A great new website launched recently by the United Way of Douglas County’s Roger Hill Volunteer Center makes it even easier for local residents to find volunteer opportunities that fit their talents and schedules.

It’s also a handy way to see if any local agencies can make use of items you’d like to get off your hands.

Anyone with access to a computer can go to www.volunteerdouglascounty.org and find dozens of ways they can serve their community. There are volunteer opportunities that range from the ongoing commitment of being a Big Brother or Big Sister to the need for some occasional carpentry assistance at Hidden Valley Girl Scout Camp. Volunteers are needed to work indoors and outdoors and work with people of all ages. They can make deliveries, run bingo games, make deliveries, maintain trails, do manicures or any number of other tasks. There’s even a spot where people can let an agency know they are willing to serve as a board member.

There’s truly something for everyone. However, if nothing on the list strikes your fancy today, check back next week. The online format allows the Roger Hill Volunteer Center to quickly update and add to the listing. It’s an extremely efficient way to link willing volunteers and donors with those who agencies that can use their talents or unwanted items.

That kind of efficiency and service is a hallmark of the volunteer center’s parent agency, United Way of Douglas County, which is in the middle of its annual fundraising campaign. The United Way established the Roger Hill Volunteer Center in 1990 because it saw an opportunity to serve a community need. The new website is just the latest example of how the center — named for Roger Hill, a former manager of the Lawrence Hallmark plant who was deeply involved in community activities — has worked to build and improve its services over the last 20 years.

That’s true of every agency United Way of Douglas County supports with the help of contributions from generous donors. In the current economy, some individuals and companies may not think they can afford to donate to United Way. We hope they will try to at least maintain their support and that others who are able will increase their giving to take up the slack. Those who don’t have money to spare can use the new website to find a way to share their talents and energy as volunteers.

Whether you offer a gift of time or of money, the track record of United Way of Douglas County and the agencies it supports should give you confidence that your donation will be put to good use to help our community.