In this Issue:
Civic Engagement and Service News
Community Service Opportunities
Civic Engagement and Service News
9/15 Fall Volunteer Fair
SF Civic Engagement and Service is holding the fall Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, September 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Grove on SF’s Northwest Campus. Dozens of community agencies will be recruiting student volunteers and interns. The following organizations will be attending:
COVID-19 Safety Note: All of CES’s in-person events will take place outside. Participants are encouraged to wear masks and practice social distancing. You can also find SF’s latest COVID-19 updates at sfcollege.edu/covid19. If you have questions about this event, contact the CES Specialist at sarah.blanc@sfcollege.edu
Rotaract’s Supply Drive for Afghan Refugees
The Rotaract Club of Gainesville is collecting donations of new household items for refugees from Afghanistan who are being resettled in Jacksonville and its surrounding areas. The Jacksonville office of Catholic Charities has a refugee resettlement program and is resettling 200 Afghan refugees through March 2022. Donations will be collected until Thursday, September 17th. How to donate:
Online: You can order items on our Amazon Wishlist that will be shipped directly to the collection site: bit.ly/3gSlSvp When you check out, select “Ashley Hemingway’s Gift Registry Address” as your shipping address.
In Person: Donations can be delivered to the Firestone Building at 304 W. University Ave. Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monetary Donations: The Rotaract Club can take monetary donations through Rotary Clubs of Gainesville Foundation, which will then be passed along to Catholic Charities’ Jacksonville office. If you’re interested in giving in this way, contact treasurer@rotarygainesville.org.
Here is a list of new items that we are collecting:
- Bathroom furnishings
- Bedroom furnishings
- Cooking and dining supplies
- Household linens and décor
- Queen-, full- and twin-size mattresses and bed frames
- Household cleaning supplies
For more than 40 years, Catholic Charities Jacksonville has welcomed people fleeing violence and/or persecution. Catholic Charities is committed to serving everyone regardless of faith and does not proselytize to its clients. More information about the project can be found at https://www.ccbjax.org/afghan-refugees. For more information about this supply drive, contact treasurer@rotarygainesville.org.
Tell Us About Yourself with Our Student Volunteer Interest Survey
Are you hoping to volunteer more in the coming year but don't know how to get started? Complete this quick survey to tell us what you're hoping to gain from your volunteer experience and what types of volunteer opportunities you're interested in pursuing. The CES Specialist will follow up with personalized suggestions to help you get started!
Join the Ethics Bowl Team
Be part of an award-winning, nationally ranked intercollegiate academic team! Ethics Bowl is an intercollegiate competition, where teams meet to discuss & wrestle with current controversial ethical issues. Have fun engaging in collaborative moral reasoning with your peers. Ethics Bowl team members will:
- Develop skills in critical thinking, civil discourse, research, and team leadership
- Compete against top colleges and universities across the country
- Use your case research for conference presentations
- Qualify to apply for a SF Academic Team Scholarship
Contact Coach Dr. Ann Thebaut at ann.thebaut@sfcollege.edu.
Community Service Opportunities
Volunteer with Elder Options & The SHINE/SMP Program
Elder Options’ mission is to ensure that communities have a trusted and unbiased place to turn for information, resources and assistance. SHINE/SMP, Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders / Senior Medicare Patrol’s missions are:
-to provide free and unbiased health insurance counseling through a dedicated network of volunteers, empowering Florida seniors to make informed health care choices.
-to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.
As a volunteer, you will help us meet our mission by performing one or all of a variety of functions:
- Provide information, counseling, and assistance in person or by phone
- Deliver educational presentations
- Distribute educational and promotional materials in your community
- Assist with general program support
- Recruit additional volunteers
- Educate community partners about the program.
To join our team, please visit our Elder Options Volunteer Page here: https://agingresources.org/shine-2/. We look forward to working with you!
Cotton Club Museum Seeks a Social Media and Marketing Intern
The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center fosters and facilitates an understanding of and appreciation for the African American experience and African-derived culture. The museum is seeking a social media and marketing intern to assist the museum’s Communications Committee. The museum uses Wix, Facebook, and YouTube and they are seeking someone who has experience working within these platforms. While the museum remains closed due to COVID-19, they have been providing virtual events and content and could use extra technological support. The Cotton Club Museum has no paid staff and is powered by an all-volunteer board of dedicated individuals. They are looking for someone who is available 6-10 hours a week with flexible hours. To apply, contact Casey Smith at casey3343@gmail.com
Volunteer with Educating Parents in Technology (EPIT)
Educating Parents in Technology (EPIT) is a free hotline and training program that offers convenient technology support to parents of school-age children navigating Zoom, Canvas, Skyward, and ACPS's online portal. If you would like to volunteer to offer technology support to parents at Howard Bishop Middle School, contact Staci White at Staci.White@chsfl.org.
Volunteer with Our Santa Fe River
Our Santa Fe River (OSFR) is a grassroots non-profit organization of concerned citizens working to protect the waters and lands supporting the aquifer, springs and rivers within the watershed of the Santa Fe River. OSFR is seeking volunteers to provide outreach and collect petitions for the Right to Clean Water Amendment at local farmers markets and community events. Volunteers will receive training and support from OSFR board members. Check the OSFR calendar for available volunteer shifts. To sign up, contact OSFR President Kristin Rubin at rubinka2591@gmail.com.
Volunteer with Children Beyond Our Borders
Children Beyond Our Borders is now accepting applications for their Volunteer Internship Program (VIP). VIP is a selective program that allows individuals to get involved in an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. While participating in VIP, directors, coordinators and interns apply their academic skills to a hands-on experience in the nonprofit field. The overall goal of VIP is to encourage and empower our directors, coordinators, and interns by providing professional skills that can prepare them for a successful future. They currently have open positions for Development Director, Co-Operations Director, Fundraising Intern, and Crossing Borders Through Conversations Coordinator. Visit chbob.org/volunteer-internship-program to learn more, and apply at chbob.org/apply. Positions are filled on a rolling basis, so apply ASAP!
Florida Trail Association Next Generation Coalition
Join the Florida Trail Association’s Next Generation Coalition, a group of young leaders dedicated to sustaining and promoting the Florida Trail. Would you like to empower the next generation to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking and volunteering experience? Consider joining the FTA’s new Next Generation Coalition. The Next Generation Coalition will be dedicated to welcoming, training, and supporting the next generation of hikers and trail volunteers. Applicants should be passionate about the Florida Trail, outdoors advocacy, and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the outdoors. Applications close Sept. 1, 2021. To apply or for more details email chelseac@floridatrail.org.
Cinema Verde is Seeking Interns
Cinema Verde is Gainesville’s annual environmental film festival. In addition to hosting an annual film festival, Cinema Verde offers engaging content throughout the year. They offer internships for students interested in film students, journalism, marketing, event technology, and event management. Contact sarisha@cinemaverde.org to apply!
The Cade Museum is Seeking Interns
The Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention strives to provide a workplace that promotes creativity and invention at its core. They are looking for interns that have a passion for creating meaningful experiences for guests and students. Current available opportunities include STEAM education, events, marketing and outreach, administration and finance, and podcasting. If you have any questions, please email info@cademuseum.org.
Blossoming Butterfly is Seeking Interns
Blossoming Butterfly is a non-profit organization that provides spiritual, mental, physical, educational, and financial help to breast cancer patients through yoga, meditation, nutrition, self-care, and monetary assistance. They are seeking an office intern to join their volunteer team. Their vision is to be the hub of uplifting and offering support to breast cancer patients through affirming beauty, vibrancy, encouragement, education, preparation for the battle ahead, healthy living, and financial resources. To learn more, visit their website.
Sierra Club's Inspiring Connections Outdoors Seeking Volunteers
Gainesville Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) is a program created by the Sierra Club in the 1970’s to promote outdoor experiences to youth from communities with limited access to connect and reconnect to the outdoors. Major cities in the USA have an ICO program. These ICO programs will help create the next generation of environmental justice leaders by increasing their exposure to outdoor recreation. This follows the Sierra Club motto or “Explore, Enjoy and Protect”. The Gainesville ICO was created in 2010 to promote outings with several groups of youth in East Gainesville. We have done hikes at Ring Park, and Prairie Creek Preserve, canoeing along the Santa Fe River, camping trips at Payne’s Prairie and O’Leno State Park. At this time, we are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping with these outings and possibly getting trained to be outings leaders. Please contact Maryvonne Devensky at maryvonne.deven@gmail.com or Roberta Gastmeyer at rgastmeyer2@gmail.com.
Volunteer with The Repurpose Project
We are hosting volunteers on an in-person scheduled basis in groups of 8 or fewer. Our facility has outdoor areas for safe working, and we are all wearing masks and require our shoppers and volunteers to as well. Our tasks include sorting donations, packaging materials, and sometimes cleaning/repair of donated items to be sold in our storefront. There will be specific volunteer events offered as well as scheduled regular volunteer shifts. Check out our co-founder Sarah Goff's TedxUF talk to learn more about our mission! To volunteer, e-mail Heather Eakin at repurposevolunteers@gmail.com.
Volunteer with Humane Society of North Central Florida
Humane Society of North Central Florida's mission is to eliminate the needless euthanasia of healthy and treatable pets in North Central Florida. At the moment we have very limited volunteers at the shelter in order to take care of the dogs and cats while also keeping volunteers and staff safe. We have started onboarding new volunteers at a limited capacity. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website to see how to get started.
Volunteer with Stirrups n' Strides Therapeutic Riding Center
Stirrups n Strides' mission is to provide therapeutic horseback riding & carriage driving to anyone with physical, mental or emotional challenges and to improve the quality of life for these individuals with the opportunity for emotional, educational & physical growth through horsemanship and competition. Volunteers are involved in a thorough training program before they are able to independently do any volunteer activities. Volunteers are assigned a mentor who works with them. Volunteers will work directly with horses- grooming, tacking, leading, untacking, and returning horse to paddock. Virtual opportunities include graphic design, creating a safety manual, and remote internships. All volunteers must wear masks and follow social distancing and will undergo a screening process and temperature check at the facility. Visit their volunteer page to get started!
Volunteer with Partnership for Strong Families
Partnership for Strong Families’ network of family resources provide great volunteer opportunities for anyone interested in having a positive impact on families in their community. Volunteers at our Resource Centers aid our staff in serving patrons seeking services. Our Resource Centers have different kinds of programming including afternoon homework help, a clothing closet and scheduled food distribution events. Volunteers can get experience working with local children and families, sorting through community donations and helping out Resource Center staff with day-to-day tasks. Current volunteer opportunities are limited due to restrictions related to COVID-19, but interested volunteers may reach out to check on availability. Contacts Jacob Clore at jacob.clore@pfsf.org to sign up!
Volunteer with Days for Girls
Days for Girls International creates reusable, sustainable menstrual hygiene kits for people in need around the world. We have several options for volunteer activities:
- Visit the sewing center on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday 1-5 pm to master a skill and then take home the supplies and tools to do it at home. This could be sewing, serging, or non-sewing jobs. Be sure to bring back the completed items within one week.
- Sign up for an evening shift on Monday 4:00-6:30 pm or Tuesday 6:30-8:30. We are limited to 8 volunteers at a time at the sewing workrooms.
- Request to-go kits for individuals or groups at least one week in advance of scheduled work. Days for Girls will prepare all of the supplies needed and the individual making the request is responsible for quality control and returning completed items by set date.
- We need volunteers to help us launder donated fabric. Volunteers can take home fabric and wash and prepare the fabric according to our instructions.
Volunteer with Operation Catnip
Operation Catnip's life-saving work improves the lives of cats and the communities in which they live by spaying, neutering, and vaccinating free-roaming cats, preventing the birth of kittens, mentoring other programs around the country, and training veterinarians to save America's community cats. Because of COVID-19, we have reduced the number of volunteer opportunities we have available However, there are still two safe, vital ways you can help!
- Laundry Heroes: Our clinics cannot run without the help of our laundry volunteers! This is a solo volunteer opportunity, though we do ask that these volunteers wear masks, as they have brief interactions with staff members (also wearing masks). Our current shifts are 12-2 p.m. and 3-6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You can bring homework or something else to do in-between loads!
- Catio Caretakers: For various reasons, the cats in our Working Cat program cannot be returned to their original homes outside after sterilization and vaccination, so need a new place to go. These cats stay in our secure outdoor catio until we can adopt them out. We rely on a team of catio caretaker volunteers to provide daily care for these cats (changing water, scooping litter boxes, feeding). This is a completely solo volunteer opportunity after an one-on-one hour-long orientation (wearing masks). The position is very flexible and easy to work around your schedule.
Please contact Kate Boisseau at volunteer@ocgainesville.org to find out more or get started!
Volunteer with Elder Options
Elder Options’ mission is to ensure that communities have a trusted and unbiased place to turn for information, resources and assistance. They advocate for and cooperatively work with communities to strengthen support systems and create new and innovative service options that focus on personal choice and independence. Remote volunteer opportunities include teaching seniors how to use Zoom and participating in their Tele-talk program where you telephone seniors experiencing social isolation. Submit an application to volunteer!
Volunteer with Child Advocacy Center
Child Advocacy Center is a comprehensive, child-friendly facility where professionals from law enforcement, medical, child protection and therapeutic services effectively collaborate to meet the individual needs of child victims and break the cycle of abuse. Volunteers are assisting with organizing, sanitizing, and completing small projects. As there are still some clients coming in, volunteers are still sitting and playing with children while they wait for therapy appointments. Everyone is asked to go through our COVID-19 screening process, wear a mask, and interact from a distance. Submit an application to volunteer!
Meals on Wheels Needs Volunteers
Meals on Wheels through ElderCare of Alachua County delivers prepared meals to homebound seniors in our area between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday though Friday. They are seeking additional volunteers to assist with new services, including telephone reassurance and grocery shopping assistance. To volunteer, please contact ElderCare of Alachua County at 352-265-9040 or email Nhau0001@shands.ufl.edu.
Remote and Virtual Service Opportunities
There are plenty of ways to volunteer from home and numerous databases and online platforms to help you get started:
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