Service is a way of revitalizing your community and yourself!
                                                                                                       - Sheryl Orr (local community volunteer)
OCTOBER 2015
In This Issue
Quick Links
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
Oct 18 - World of Montgomery Festival 
Noon to 5:00 PM Montgomery College, Rockville. 
 Come celebrate the diverse cultures that make up Montgomery County. Free event with music, food, dance and hands-on activities. Find us and do a service project at the Volunteer Center tent!  

Oct 18 - The Beacon 50+ Expo. Noon to 4:00 PM 
Silver Spring Civic Center.
Free event with informative business, nonprofit and government exhibitors; health screenings, flu shots, giveaways, and expert speakers.  This year's keynote speaker is Tammy Darvish, speaking about mid-life career change. Come visit the Volunteer Center/RSVP Program table in the Expo's Resource Area.
 
VOLUNTEERS ON VIDEO 
Make a Difference
Make a Difference
Make a Difference is a County Cable Montgomery Program highlighting the contributions of volunteers and organizations that contribute positively to our county.

Click for recent episodes

You'll see interviews with Community Ministries of Rockville, Therapeutic Recreation, Community Food Rescue, and many more! 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Subscribe to Our Partner Newsletters

The Montgomery County Volunteer Center is part of the Office of Community Partnerships, which works to strengthen the relationship between the Montgomery County government and the residents it serves, with special emphasis on underserved and emerging communities. 

Subscribe to the monthly OCP newsletter to keep up these activities. 

Follow these links to subscribe to our other partner agencies' electronic publications:
Sign up now! Oct. 16-25
So Many Ways to Serve During Community Service Week

No matter what your interests, there's a volunteer project  you'll enjoy as part of Montgomery County's Community Service Week, which runs Oct. 16-25 this year. 

Do you like the outdoors? Try one of the cleanup projects in Rockville, Twinbrook, Colesville,  Olney or Silver Spring. 

Want to help the hungry? Volunteer with one of the food-related efforts, such as  staffing a collection for Manna Food Center  at one of the Giant stores in the county or cooking for individuals and families in need of healthy food with Growing Soul or preparing lunch and dinner for shelters with Campus Kitchens at USG.

Maybe you have some experience painting or other handyman skills. If so, check out Theatre Maintenance Week at Adventure Theatre, or Build Garden Fence & Greenhouse at Damascus Recreation Center. 

There are also events that need your help. Walk for the Homeless and Walkathon for Mental Health in Rockville, 

These are just a sampling of the many types of service projects included in this year's Community Service Week. Click here to see the full list of projects and sign up now!

Questions? Email us or call  240-777-2600.
 
World of Montgomery 2015
Part of Community Service Week includes the World of Montgomery Festival at Montgomery College, Rockville on Sunday October 18th,  12-5 PM. Come celebrate the diverse cultural heritages which play an active role in the lives of Montgomery County residents and communities. The festival showcases this rich diversity through food, music, dance, traditional arts and hands-on projects for children and families.

Some of the activities will be volunteer projects. Come find the Volunteer Center table and find information on opportunities to volunteer along with some hands on service projects to be done there.  
SPOTLIGHT ORGANIZATION
Metropolitan Washington Ear

The Metropolitan Washington Ear provides free news and information services for blind, visually-impaired, and physically disabled residents of Maryland, Virginia, and DC. The Ear strives to substitute hearing for seeing, improving the lives of people with little or no vision by enabling them to be well-informed, fully-productive members of their families, their communities, and the working world. Their services reduce isolation and depression and help people maintain their dignity and independence.

Volunteers read The Washington Post, USA Today, Time, and Washingtonian magazines and other current local and national publications daily. In addition, volunteers read grocery and shopping ads, magazines, TV listings, and audio described theater listings. The radios to access The Ear's programs are available free of charge to anyone who qualifies for the services provided by The Ear. The Dial-In service is interactive and permits callers to use their touchtone phones to skip and scan through the news articles much as print readers can.

The Ear's services are available throughout the Metropolitan area 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Washington Ear studios are located in northern Silver Spring.  Volunteers are asked to give two hours a week and a short audition is required of all applicants.

If you would like to be of service by helping to improve the lives of those who are visually impaired, please email Volunteer Manager Rene Schecker at volunteermanager@washear.org or call 301-681-6636. For additional information, click here.
FEATURED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
 Teach Financial Literacy
in Middle Schools 

Junior Achievement of Greater Washington has ongoing opportunities to teach financial literacy at the middle school level. Volunteers are provided with pre-developed lessons on topics including career exploration, budgeting, credit cards, credit score and insurance. 

Volunteers will either go into the classroom once a week for 5 consecutive weeks to teach for 45 minutes, or teach for one high impact day through a "JA in a Day" with 5 back to back lessons. 

Volunteers are supported in the classroom by the teacher and guided through the experience by a JA staff member. 
Through a 90-minute training session, volunteers are prepped with classroom management techniques and given an orientation to the program materials. Volunteers are needed in numerous schools across the county.
Questions? Email Amanda Parsley or call 301- 838-0471
"Fall" Into Volunteering!
Below are just a few of the opportunities listed on the Volunteer Center's website.  Check our Calendar of Events for more date-specific opportunities, and use the red box on our home page to search for more ongoing opportunities. And this month, don't forget to check the Community Service Week list of projects! 

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

capAspen Hill Library Book Sale: Saturday October 10 to Sunday October 18. With over 10,000 books for sale on Oct 17, volunteers have one short week to transform the library community room into a book sale, and then turn it back into the community room. Volunteers will move, handle, place, arrange books, CDs, video tapes. Knowledge of books and love of reading and of Libraries is extremely helpful. Minimum age: 16. Email Chris Swan or call 240-777-0020.  

SSL Icon Manna October Harvest Event: Saturday October 10, Freeland, MD - north of Baltimore. First Fruits Farm and Manna volunteers harvest thousands of pounds of first-rate produce each year for Manna's clients. Volunteers will harvest and bag produce and help load the Manna truck. Volunteers must be 7+ and those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, 21 or over. Email Katie Sayago or call 240-268-2546.

SSL Icon
Down Syndrome Network of Montgomery County Buddy Walk: Saturday Oct 10, Potomac. Volunteers needed for help with set up, parking, registration, food and activity tents, greeting VIPs & sponsors. This is a one-mile walk to promote understanding, inclusion and acceptance of people with Down Syndrome. Minimum age: 12.  Email Deirdre Kelly or call 202-257-4257

SSL Icon Parks Department's Halloween Trains: Costumed helpers are needed Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays in October for the "Haunted" train in Wheaton Regional Park, and the "Eye Spy" train in Cabin John Park . Minimum age 16; ages 14 & 15 OK with approved adult volunteer accompanying.  Email Lynn Vismara or call  301-495-2504. 

SSL Icon
Ag Reserve Bike Tour: Sunday, October 11, Poolesville. Volunteers are needed to help with parking, registration, set up (and take down) the picnic at Kingsbury's Orchard, "light" food prep at the Rocklands Farm rest stop, and ferry the biker's orchard purchases back to the start (in your own car, a few miles drive). All volunteers attend the picnic free with a 2 hour minimum shift. Bikers can participate in the tour and also volunteer.  The event is a partnership between Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Potomac Pedalers. Bikers will be doing between 17 and 75 mile rides through the Reserve's farms and open space. Email Denise Cohen

SSL Icon Theatrical Students needed for Damascus Recreation Center's Haunted Murkwood Forest. Oct 16, 17, 23, 24, 30. Stop by the Rec Center to apply. Email Linda Panagoulis or call 240-777-6930.
ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES

SSL IconChildcare Volunteers Needed for Stepping Stones Shelter in Rockville.  Evenings, Monday through Thursday, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This includes playing games with the children, leading activities, art and crafts, etc. Email Sara Ritchie-Helmuth or call 301-251-0567.

Case Management & Employment Internships available at Ethiopian Community Development Council - African Community Center in Silver Spring. ECDC's mission is to resettle refugees, promote cultural, educational, and socioeconomic development in the refugee and immigrant community in the United States, and conduct humanitarian and development programs in the Horn of Africa. Email Bridget Weisenreder or call 703-685-0510 .

SSL Icon Recreation Aide for Montgomery Village Foundation. Assist recreation staff in providing leisure activities to all age groups; assist in leading sports, games or crafts; assist with set up/breakdown of activity area and assist in general park/landscape maintenance. Email Melanie Maggi or call 301-948-0110.

SSL Icon Refurbish Computers for needy and disabled individuals. Phoenix Computers is looking for individuals, skilled or not, who have an interest in learning how to refurbish computers. With the mentoring of the other volunteers you will learn to diagnose and solve any problem with a computer. Email Jim Smith or call 301-881-4500.

Office Volunteers needed at BCAN in Bethesda. Volunteer to assist the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network with annual events. data entry, online research, and coordinating mailings. Other learning opportunities are available. Basic computer knowledge requested. Great opportunity for learning new skills and software. Email Jeanne Mahoney or call 301-215-9099.

GED & College Tutors needed for adults with HOC's Family Self-Sufficiency Program. Tutors are matched with students at convenient locations and times throughout Montgomery County. Email Kim Ervin or call  240-627-9719.

SSL Icon Activities Assistant for Grace House Assisted Living in Silver Spring.  Volunteers are need to assist with activities and serving meals for elderly residents. Examples of activities include bingo, word games, music performances, arts and crafts, and chair exercise. Students with musical talents are invited to perform for the residents. Students are invited to volunteer after school and on weekends. Email Meg DeSchriver or call 301-924-4424.
Montgomery County Volunteer Center - Office of Community Partnerships volunteer@montgomerycountymd.gov |www.montgomeryserves.org
12900 Middlebrook Road
Suite 1600
Germantown, MD 20874
 (240) 777-2600

Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.