By Staff
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
You are invited by the Saint Joseph Police Department to join their Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP). RSVP strives to improve the community by enhancing the delivery of municipal services. RSVP volunteers assist with vacation home checks, patrol for handicap parking violations, assist with crowd control at festivals and help prevent crime. If you are 55 or older, have 4 to 6 hours/week, have daytime availability and have an interest in maintaining a safe community, this may be the position for you.
ADULTS
Child &Family Services fosters the development of community, family and individual capabilities which support health, self-sufficiency, and fully functional lives for children, families and adults of all ages. They have many volunteer opportunities including assisting with administrative services such as filing and data entry in their human resources department. You set your volunteer hours anytime between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Office experience is helpful, but not required. You must be able to follow instructions correctly. All volunteers must have a TB test, undergo a background check and sign a confidentiality agreement. Training will be provided.
Last year volunteers assisted Lest We Forget in gathering stories from veterans with the eventual goal of publishing a book of veteran's stories of Southwest Michigan. There are still more stories to gather, so volunteers are needed to assist with the Berrien County Veterans History Project that was started last summer. Lest We Forget is working with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project in the collection of stories and to date over 75 stories have been obtained. Volunteers will assist by conducting interviews with veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and current conflicts typing manuscripts and transcribing taped interviews. The project also seeks stories from those on the home front. The goal is the production of the book "Wartime Reflections of SW Michigan Residents" by Dec. 1, 2007.
Do you love math? Does making columns of numbers add up thrill you? If so you are just the person to enthuse someone else about numbers. The Community Partnership for Lifelong Learning's Family Literacy Center will put you in touch with people who need and value your help. You will learn a unique way to engage, motivate, and inspire struggling math learners. Volunteers are asked to make a commitment to tutoring twice a month for at least six months. You will conduct your tutoring at the Family Literacy Center in downtown Benton Harbor on Mondays or Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A training will be offered for volunteer tutors on Tuesday, July 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ADULTS AND YOUTH
Sometimes when children have been through turmoil a gentle smile and someone else's laughter can make the difference for them and their families. The staff from the Safe Shelter, a domestic violence shelter holds support groups around the county. One of these support groups will be held in Niles and they need assistance with child care. These support groups are for women who have recently been in crisis or may still be. Assisting with child care is a great way to help get a woman and her family back on their feet. Sessions will be on Wednesdays, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
FAMILIES
Gateway, Inc. provides therapeutic services and vocational training for disabled individuals of all ages. They provide miracles everyday for people who strive to learn and grow but do it just a bit differently than many of us. Gateway is seeking volunteers to help with their Miracle Softball Marathon which will be held on July 27 and 28 at Plangger's Field in Benton Harbor. They need people to be greeters, help their food vendor run the concessions, help clean the fields and announcing the games. No training involved, families and teenagers would be great. They need volunteers who will show up for the two hour shifts and who can greet or handle money.
YOUTH
YWCA of Berrien County will be running a swimming program at the Charles Gray Center in Benton Harbor on Thursday afternoons from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Volunteers would be of great help checking in children for the program and assisting children in the locker rooms as needed. On Saturday mornings throughout the summer from 9:45 to 12 noon youth volunteers can help the Water Safety Instructor with swim lessons. Red Cross certification is a plus. Saturday volunteer aides would also assist children in the locker rooms as needed and assist on pool side. The YWCA also has a Summer Camp Program, volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Duties include assisting with daily activities and field trips. Volunteers can come anytime during the hours of operation (6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) but must first apply and submit to a background check.
Call the Volunteer Center today.