Agency: United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center

Contact: 785-865-5030 or volunteer@rhvc.org

The United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center has collaborated with some local agencies to coordinate volunteer projects for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service (MLK Day), which is just around the corner. Volunteer opportunities are listed below, and you can sign up by visiting VolunteerDouglasCounty.org or by contacting the volunteer center at 785-865-5030 or volunteer@rhvc.org.

— The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence will be working on two projects in the coming weeks to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Club kids around Lawrence will be creating reflections of what King’s legacy means to them, specifically his commitment to service. Volunteers are needed to select a number of the reflections and turn them into a display that can be viewed at community MLK Day celebrations. The selections and display would need to be complete by Friday, Jan. 18. If you’d enjoy reading what local students have to say about King’s legacy, and/or would have fun creating a display for other community members to see, this is the volunteer gig for you.

— Additionally, the Boys and Girls Club will be hosting a food drive at several of their sites to benefit Just Food. The food drive will take place throughout the week leading up to MLK Day (Jan. 14 to Jan. 18). Volunteers are needed on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 18, to pick up the food collections from various elementary school sites and deliver them to Just Food. Ideally, a few volunteers will divide up the number of locations and will be available from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to do staggered deliveries to the Just Food warehouse. If you’ve got a large enough vehicle to pick up barrels of food donations and would enjoy being a part of the club’s effort to help support a local food bank, we need you.

— Lawrence Habitat for Humanity is hosting a special build day for MLK Day, which is Monday, Jan. 21, and is looking for up to 12 community members to come out and help work on its 81st Lawrence home. Building tasks could range from painting to helping install doors to working on the exterior of the house; there is something for every volunteer’s skill level. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old; any volunteer under 18 must have a parent/guardian sign a waiver. Lunch will be provided.

Make your MLK Day a day on, not a day off!

Immediate needs

• The Willow Domestic Violence Center is embarking on its Winter 2013 Volunteer Training, which starts Saturday, Feb. 2. Volunteers will go through a 40-hour training session designed to prepare advocates to work directly with survivors of domestic violence. The classes will meet on occasional Saturdays and will have weekly sessions from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Wednesdays. If you are interested in attending this training, please contact Becca Burns no later than Friday, Jan. 18, at 785-331-2034, ext. 104, or at bburns@willowdvcenter.org. 

• The Safe Winter Walkways program is still in need of several volunteers. The program, which is a partnership between the city of Lawrence and Douglas County Senior Services, matches volunteers to community members who are unable to remove snow from their walkways. Volunteers are asked to commit to visiting the residence of whomever they’re matched to within 48 hours of each significant snowfall (2 or more inches) throughout the winter. Please consider signing up to be a volunteer in this program and help out the most vulnerable residents of our community. You can sign up online at lawrenceks.org or by calling 785-832-3338.

— 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.