MontgomeryVolunteerHeader

December 2011 

Keep up with the latest Volunteer Center news and opportunities! 
Find us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter
In This Issue:
IVD

International Volunteer Day 2011

UNV 2011   

Celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2011 on December 5th! This virtual event is supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programs which partners with other governments to foster local volunteerism. Be part of this online global event by sharing photos of yourself and friends participating in a volunteer activity. Show the world that volunteering matters in Montgomery County Maryland! Visit the website to view images of other volunteers from around the world and to upload your own photos or enter the photo contest. On December 7th, a "a striking digital mosaic or 'snapshot' of our volunteering world" will be revealed.  

Have you seen our new PSA?  
Volunteer in Montgomery County, MD!
Volunteer!
(Created by Montgomery Community Media!)
QuoteQuote of the Month 
"In the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame, but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better." 

-- President Obama

Make a Difference 
Make a Difference highlights the contributions of stellar County volunteers and organizations that contribute positively to Montgomery County.
MAD Video
Click here for recent episodes. 
 
For our online calendar of opportunities,
Join Our Mailing List
The Montgomery County Volunteer Center is part of the Office of Community Partnerships.  For more information on the Office of Community Partnerships and to sign up for the Partnerships Newsletter, please click here
Privacy is important to us; therefore, we will not sell, rent, or give your name or address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe.
GivingMontgomery County Holiday Giving Project
Helping Hands

For over 30 years the Holiday Giving Project has helped low income families in our community by collecting and distributing food and gifts during the December holidays. The Holiday Giving Project is a coalition of nonprofit, faith-based, public and private groups that collect and distribute food and gifts during the winter holidays to individuals and families. This year, A Wider Circle is serving as the coordinating service agency for the Montgomery County Holiday Giving Project.

Over 9,000 families have been referred for this December and donations are needed to make the holidays brighter for our neighbors in need. Here's how you can help: 

  • Donate new toys
  • Donate grocery cards
  • Organize a food, toy or gift card drive
  • Sponsor a family in your area
  • Make a holiday food baskets

For more information, contact  Susan Klavon at 240-687-9629 or email [email protected] or visit A Wider Circle online.

 

MLKMLK Day of Service January 16, 2012

The 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is drawing near so mark your calendars! 

 

MLK

Montgomery County will celebrate this important event on Monday, January 16, 2012. Give back to those in the community by participating in service projects at our signature site, the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.  We'll be making blankets for Montgomery Hospice, making bag lunches for shelters with Whole Foods, creating cards for veterans and much more!  

The Marriott site also hosts a Volunteer Fair. This is a great opportunity to meet with dozens of local nonprofits and find out how you can get engaged in volunteering throughout the year. 

Additionally, there will be projects at other locations in the County.   

Bring the whole family! The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is a great introduction to volunteering for all ages! 

 

Check out www.montgomeryserves.org for the latest information and to register to participate.

  

spotlightAgency Spotlight: Stepping Stones Shelter
Stepping Stones Shelter - Moving Families Forward
 
For thirty years, Stepping Stones Shelter has provided emergency
Stepping Stones Shelter
shelter services for homeless families with children.

 Stepping Stones is a 30-day emergency/assessment shelter program in Rockville that houses six families at a time. Case managers refer families to needed services, work with them to locate appropriate independent housing or housing programs and help families increase their income. Employment counselors offer residents one-on-one support with job prospecting, resume writing, and GED tutoring. Children work with tutors from Montgomery County Public Schools each week to assist with homework. Items donated by the community are available to families while they reside at the shelter, and even after they leave! 

Our wonderful volunteers provide daily assistance with a variety of services. Ways you can help us this holiday season and all year round.
  • Childcare volunteers are needed to keep children busy and safe while parents job search, attend workshops, complete household chores, or just take a short break. 
  • Volunteers with a background in financing, parenting, counseling or other fun topics to help with the parent workshops. 
  • Cooking/meal preparation that can either be prepared at the shelter or at home to deliver to the shelter. 
  • Daily help is needed to sort, put away, and organize donations that the Shelter receives from community members (especially during the holiday season!). 
  • We are looking for professionals to help with gutter cleaning, construction/repair services, and other maintenance projects that come up throughout the year. 
  • Younger volunteers can help too! We need children to conduct supply drives for needed items such as food, diapers or paper products; a full needs list can be found on our website. They can also sponsor a bake sale, car wash or other fundraising event for us. 

As the year ends and a new one begins, we hope you will join our mission to provide hope for the future, strengthen families, and promote self-sufficiency. For more information please contact our Volunteer MD Coordinator, Liz Trabucco, at [email protected]

CSDCommunity Service Week Wrap-Up
housands of Volunteers Served & Celebrated!
CSD2011 Volunteers
Volunteers wrapped 100 hand-knitted scarves and hats for low-income seniors on Community Service Day.
Thanks to the thousands of volunteers who served and celebrated for the 25th annual Community Service Day!
community service day logo

The Montgomery County Volunteer Center (MCVC) documented the service of more than 25,000 residents in volunteer work throughout Montgomery County during the week. 

 

For projects planned specifically for Community Service Week:

7,036 volunteers contributed a total of 18,728 hours of service working on 261 projects.  
Thank you to the 168 non-profit organizations and County agencies  who planned projects and supported Community Service Day!  

 

A Census of Service 

The Volunteer Center  also took a "Census of Service" to capture the amount of volunteerism that regularly occurs over the course of a week in Montgomery County to highlight the amazing breadth and depth of service being provided by volunteers. At last count (results are still coming in), we have documented 26,867 volunteers who provided a total of 50,643 hours of service to 222 organizations in Montgomery County. 

 

Check out some of the photos on our website! 

 

Did you serve?

Share your story on our website!

Take a minute and complete our Volunteer Survey.  

FeaturedOppsFeatured Volunteer Opportunities

AugustOne-Time Volunteer Opportunities 

  

Check the December calendar for the latest opportunities.

  

December 4 - U.S. National Arboretum Conifer Gardener Volunteer: Do you love gardening and the outdoors? Join the curator of the Conifer Collection for a day in the garden. Take part in assisting with the removal of invasive species and general maintenance of the garden. All interested individuals are invited to volunteer in the garden. No experience necessary, but a willingness to work outdoors and complete general gardening tasks is required. Great for groups!   

December 16-24 -  Like to Wrap Gifts? SSL Icon The Arc  Montgomery County needs volunteers to wrap gifts at Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg. Help raise funds for this great organization that serves adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

December 21 
- Prepare holiday gift bags with hygiene items for 20 adults diagnosed with a mental illness (some are homeless). Volunteers will label the bags and fill them with items such as hat or scarf, soap, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, comb, razor, shampoo and conditioner, nail file, manicure set, socks, and slippers. Great for groups!

 

December 24 - Prepare a Holiday meal: Bring a cooked Holiday meal to our center in Gaithersburg for 15-20 adults diagnosed with a mental illness (some are homeless). Meal suggestions include: either roast beef, ham,or turkey as the main course, potatoes or rice, vegetable side dishes, dessert and beverages.

 

January 1 - Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation SSL Icon will have its annual New Year's Day Brunch on January 1, 2012 at Glenview Mansion, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville, MD 20851. This event will benefit Peerless Rockville's award-winning preservation and educational programs for the community.The brunch will be divided into two shifts, from 11am-1pm and 1pm-3pm. Volunteers are asked to help setup and cleanup at the brunch, including putting food and drinks out on tables and taking people's coats. Team captains will provide direction to the volunteers on assignments.

 

Do you have a great volunteer story to tell? Share your story with a paragraph and a photo. Tell how you're making an impact in your community! Stories will be displayed throughout our website. 
Click here to read some Success Stories.

  

Search for more volunteer opportunities here!

ongingSelected Ongoing Opportunities   
SSL Icon
Denotes opportunities that are approved to provide 
  MCPS Student Service Learning (SSL) Hours
ArtStream has a fantastic SSL opportunity at our Silver Spring Location. We are looking for folks who like to sing,dance,act or work backstage in our Inclusive Acting company. This is a six month position and it is wonderful to be alongside adults with disabilities helping them to be the best that they can be on stage. This creative and rewarding position looks terrific on college applications! Great opportunity for groups!
Maryland Soccer Foundation - Office AssistantSSL Icon         
Would you like to help plan for and promote a state of the art sports facility and park? The 24 field, 162 acre SoccerPlex with 2 field multi-sport indoor facility is the place to do it. As Office Assistant you will learn many aspects of running a successful recreation complex through telephone contact, data entry, assisting with mailings, help with correspondence and special projects. Explore public relations by getting the word out to the community regarding special events and opportunities at the SoccerPlex through mailings, press releases, fliers, etc. and assist with indoor complex operations.
Mid-County United Ministries (MUM) - Food Storage Assistant.SSL Icon
Help move large amounts of nonperishable food delivered to MUM's long-term storage unit in Wheaton. Also relocate large amounts of food from storage unit to delivery truck for stocking at MUM food pantry in Wheaton. Work is supervised by adult at storage facility and pantry. Hours for work are flexible and are set by food storage coordinator.
Marian Assisted Living - Activities Assistant.SSL Icon 
Experience the reward of contributing to the lives of senior citizens. Play board games, help seniors stay fit with armchair exercises. Bring musical entertainment, call Bingo, visit with our residents. Marian Assisted Living offers a safe home for as many as 40 elderly citizens who can no longer live on their own.    
Montgomery County Recreation - Adapted Aquatics. SSL Icon 
Everybody into the pool with this water adjustment/learn-to-swim program for children ages 4 to 15 who have special needs. The program is limited to eight participants and meets Saturday mornings at 9:45am and 10:35am. Volunteers are needed to work one-on-one with children participating in the program. Volunteers should be able to swim but no particular swim abilities are required.
 

Search for more volunteer opportunities here.

The best place to start searching for volunteer opportunities is the Center's website www.montgomeryserves.orgIf the information on our website doesn't answer your questions, or you need help finding volunteer opportunities or exploring volunteering options,  contact us via email at [email protected].