In cooperation with the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan, the Niles Daily Star will publish opportunities for volunteers each week. To find out about these or other volunteer opportunities, please call 983-0912 in the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor area, 683-5464 in the Niles area; visit our website at www.volunteerswmi.org; or e-mail us at volunteer@volunteerswmi.org for further information. To arrange an appointment, please call ahead. Appointments do not constitute an obligation to accept a volunteer opportunity. The center is a United Way agency.

Spotlight of the Week

Drivers are always in demand. Right now, Berrien County Veterans’ Affairs Office is looking for four drivers with good driving records. As a volunteer driver, you will drive the VA van one or two weekdays a month to the VA hospital in Battle Creek. In addition to feeling good about helping a veteran, you will also receive a free lunch at the hospital. You pick which day you want to drive a month in advance. No special driver’s license is required.

Adults

• Afterschool Rocks! at Berrien Springs High School provides students with extended day opportunities to grow academically, socially and emotionally and inspires them to care about their global community. Youth participating count on faithful adult program assistants to make it all possible. Can you commit two hours a week to making this new program a success? If you are not available after school call and discuss how you can help with the organizational work that can happen on your schedule.

• Would you like to learn more about the court system? As a volunteer probate court clerk in St. Joseph you will answer phones, take and relay messages, document information, conduct research, assist the public, organize files and do data entry. Whether you want to build your skills or continue to utilize those you already have, this is an interesting place to volunteer. Three-hour slots are available during regular business hours. A weekly commitment is preferred.

• Join the Therapeutic Equestrian Center’s (TEC) team of volunteers and make a difference today. Do you have a few extra hours a week and enjoy helping people? Then TEC in Watervliet has a volunteer opportunity for you to manage rider files, especially before and after each riding session. Several volunteers are needed and the work schedule is flexible and can be done by phone and e-mail.

• As a greeter at the museum store at The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph you have the important job of being the first person a visitor encounters. Museum store volunteers greet visitors, offer information about the exhibits, make sales in the gift shop and may perform small administrative tasks.  Minimum commitment is one weekday per month, Tuesday through Friday, 1 to 4 p.m.

• If every person who donates blood once a year recruited one person to donate once a year, blood shortages could be a thing of the past. Recruit a friend to donate blood today.

Berrien County Chapter of the American Red Cross

For a complete listing, visit  www.berrienredcross.org.

Michigan Blood

• Saturday — Martin’s Supermarket, Blood Bus 720 South 11th St., Niles, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Monday — Benton Harbor High School Library, 870 Colfax Ave., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For a complete listing, visit www.miblood.org.

Adults and youth

Are you familiar with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission? It promotes a sustainable, high quality of life through the facilitation of sound planning and decision-making and so much more. As communities work on transportation needs, walking trails and many other issues, you will find them involved. Their work is very broad and very interesting. They have been hard at work creating interesting volunteer opportunities that you can do in your town. For example, you can be a bicycle safety trainer or a water quality advocate. Or you can give your input on issues like bicycle trails and transportation needs. Contact them to explore further options.

Youth

• Curious Kids Museum in St. Joseph wants you to come and have fun with them during spring break week the first week in April. You will enjoy helping children explore the exhibits. Face painting, anyone? If you enjoy kids, this is the place to be!.

• Does your school know about the Volunteer Center and how we can connect individual students and student groups to volunteer opportunities? Be an Advocate 4 Youth Volunteering at your schools. Contact Callie at the Volunteer Center and she will give you posters and materials to promote volunteerism at your school.

Families

Spring will be here soon and you know what that means — yard cleanup. Why not talk over with your family about doing a clean up project for a neighbor who could use some help or offering your help at a local nonprofit? You could make it a one time project or offer on-going assistance over the summer as well.  Emergency Shelter in Benton Harbor is one such organization. Contact the Volunteer Center and we can connect you to an organization in your town.

• Assist the Easter bunny. Since 2008 local families have helped the Easter bunny by providing supplies for more than 300 Easter baskets for kids in shelters and in foster care. You can hold a drive at your kids’ preschool, at your house of worship or in your neighborhood. Contact the Volunteer Center to learn more about how you can get involved.