pet Therapy Volunteer: Volunteer with your pet to brighten someone's day.

Museum Ambassador: Greet and direct visitors and school groups, answer questions and provide directions.

Healthy Start Hospital Outreach Volunteer: Introduce this helpful program to single, first-time mothers.

Search Volunteer Solutions for over 350 other ways to serve!

Grand Rapids becomes a City of Service

This fall, Mayor George Heartwell signed Grand Rapids on as a Cities of Service Logo

City of Service, joining 79 other cities across America, representing more than 38 million Americans.

The Cities of Service initiative began on September 10, 2009 in New York City as a bi-partisan coalition of mayors dedicated to finding innovative ways to engage millions in volunteering. The group seeks to harness the power of volunteers to help solve pressing challenges and achieve the goals of the historic Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which provides unprecedented federal support for volunteer efforts.

To learn more about Cities of Service, visit them online.

Serve your community
join the effort to end homelessness

The Coalition to End Homeless and its partners are working to prevent homelessness by diverting people in crisis from shelters and helping more of them stay secure in their homes. If that is not possible, then efforts are made to rapidly re-house people in a new permanent housing situation. The goal is to end homelessness in Grand Rapids by 2014.

Many helping hands are needed to achieve this goal and build a stronger support system to prevent homelessness. You are invited to join the effort. Start by learning more about three of the Coalition's partner agencies that tackle housing and homelessness issues: Habitat for Humanity, Well House, and GRACE. (Click on their names to visit each website.)

Then watch our upcoming eNews for annoucements and new ways you can volunteer to end homelessness. Serving together, we can reach our community's goal.

"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010 King Day of Service

January 18, 2010

In honor of MLK Day this year, you can commit to service in 2010.

One way you can serve is to tutor 1st-3rd grade kids through United Way's Schools of Hope (SOH), a reading tutoring program in the Grand Rapids Public Schools.

In just half an hour a week, you can make a marked difference in a child's self-perception and reading skills as a SOH tutor.

January 19th

6:00-8:00pm

United Way Center

January 26th

8:30-10:30am

American Red Cross

To sign up for one of the trainings or learn more about the program, visit the SOH website or email soh@hwmuw.org.

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Contact Us

Jane Royer

Volunteer Center Director

Jessica Gonyou

Volunteer Center Assistant