Agency: United Way of Douglas County

Contact: Shelly Hornbaker at volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org or at 785-865-5030, ext. 301

The United Way of Douglas County is looking for a volunteer project leader for its Literacy Kits program. Literacy kits provide extra reading practice for children and interactive activities that adults and children can complete together. Responsibilities include identifying target reading levels, identifying appropriate books and related activities, creating necessary resources for activities, and organizing books and supplies to be distributed for kit assembly.

A volunteer position description is available on www.volunteerdouglascounty.org. For more information, please contact Shelly Hornbaker at 865-5030, ext. 301, or at volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org.

• Douglas County Senior Services Inc. is committed to promoting quality of life for older citizens. Volunteers are needed to deliver lunchtime meals to homebound seniors in Lawrence. This is a fantastic opportunity to deliver a hot meal, and a smile while making a big difference in the lives of local seniors. Delivery routes take less than one hour. Grab a friend, tag-team the route, and then treat yourselves to lunch. This is a fun and easy way to accrue volunteer hours with your best friend. Lawrence routes run between 11 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. You can choose a steady one day a week assignment, or a more flexible schedule. Volunteers drive their own vehicles. To help defray gas expenses, a reimbursement of 45 cents per mile is offered for miles driven on the meal delivery route in personal vehicles. For more information, please contact Chip McConnell at cmcconnell@dgcoseniorservices.org or at 842-0543.

• The Lawrence Douglas County Health Department is looking for volunteers to serve as Group Leaders for their Tools for Better Health Workshop — a free program designed to empower those with chronic diseases to improve their health and quality of life. This interactive program helps people with different chronic health problems through a workshop offered once a week for six weeks. Volunteers must commit to a four-day training, Aug.27-28 and Sept. 3-4, as well as to leading the workshops. Applications to volunteer are due July 31. For more information or to apply to volunteer, please visit the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, 200 Maine Street, or go to ldchealth.org/TFBH.

• The United Way is looking for volunteers to staff the school supplies distribution on Aug. 9-14. All supplies are distributed to clients of local agencies such as Ballard Community Center, ECKAN, Penn House, and the Salvation Army. Two tasks are available: transporting donations from the United Way Building to East Lawrence Rec Center on Aug. 9, and assisting with backpack pickup on Aug. 10-14. Multiple shifts on each day are available. This is a great opportunity for families or groups. To sign up to volunteer, go to www.volunteerdouglascounty.org or contact Shelly Hornbaker at 865-5030, ext. 301 or at volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County provides one-to-one relationships for children facing adversity. Are you looking to make a difference in the life of a young boy in our community? Big Brothers Big Sisters has over 40 boys waiting for a one-on-one mentor. Are you a male at least 18 years old, married or have a family? Big Brothers Big Sisters is looking for a positive role model to spend a few hours a week with a 14-year-old boy who has been waiting for a Big for over two years. He lives with his grandmother, his father is incarcerated, and his mother passed away when he was a young boy. If you enjoy basketball, art, and have a big heart, you will enjoy spending time with this kind, quiet and calm young person. If you have a few hours a week to make a difference in his life, call Big Brothers Big Sisters today at 785-843-7359. Learn more about becoming a mentor at a BBBS Information Session held every Tuesday at 5:15 pm and every Wednesday at noon.

— For more volunteer opportunities, please contact Shelly Hornbaker at the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center at 785-865-5030, ext. 301 or at volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org or go to www.volunteerdouglascounty.org.