Agency: Kansas University Center for Community Outreach

Address: Room 405 Kansas Union

Contact Number: 864-4073

The KU Center for Community Outreach will have a holiday party for Lawrence-area children from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Kansas Union. The center has paired up with NBC’s “Today Show,” which will donate gifts for the party. Every child who attends will leave with a wrapped gift. Based on past numbers, the center expects more than 600 children to come to the party. Gift donations will be accepted at the center’s office in the union.

The center also needs volunteers to work at and help prepare for the party. Volunteers can wrap gifts from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today in the alcoves of the union, decorate for the party from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the ballroom, supervise the party and hand out gifts from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or clean up from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. At the party, volunteers will help children complete holiday activities such as making cards for patients at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and taking pictures with Baby Jay and Santa Claus. Call the center to volunteer.

Last week’s results

The Douglas County Jail has had four volunteers offer to tutor math and one offer to teach a life skills class. The jail has hundreds of volunteers who provide many services, but it has only one tutor in math and one in literacy. It is still looking for volunteers to teach inmates life skills such as balancing a checkbook. Call Mike Caron at 830-1055 to volunteer or for more information.

Immediate volunteer needs

• The KU Strategic Learning Center needs volunteer tutors. A background check and tuberculosis test are required. The Learning Center operates out of Trinity Lutheran Church and tutors youths ages 2 through 12 in all subjects. Volunteers need to take 10 hours of strategic tutoring instruction before tutoring. Contact Rose Foster, administrative coordinator of the center, at 331-3236 or at rtfoster@ku.edu
• Salvation Army needs about five volunteers per day to be bell ringers through Christmas Eve. This annual collection supports programs year-round. Day and evening shifts are available. To learn more, call Rochelle at 843-4188.
• The Citizen Review Board consists of community people who review cases involving local children in the foster care system. The office needs a volunteer to receive clients and escort them to the appropriate waiting area until board members can receive them and assist with general clerical tasks a few hours weekly. Contact Heather Krause Minnick at 832-5219.
• AARP Tax Assistance is looking for volunteers to provide free tax assistance to elderly residents of Douglas and Franklin counties during the 2003 tax season. No experience is necessary, and training is provided. To learn more, call Jack Connolly at 865-3985 or e-mail at connjac@aol.com

For more volunteer opportunities, call the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, a service of the United Way of Douglas County, at 865-5030 or online at www.rhvc.org