Volunteer Opportunities

Editor’s Note: While all attempts have been made to make these lists as accurate as possible, times and program availability may be subject to change. Please check information in advance to avoid disappointment.

HELPING PARENTS AND FAMILIES

Arlington Boys & Girls Club has many volunteer opportunities for people willing to commit only a few hours per month. Call 781-648-1617 or email dhurley@abgclub.org for more information.

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham is seeking volunteers of all ages for positions in the hospital’s coffee shop and gift shop. For information, please call Jane East at 781-453-3002.

Boston Cares is an umbrella group for numerous volunteer programs in the Boston area. The BOOYAH! Youth and Family program offers volunteer opportunities for students and families to engage in community service projects that fit their schedules, and interests. 617-422-0910; www.bostoncares.org.

Boston Partners in Education is looking for volunteers to support students and teachers in the Boston Public Schools by working one-on-one with students on a weekly basis during the 2007-2008 academic year. Opportunities are available in all grades, K-12, in the areas of math and literacy. 617-451-6145; www.bostonpartners.org.

COMPASS for Homeless Families helps 70 families in shelter in Waltham. Looking for volunteer childcare providers to spend time, play, and do homework with young homeless children on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Donate new toys. 781-862-4446; www.parentingresourceassociates.org.  

The Food Project is a launching pad for new ideas about youth and adults partnering to create social change through sustainable agriculture. Volunteers needed. Call Roger Wong at 617-422-0910, ext. 206.

Room to Grow, a Boston-based non-profit organization supporting babies in poverty throughout their first three years of life, seeks volunteers to organize our inventory of infant and toddler clothing, toys, books and equipment. Three hours per week required. 617-859-4545.

Birthday Wishes is a nonprofit group that provides birthday parties for children in homeless shelters. Volunteers needed for everything from baking cakes to providing help at events. 866.388.WISH (9474); www.birthdaywishes.org.

Cambridge Family and Children’s Service needs one-to-one volunteer mentors for families living at a homeless shelter in Cambridge. Time commitment is 3-4 hours per week for at least a year. 617-876-4210, x14.

Cambridge School Volunteers needs elementary school literacy and math tutors, homework helpers and classroom assistants. A one-hour per week time commitment is needed. Training and support provided. Contact Martha Osler at 617-349-6794, or www.csvinc.org.

Cape Ann Families, the support and education program of Wellspring House, needs volunteers for its Parent Aide program, which matches families with a volunteer for one year. Training is provided. 978-281-7856.

Children’s Museum and Brockton Day Nursery needs volunteers, as well as donations and scholarships to contribute to the evening’s offerings. 508-230-3789 or 508-588-2700.

Help for Abused Women and Their Children (HAWC) in Salem seeks volunteers to assist in all aspects of the organization. 978-744-6841; helpabusedwomen.org.

The Home for Little Wanderers needs volunteers for its Parental Stress Line. Comprehensive training is given, and volunteers choose a weekly 3.5-hour shift. Located in Boston near the Symphony T stop. Call 617-267-3700 and ask for Claudia Euler.

Horizons for Homeless Children seeks 150 volunteers to interact and play with 500 children living in shelters in the Boston area. A commitment of two hours per week for six months is required, in day or evening shifts. Training is available. Call Cattreya at 617-445-1480 for more information or visit www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org.

The Parent Connection at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center seeks experienced mothers to provide weekly phone support to new mothers for the first three months after birth. Training and support are provided. 617-667-2229.

Parents Helping Parents needs group facilitators for parent support groups and to occasionally offer support on the phone. Training is provided. Time commitment is 3-4 hours per week. Openings statewide; Spanish speakers also needed, 617-926-5008.

The Visiting Moms Program of the Jewish Family & Children’s Service seeks experienced mothers to provide support to new mothers. Training and supervision are provided. Time commitment is 2-3 hours per week. 781-647-5327.

The VNA Care Hospice needs volunteers to provide practical and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families. Training and support provided. 888-663-3688.

Welcome Baby Program of the Family Nurturing Center and Dorchester CARES needs volunteers and community service/social action groups for newborn gift basket assembly events held monthly. 617-474-1143, ext. 227.

HELPING ELDERS

Combined Jewish Philanthropies seeks you, and your child, to share an hour or two each week with a lonely or isolated elder. 617-558-6585.

Jewish Family Service of Metrowest is receiving numerous calls from elders who would enjoy visitors. Do you have a couple hours a week to visit someone who feels isolated? Parents and kids can volunteer together, making new friends across the generations. People of all backgrounds are welcome to apply. 508-875-3100.

MATCH-UP Interfaith Volunteers seeks volunteers to offer help and companionship to isolated, homebound elders and disabled adults. 617-536-3557.

Shovel Our Snow Program (S.O.S.) is a referral program that connects residents who need their walks and driveways shoveled with young people who are looking to earn extra money over the winter. For information, call 617-739-7590 or 617-730-2069.

Springwell Inc. (formerly West Suburban Elder Services) is a nonprofit home care agency that helps keep elders in their homes independently and safely with a variety of home care services. Volunteers are needed in Belmont, Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley and Weston. Training and support are provided. 617-926-4100.

LITERACY AND LEARNING

The Adult Learning Program of Jamaica Plain needs volunteer tutors to work two hours per week helping adults learn basic skills, math, and English as a second language. 617-635-5201.
Cambridge School Volunteers needs elementary school literacy and math tutors, as well as one-on-one tutors at the high school in any subject. A one-hour-per-week commitment is required. Training and support provided. 617-349-6794.

Eastern Massachusetts Literacy Council needs volunteer literacy tutors. Free training and materials are provided to tutors who commit to two hours per week for nine months. 781-395-2374.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Road to Recovery, is looking for volunteers to drive cancer patients to and from their treatments. This American Cancer Society program needs volunteers who can drive a patient a few times a week. 1-800-ACS-2345; www.cancer.org.

City-Wide Dialogues on Boston’s Ethnic and Racial Diversity gives Bostonians a chance to break down barriers. Commit to attending four sessions and volunteer to participate in discussions meant to bridge gaps between people and groups in the city. 617-442-4519, ext. 263.

The Hull Lifesaving Museum is seeking volunteers to give tours of the museum. Training is provided. Interest in local history, arts & crafts, or teaching experience are all helpful. For more information contact Victoria Stevens at 781-925-5433 or lifesavingmuseum@comcast.net.

Joppa Flats Wildlife Refuge needs volunteers at their Mass. Audubon learning center in Newburyport. Training provided. All volunteers receive full membership benefits. 978- 462-9998, x6804; www.massaudubon.org.

The Wenham Museum seeks volunteer docents for two to fours hours a month. Training provided. 978-468-2377.

Brookline Music School is looking for volunteers. Call for details. 617-277-4593, ext. 231.
The Esplanade Association seeks people with model boat experience to help run the model sailing club. 617-227-0365; www.esplanadeassociation.org.

The Conservation Department of New England Wild Flower Society seeks volunteers for invasive plant mapping and other critical field projects throughout New England. No previous experience is necessary. Free training provided. For more information, visit www.newfs.org or call 508-877-7630 x 3203.

Bikes Not Bombs! offers Earn-A-Bike instructor training. Learn bike mechanics and methods to teach youths and earn credits towards a bike by teaching in the fall. FREE. Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Armory St., Jamaica Plain. 617-522-0222.

Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal reserve in Norton, is seeking volunteers to assist in barn cleaning on weekday mornings. Contact Debra White at 508-285-6451.

The Children's Museum in Easton has community service and volunteer opportunities available for interested adults, college and high school students. Volunteers are needed for a variety of projects ranging from programs for children, family special events, and adult fundraising evenings. The Museum is also searching for interested adults volunteers willing to serve on the planning committee for the 14th Annual Father’s Day Road Race. For more information, call 508-230-3789.

Harvard Museum of Natural History needs museum volunteers once a week for a morning or afternoon. The only requirement is enthusiasm! 617-384-7180.

Family Table, Greater Boston’s Jewish Food Pantry, needs drivers to bring food to families in need. 617-566-0333.

Bet Tzedek, a program of Jewish Family Services, needs volunteer attorneys to provide free legal advice to low-income populations. 617-558-1278.

Cultural Academic Student Exchange, Inc. needs host families for international students from around the world. Students are between ages 15 and 18 and stay for one semester. 800-458-8336.

The New England Wild Flower Society seeks field volunteers, as well as administrative and horticulture volunteers. Free training provided. 507-877-7630.

Substance Abuse HELPLINE seeks volunteers for hotline service for people affected by alcoholism and substance abuse. 617-536-0501.

American Cancer Society seeks cosmetologists to volunteer their time and talent to help women living with cancer learn hands-on techniques to help them cope with the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. 800-ACS-2345; www.cancer.org.

Bring Light helps people make donations to a wide range of worthy causes and it shows how your donations are helping real people, from families in need to emergency shelters, school scholarships and animal rescues. Bring Light enables donors to interact with one another and collaborate to fund a specific project. www.bringlight.com.

The Trustees of Reservations is seeking volunteers at various events throughout the Spring, including trail volunteers on June 7. For information call, Weir River Farm, 781-740-7233. The Trustees are also seeking a few good service-learning volunteers, ages 15-17, to assist with farm-based education programs and operations. Gain valuable experience at Appleton Farms in Ipswich/Hamilton as a farm steward. Call 978-921-1944 for program details and application.

Lowell National Historic Park seeks volunteers for various events and attractions including museum teacher aides, visitor information aides, clean-up of historic places and park ambassadors. For information about these and other volunteer opportunities, call 978-275-1740 or visit www.nps.gov/lowe/supportyourpark/volunteer.

Olmstead Park Volunteer Project, a collaboration of Friends of Leverett Pond, Brookline GreenSpace Alliance and the Brookline Parks & Open Space Division, seeks volunteers to perform spring cleanup duties, including pruning, weeding and raking. 617-730-2076.

Buttonwood Park Zoo is seeking Zoo Ambassadors. Be part of the launch of an education-based volunteer program and perform tasks from answering visitor questions to teaching people about an animal’s adaptations. Training is provided. Contact Erine Anderson, 508-991-4556, ext. 19 or eanderson@bpzoo.org.