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Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer for Meals on Wheels

Join over 340 Volunteers to help Meals on Wheels in King County fight hunger! As a Meals on Wheels Volunteer, you will belong to a team committed to helping homebound seniors maintain their health and independence with nutritious food, personal contact, and caring service.

"Hello Dear Friends! I so much appreciate your kind, unselfish Volunteer work and the sweet smile that comes with it! I enjoy our little chats. In short, you are a wonderful bunch of people and your dedication is not taken for granted!! Your 95 year old friend."

"On behalf of my wife, I thank you so much for all the help you give to people like me. Recent stroke which took half the side of her body, causing her to be in bed most of the time. Thank you for helping me to keep some stress and worries away from her. Thank you and God bless."

"Tell my driver that I enjoy them because if it was not for them I would have nothing to eat. So keep up the good work."

To see the current volunteer opportunities check this link.

Senior Center of West Seattle Needs You!

If you are interested in volunteering, or know someone who might be interested, in giving a few hours a day, a week or a month please give us a call and we will match you up with a position. Training is available for all positions.

Volunteer opportunities available now for Front Desk Receptionists, Café Assistants, Stop-N-Shop (Cashiers, Pricers and Floor Walkers), FootCare Receptionist. (Monday) and our evening functions - Rainbow Bingo, Dance Hour, and other evening functions that may be scheduled.

For more information, call us at 206-932-4044 ext 8 or email us at debrag@seniorservices.org.

United Way of King County

Their mission statement says it all: "Our mission is to bring caring people together to give, volunteer, and take action to help people in need and solve our community's toughest challenges." United Way of King County has numerous opportunities for those who wish volunteer their time helping others. They have volunteer jobs at some of the many nonprofit organizations that they help support.

You can register with them at http://www.uwkc.org/ways-to-volunteer/. This site also offers an index of the opportunities which are currently open.

Drive the Distance!

Gerri and Linda (click to enlarge)

Volunteer drivers are needed for Senior Services´ Volunteer Transportation program throughout King County. Using their own vehicles, volunteer drivers help older adults maintain their independence by taking them to necessary medical appointments. Clients appreciate their improved access to medical care, meaningful interactions with caring volunteers, and increased peace of mind. Unfortunately, the program does not have enough drivers to meet the demand for transportation from older residents of our King County communities. If you have the "drive" to help others, own your own vehicle, and have some daytime availability, call (206) 748-7588, email Hilary at hilaryc@seniorservices.org, or visit https://soundgenerations.org/get-help/transportation/ to sign-up. Discover why rides change lives!

Help Provide End Of Life Support To Hospice Patients and Families

Providence Hospice of Seattle (serving all of King County) is seeking caring individuals throughout King County to help meet our growing need, especially in the south and eastern parts of King County.

Our hospice volunteers work in conjunction with an interdisciplinary team offering emotional, spiritual and practical support to adults and children with life-limiting illnesses. After completing an in-depth 30-hour hospice volunteer training program, volunteers are assigned to a patient and provide support in the patient's home, nursing facility, adult family home, or other residence.

Volunteers are needed to work in Patient Care, Administrative/Program Support, Complementary Therapy, Grief Support, Safe Crossings (children facing the death of a family member), and Camp Erin (annual grief camp for children).

Please see our website for more information and to download an application:www.providence.org/hospiceofseattle. Or contact our Volunteer Hotline at 206-320-7169 to have an application sent to you by mail.

501 Commons - formerly "Executive Service Corps of Washington"

ESC is a non-profit organization providing affordable consulting services to schools and nonprofits (arts, social and health services, civic and environmental organizations.) Consulting services include planning, financial management, board development, communications, program development and evaluation, coaching, research and interviewing, and meeting planning and facilitation. Over 100 volunteers from the professions and from business, education, government, and non-profit backgrounds provide services guided by a client contract with a well-defined statement of work. Whether you are working or retired, ESC provides a great way to get involved in the community. Projects generally require less than 6 hours a month and last for about 6 months. To apply to be an ESC consultant go to 501 Commons

Margaret Langsenkamp
Thomas C. Wales Fellow
volunteer@escwa.org

Executive Service Corps of Washington
510 2nd Avenue West Seattle,
WA 98119
206/682-6704

TEACH ENGLISH TO REFUGEES WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE VISUAL LIMITATIONS!

St. James ESL Program in Seattle, Washington is looking for volunteers to teach English to adult refugees and immigrants who are blind or have visual limitations. We strongly encourage those who are blind or visually-impaired to apply as tutors. Tutors will gain rewarding cross-cultural experience while helping students meet their goals that include: listening to, speaking, reading and writing English and using the telephone, public transportation and assistive devices. We screen tutors and provide them with specialized training through the Kaizen Program and also ask that they make a one-year commitment. Tutors and students are matched based upon student needs and tutor skills and meet for 1 1/2 hours twice a week in the student´s home or at a nearby location, such as a public library. Students live in various parts of King County. For further information, contact Cecilia Erin Walsh at (206) 382-4511 or cwalsh@stjames-cathedral.org.

ARE YOU A GOOD LISTENER?

People living with cancer need to talk.

Somebody special needs to listen.

Be somebody special.

—

Make a difference in someone´s life: Cancer Lifeline phone volunteers provide emotional support, information and resource referrals for people living with cancer — patients, families, caregivers, friends and co-workers. Answer our 24-hour phone line from home or from our Greenlake center — day, evening and weekend shifts available. Volunteers receive extensive, professional training in active listening skills, communication, and crisis intervention. We are scheduling interviews now for our next training session which begins the first weekend in March.

Please visit our website to learn more or email us directly at info@cancerlifeline.org with your mailing information and we´ll send you our volunteer packet.

http://www.cancerlifeline.org/giving/volunteering

Cancer Lifeline
6522 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR LOVE OF READING?

King County Library System´s Words on Wheels Program delivers library materials and services to patrons who are unable to go to their local libraries. Volunteers who have reliable transportation and are at least 18 years old are needed to select, deliver, and return library materials to at least one patron at least once a month for a year. The time commitment is approximately 2-3 hours a month and training is provided. For further information contact:

Susan LaFantasie
TLC Volunteer Coordinator
Traveling Library Center
1-877-905-2008
or slafanta@kcls.org

Washington Literacy Day Care Link Volunteer Opportunity

Washington Literacy has a fun and enriching volunteer activity for Senior Citizens interested in reading with young children. We would like to invite Senior Citizens who want to share their love for reading and books to participate in Washington Literacy's Day Care Link (DCL) program. DCL is a program that supports a group of volunteer readers from the community who read aloud on a one-on-one basis to young children (ages zero to five) attending a day care in their area. Currently we have day care sites that need readers in the Central Area, Rainer Valley, West Seattle, Burien, Kent, Auburn, and Pacific.

Since 1991, DCL has been actively training volunteers to read aloud one-on-one with children in day care centers throughout King County. This year we are working to expand DCL to include smaller, in-home day care sites where reading aloud one-to-one may not occur on a regular basis. Each volunteer would visit the day care for an hour once a week and read with the children one at a time. Reading aloud is the most highly recommended method for assisting emergent literacy in young children, and the undivided attention of the volunteer allows for an invaluable interactive learning experience for the child. With the help of these dedicated and consistent volunteers as reading role models, we are hoping to help these young children develop a love for reading and books, increasing the likelihood that they will become successful, enthusiastic readers in the future.

We are hoping to partner with a group of Seniors who would like to make a difference in the lives of kids from their community. This will be a great opportunity for Seniors to help young children fortify their literacy skills through fun, positive reading experiences, meanwhile establishing cooperative community relationships. DCL's success depends upon participation from community groups consisting of caring and dependable volunteers. If there is a small number of Seniors (2-8) interested in forming a group and adopting a day care in their area, please contact me and I will gladly schedule a time to speak with the group about DCL. If there are any questions please call me at (206) 284-4399 ext. 114, or send me an email to darcyr@waliteracy.org.

Sincerely,

Darcy Resetar
DCL Community Partner Coordinator

Senior Services´ Volunteer Opportunities

Many Senior Services (now Sound Generations) programs would not be possible without the help of volunteers. Visit our web site at www.soundgenerations.org and click on Volunteer Opportunities for more information.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is a federally funded program that meets community needs by placing people 55 and older in volunteer opportunities throughout King County. Please call and talk to us about finding a volunteer opportunity that is suited to your interests and schedule. Jan Hancock @ 206-694-6786. Their web site is at Retired and Senior Volunteer Program

Promoting Volunteerism to Seniors

The Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens has recently launched a new volunteer program "Seniors in Service to Seattle" which uniquely promotes volunteerism and positive intergenerational relationship. Remaining productive enhances the quality of life for seniors by giving them a sense of self-worth and satisfaction.

This program creates opportunities for seniors to offer valuable contributions to City departments, schools, and community based programs. Potential volunteers are screened for general interest and referred to the appropriate program.

Are you age 55 or over and interested in:

Gaining new skills?
Meeting new people?
Learning about community resources?
Improving your health and self-esteem?
Making a difference?

Contact the Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens, Volunteer Coordinator Patti-Lyn Bell at 206.684.0639 for an application or if you have any questions.