Volunteer Opportunities: Lawrence school supply drive seeks help

Agency: United Way of Douglas County

Contact: Hernan Nieto at maracana69@hotmail.com or at 424-3540

Help equip Douglas County students for school by staffing the United Way school supplies drive on July 18 and July 25. All donations will stay in Douglas County and be distributed to clients of local agencies including Ballard Community Center, ECKAN, Penn House, and the Salvation Army. Two-hour shifts at Office Depot and both of the area Wal-Mart stores are available from 10 a.m.-noon, noon-2 p.m., and 2-4 p.m. on July 18 and on July 25. To sign up to volunteer, go to www.volunteerdouglascounty.org.

• United Way is seeking AmeriCorps members to serve full-time for one year in various Douglas County host sites starting Aug. 3. Members serve in either United Way’s health goal, helping people improve their health or United Way’s self-sufficiency goal, helping people find employment. AmeriCorps benefits include monthly living stipend of approximately $900, health insurance, child care, student loan deferment and an education award of $5,730 after completion of service. Openings are available at Lawrence Community Shelter, Willow Domestic Violence Center, Salvation Army, Lawrence Douglas County Health Department, and Heartland Community Health Center. If interested, please send a resume to Linda Brandenburger, at AmeriCorps@unitedwaydgco.org or call at 865-5030, ext. 356.

• Douglas County Senior Services Inc., is committed to promoting quality of life for older citizens. Volunteers are needed to drive one of DCSS’s designated meal delivery routes in Lawrence to deliver lunchtime meals. Routes usually take less than an hour to complete. Lawrence routes are run between 11 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. Volunteers may choose a steady one day a week assignment or deliver a route on several different days. Volunteers will use their own vehicles, and in order to help defray gas expenses, a reimbursement of $0.45 per mile is offered to volunteer drivers for miles driven on their meal delivery route(s) in their personal vehicles. For more information, please contact Chip McConnell at cmcconnell@dgcoseniorservices.org or at 842-0543.

• Heartland Community Health Center offers accessible, continuous and compassionate health care to ensure that all needs are met regardless of income. Heartland Community Health Center is looking for a detail-oriented person ready to work alongside Heartland’s medical staff to organize and manage electronic medical records. Volunteers need to have basic computer skills and willing to serve at least 8 hours a week. For more information please email rhartford@heartlandhealth.org or call 841-7297.

• The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority’s main objective is to be good stewards of the housing programs it is charged with managing and administering. Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority would eagerly take on a detail-oriented volunteer to assist with internal filing and other simple clerical duties such as mail delivery to the local public housing complex. Please contact Eric Sader at esader@ldcha.org or at 842-2246.

• 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 is looking for a male mentor to spend time with a 6-year-old boy on our waiting list. This young man is friendly, outgoing and enjoys spending time outdoors. He is interested in cooking, playing games and doing arts and crafts. If you have a few hours a week to make a difference in his life, call Big Brothers Big Sisters today at 843-7359. Learn more about becoming a mentor at a BBBS Information Session held every Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. and every Wednesday at noon.

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