MontgomeryVolunteerHeader

Happy New Year!

"As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall
always march ahead." 

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 2014 
Keep up with the latest Volunteer Center news and opportunities! 
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In This Issue:

    

 
 
 
 
 
Quote of the Month 
"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves"   
 

~James M. Barrie

Cabot Creamery Cooperative begin the Cabot Community Celebrity Award program to honor the achievements and contributions of volunteers from every part of our great nation.

 

 Local Maryland resident 
Theresa Testoni is one of the 2013 Maryland Recipients

Theresa Testoni   

Check out who has been spotlighted this week!  

Read more here

 

 Greater Glenmont
Civic Association

Glenmont Civic Association  
   Tell us how you are making a difference.  Submit your own Spotlight on our website. 
Attend the Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity's Open House at the Grand Opening of the

Gaithersburg Library, January 4th

18330 Montgomery Village Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20879

  • 9:30 AM -10 AM - Library Grand Opening
  • 10 AM - 12 PM - Gilchrist Center Open House
  • 10 AM - 5 PM - Family Activities hosted by Friends of the Library
Hero Dogs won the Newman's Own Foundation "Honoring Those Who Serve "Challenge.  In addition to the money raised during the challange, Hero Dogs will also receive support through grant funding through Newman's Own Foundation.
 
Hero Dogs works with veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and provides exceptionally trained service dogs to meet the special needs of the veterans due to injuries or other disabilities.  
National Drug Facts Week Logo
National Drug Facts Week
is a health observance week for teens, put on by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that aims to shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse. Through community-based events and activities on the Web, on TV, and through contests, NIDA is working to encourage teens to get factual answers from scientific experts about drugs and drug abuse.  Go to drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov for ideas & volunteer to plan your own event  January 27-February 2Past events range from poetry slam sessions and poster contests to assemblies and trivia challenges. 
Hero Dogs
Watch this great video and find out more about Hero Dogs
Hero Dogs - Service Dogs for Veterans
Hero Dogs
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. 
 
Watch this awesome video!
Montgomery County Volunteer Center Video
Montgomery County Volunteer Center Video
Thank you to Montgomery Community Media for producing this fabulous video for the Volunteer Center!
Join Our Mailing List
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MLKDay MLK Day of Service
Monday, January 20, 2014 
Martin Luther King Jr. Logo

 

mlk

Celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and take part in a variety of service projects happening at locations all across Montgomery County. 
Projects suitable for all ages and ability levels.  Students can earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours.  

 

Indoor Service Projects on Monday January 20: 

Each location will have a variety of activities to participate in such as making bag lunches for shelters, decorating cards for seniors and veterans, assembling personal care packages for shelters, packing Snow Day boxes for Meals on Wheels, and much more! Each site is collecting nonperishable food for Manna Food Center and sleeping bags and blankets for area shelters - Please bring donations!  

 

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Park Cleanups and More MLK Projects Throughout the Weekend:

 

Saturday 1/18 - Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens 

Saturday 1/18 - Canal Stewards - Potomac Conservancy

Saturday & Sunday 1/18-19 - Manna Collections at Giant Food

Monday 1/20 - Sligo Creek Cleanup - Montgomery Parks

 

 

Click here to find out more about these and other projects over the MLK Day weekend and sign up to attend!  

 
Check out photos from MLK Day 2013! 
MLK Logo for Music EventCome and enjoy a tribute in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. atthe Music Center at Strathmore on Monday, January 20, 2014, at 3 pm.  The event will feature musical and dance acts from local talent, and the 2013 recipients of the Children of the Dream, Humanitarian and Literary Arts Awards will be announced.

The annual celebration is free and open to the public. Tickets are required and may be reserved through Strathmore's website at www.strathmore.org.  Unclaimed tickets will be released to the public at 2:45 pm the day of the show.  For questions email mlkcelebration@hotmail.com

Spotlight
Agency Spotlight:
 
MCPAW

Montgomery County Partners for Animal Well-being (MCPAW) works in partnership with Montgomery County to build, then enhance and maintain, the new state-of-the-art Animal Services and Adoption Center (ASAC).

Together, we are creating a facility that will house and care for the county's homeless and stray animals while they await new homes or are reunited with their owners. Dogs, cats, small animals like guinea pigs and bunnies, reptiles, birds, and even farm animals will all find the second chance they so desperately need.

How MCPAW is helping:

  • MCPAW has made a bold commitment to provide FREE spay/neuter services to every pet in Montgomery County.
  • Training on proper care and treatment of animals is another priority.
  • By opening a Pet Food Pantry for residents to receive FREE pet food when needed, we will assist people keep the pets they might otherwise have to give up.
  • The result of these efforts will be a move toward eliminating euthanasia of all adoptable animals in our county.

There are many ways you can help MCPAW:

  • Donate - Buy a brick with an engraved message that will be forever displayed outside the ASAC. Have a bench with engraved bronze plaque placed on the grounds. Large donation and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available too.
  • Volunteer - Help MCPAW with planning and staffing events, organizing and completing paperwork, fundraising, and more!
  • Share - Become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Sign up to receive emails from MCPAW. Then share messages with friends and family.

"Volunteering for MCPAW has been a very rewarding experience for me. It is wonderful to work with others who have a passion for helping animals," says Sean Coleman, MCPAW volunteer. 

   

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Increase your agency's visibility and recruit more volunteers by being a featured Agency Spotlight. Send an email to kathleen.stobie@montgomerycountymd.gov  for consideration.
taxA "Taxing" Need for Volunteers!

Montgomery County is fortunate to have free tax preparation programs available to lower income Montgomery County taxpayers.  And this is available thanks to the dedication of trained volunteers. 

taxes2

 

The need for services is great as is the need for new volunteers tohelp out this tax season!

 

RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program serves lower income taxpayers with special attention to seniors.  More volunteers are needed as Client Facilitators at various sites throughout the County as well as Schedulers at the Scheduling Office located at Holiday Park Senior Center. It's a season commitment, from late January to mid-April.  If you like helping people by phone or in person, consider volunteering. Great opportunity for seniors interested in day time volunteering. Training is provided in mid-January so please reply ASAP.

 

Another program serving Montgomery County is Community Action Agency's VITA Program. 

They need more  tax preparers and other volunteers; training is provided.

 mentor
National Mentoring Month!
mentoring image
January is National Mentoring Month. There are many ways you can make a difference as a mentor - work with a youth in foster care, a refugee family just arriving in the U.S., as a job coach for a veteran, and much more. Click here to see all the options in our database. 
 
Here are just a few: 
- Directions Youth Mentoring Program connects older youth in the foster care with supportive adult volunteers. 
- International Rescue Committee recruits Mentors to help refugee families adjust to life in the US. 
-  JCA Heyman Interages recruits volunteers age 50 or better to mentor ESOL students.
 msa
Montgomery Serves Awards Nominations Open January 27th 

Service AwardsIt's time to start thinking about which amazing volunteers you will nominate for the Montgomery Serves Awards. The Volunteer Center is preparing for this exciting event again which will take place on Monday, April 28, 2014.   

Beginning Monday, January 27th, the Volunteer Center will be accepting nominations for this year's awardees in the following categories:

  • Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award (lifetime service by 60+ year old residents)  
  • Youth Achievement Award (extraordinary volunteerism by residents 18 and under)
  • Corporate Award (outstanding volunteerism by a corporation)
  • Community Service Award (extraordinary volunteerism by an individual or group)

See pictures and winners from last year's event

 

Nomination forms will be available Monday, January 27, 2014 at www.montgomeryserves.org.  The deadline will approach quickly so start thinking now about which wonderful volunteers in our community you wish to nominate!

Deadline: Monday, February 25

FeaturedFeatured Volunteer Opportunities

onetimeOne-time Volunteer Opportunities   calendar icon

Check the Calendar for more opportunities!

 

SSL Icon
Denotes opportunities that are approved to provide MCPS Student Service Learning (SSL) Hours.  Many are still great opportunities for adults too!

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SSL Icon

 Jan 4 - Inventory Sports Equipment with Leveling the  Playing Field, Inc., an organization that gets donated sports equipment into the hands of kids in underserved households in SE DC. Help count and sort baseball equipment at warehouse in Rockville.  
Contact: Max Levitt at 301-801-0738 or mblevittlpf@gmail.com.

Website:  levelingtheplayingfield.org

 

Jan 14 - Foster Parent Information Meeting

Have you ever thought about opening your home to become a foster parent? Come to one of the monthly information meetings to find out more. Montgomery County has a particular need for foster parents that can take children 13 years and older, teen mothers and their babies, sibling groups, and children with special needs. Foster parents who speak other languages are also needed.
Contact: Shelly Chaitow at 240-777-4316 or 

michelle.chaitow@montgomerycountymd.gov  

Website: montgomerycountymd.gov

 

SSL Icon

 Jan 18 - 20 - Martin Luther King Day of Service

 There are  many projects all weekend, park clean ups, food collections, as well as the big events on Monday. Follow the links to  see all the MLK Day projects on our calendar! 

 

SSL Icon Jan 22 & 29 - justArt - Create Social Change through Creative  Media - City of Gaithersburg is providing this opportunity for high school students to produce unique, collaborative digital artistic productions that address an important social issue. Volunteers must be High School Students ages 14-18. SSL hours may be granted to students who attend BOTH sessions. Students MUST register to participate.
Contact: Maura Dinwiddie at 301-258-6350 x 168 mdinwiddie@gaithersburgmd.gov
Website: gaithersburgmd.gov  

 

Jan 30 - FrogWatch Program Volunteer Training - Come to this training presented by the Department of Environmental Protection to learn about the FrogWatch program and all there is to know about frogs and toads. Volunteers will be trained to identify frog and toad calls. 

Contact: Ana Arriaza at 240-777-7778 or ana.arriaza@montgomerycountymd.gov 

 


 OngoingSelected Ongoing Opportunities Helping Hands
SSL Icon
Denotes opportunities that are approved to provide MCPS Student Service Learning (SSL) Hours.  Many are still great opportunities for adults too!

  

Help the Homeless with Montgomery Avenue Women's Shelter - a daytime shelter for women in Rockville. Individuals and small groups are needed for many things! Prepare and serve meals, answer phones, help with fundraising, plan workshops, etc.
Contact: Bob Dorsey at 301-984-7765 or mawctr@verizon.net.

Website: mawctr.info

  

SSL Icon  Volunteer with Takoma Park Library - Opportunities include  Book Reviewer, Children's Program Helper, Library Shelver, and help with special events. Most are periodic opportunities, and when positions are full we keep a waiting list of potential volunteers. 

Contact: Karen MacPherson at 301-891-7259 or karenm@takomaparkmd.gov  

Website: cityoftakomapark.org/library


Help People Enroll for Affordable Insurance - It's not too late! Community Clinic still needs volunteers to educate patients about the Affordable Care Act. Work with trained Navigators. Locations in Takoma Park, Wheaton & Gaithersburg.  

Contact: Alana Babers at 240-839-5790 or alana.babers@cciweb.org

Website: cciweb.org     

 

SSL Icon  Choice Food Pantry Volunteer - Volunteer at Catholic  Charities' Choice Food Pantry in Silver Spring. Volunteers stock shelves, help clients "shop" and more. 

Contact: Tiffany Tan at 301-942-1790  tiffany.tan@catholiccharitiesdc.org 

Website: catholiccharitiesdc.org

  
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!

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 volunteer@montgomerycountymd.gov.