StopGap Inc. needs volunteers to help support the agency as it begins a youth empowerment outreach program to assist youths in their transition from foster care to the adult world. Volunteers are needed to assist instructors and youths in a classroom with a curriculum that focuses on job skills, financial planning, home maintenance, continuing education, sex, mental and physical health, and housing. The classes will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Jan. 10 to Feb. 16. Additionally, volunteers are needed to act as wait staff for a fundraiser on Jan. 18, which will be from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 23rd Street Brewery, 3512 Clinton Parkway. For more information about getting involved with this new agency, contact Dorothy Jenicke, AmeriCorps VISTA, at 989-289-4821 or jenicked@gmail.com.

Other immediate needs

• The Villages Inc. is in need of a volunteer tenant farmer who can help maintain its Lawrence homes, which sit on 40 acres of brome fields. The agency is looking for someone who is interested in possibly returning the fields to native grasses and wildflowers. For more information about this volunteer opportunity, contact Michael Bradley at 785-267-5905 or mbradley@thevillagesinc.org.

• The Grassland Heritage Foundation is looking for volunteers to help with its Rolling Prairie Learning Lab (RPLL) Children’s Education program. The RPLL is a traveling program that goes to area schools and community groups to provide presentations and activities on different aspects of the prairie ecosystem. Most presentations last about one hour and can cover topics such as animals of the prairie, Native American arts and crafts, even prairie butterflies and other insects. Additionally, assistance is sometimes needed to staff the RPLL table at area events and festivals. During these events, volunteers discuss the prairie ecosystem with community members and display the learning materials. Preferably, volunteers should have experience working with children in an educational setting, and some knowledge about the prairie ecosystem is also helpful. Most presentations take place in Lawrence and all volunteers would be trained on specific RPLL topics before making a presentation. New volunteers will also be paired with an experienced volunteer or staff member for all of their initial presentations. For more information, contact Kim Bellemere at 785-840-8104 or grasslandheritage@gmail.com.

• The Lawrence Humane Society is looking for volunteers to become Dog Play Group Monitors. Staff put together small packs of dogs to go outside and play together, but volunteer monitors are needed to ensure all the dogs stay safe. Multiple training sessions are required for this specific position, and all volunteers must attend orientation and complete a volunteer profile before they can begin. Additional requirements are that all Dog Play Group Monitors be at least 18 years old and able to commit two hours per week for at least six months. For more information about this or other volunteer opportunities at Lawrence Humane Society, contact Maggie Cargill at 785-843-6835 or volunteer@lawrencehumane.org.