Agency:Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority

Contact: Mary Orem at 785-331-4418 or morem@ldcha.org

The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority is in need of several volunteers for the New York School’s Walking School Bus. A Walking School Bus, or WSB, is a group of students, with adult supervision, who walk along a set route between school and their homes; it is a fun, healthy and simple alternative to motorized transportation. The New York School’s WSB calls on parents and community members to be volunteer “drivers” and supervise children on their afternoon walk home from school. Volunteers are needed all days school is in session, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., except Wednesdays. Ideally, volunteers will be able to commit to “driving” the WSB one day a week for at least a semester. All volunteers will fill out an application, undergo a background check and be trained before starting. For more information, please contact Mary Orem at 785-331-4418 or morem@ldcha.org.

Immediate needs

• The Afternoon Tea is seeking volunteer servers for their upcoming “Afternoon Tea for Honored Citizens” on Sept. 25. The Afternoon Tea is a group dedicated to providing lively social opportunities for local “honored citizens,” who are community members ages 55 and up, by putting on events with live entertainment by groups such as Theatre Lawrence, while guests enjoy tea, treats and each other’s company. The Afternoon Tea on Sept. 25 will be at First United Methodist Church, and several volunteers are needed to help run the event smoothly and create an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie for the honored citizens who attend. To offer your help, please contact Brian or Kirsty at lawrenceafternoontea@yahoo.com.

• Kennedy School is looking for volunteers to help with a variety of things to support their students. You can volunteer from home to plug in content and design a monthly newsletter for the school community, or you can help update content and upload newsletters to the school website from home. Have a green thumb? Volunteer gardeners are needed to spruce up the schools’ courtyards, and to help teach students how they can maintain flower, fruit, and vegetable gardens. Are you particularly crafty? Volunteers to help with set design and costuming are needed for an upcoming production Oct. 22, as well as more dates throughout the school year. Other opportunities include providing child care during monthly PTO meetings, supervising and cheering on students in weekly Marathon Club runs, and helping to manage the Kennedy Store for students to spend their earned “Kennedy Dollars” throughout the year. Please note that all volunteers working directly with students will need to have a background check and orientation. Please contact Brooke Miller at 785-330-1656 or brooke@cisnortheastkansas.org for more information.

• Ballard Community Services is looking for more volunteers to help run its annual “Ballard B3: Blues, Brews, and BBQ” fundraiser Saturday at the Clinton Lake State Park Softball Complex. Volunteers are needed to help with tasks including event setup, serving food and beverages, and event cleanup. Please contact Seth Peterson at 785-842-0729 or seth@ballardcenter.org to get signed up to help this weekend.

• Lawrence Humane Society is in need of 30-plus volunteers still for its 18th annual Pawsible Dream Auction, their biggest fundraiser of the year Friday, Sept. 28t at Holiday Inn Lawrence. Volunteers are needed to help with setup from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., the live auction event from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and teardown after the event from 9 p.m. to 10:30 pm. Consider gathering a small group of friends or family to help make this fundraiser a success. All volunteers are asked to attend a short training session before the event at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27. Please contact Maggie Cargill at 785-843-6835 or maggie@lawrencehumane.org to get involved.

— For more volunteer opportunities, contact Shannon Reid at the United Way’s Roger Hill Volunteer Center, at 785-865-5030 or volunteer@rhvc.org, or go to volunteerdouglascounty.org.