Stephanie Peterson shares ideas on ways you can share your voice by volunteering.
If your interests include running, walking or being active, the Girls On the Run program is perfect for you. The program’s mission is “to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.” Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a non-profit prevention program that uses the power of running to help preteen girls in 3rd through 8th grade develop self-respect and value a healthy lifestyle. Our curricula address the development of the ‘whole’ girl – her physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being.
Exercising:
Girls on the Run combines training for a 5k (3.1 miles) running event with healthy living education. Our programs instill self-esteem and strong values through health education, life skills development, mentoring relationships, and physical training – all of which are accomplished through an active collaboration with girls and their parents, schools, volunteers, staff and the community. Opportunities include being a running buddy, coaching, and being on the race committee. For more information check out their website http://www.girlsontherunsaltlake.org/index.html
If you are looking for other opportunities, you might try running a 5k in your area. Organizations put together races to race money for their needs.
Gardening:
If gardening and helping our earth interests you there are many organizations to help. Red Butte Garden welcomes volunteers to assist in the care of breathtaking gardens, conservation of endangered plants throughout the state, assisting with festivals and concerts and the education of children and adults about the wonders of nature. If you are passionate about our natural world, join tham as they strive to learn, protect, educate, and enjoy the beauties of nature. For more information check out http://www.redbuttegarden.org/volunteer
Tree Utah http://www.treeutah.org and Utah Gardens Inc http://www.utahgardens.org are additional organizations to check out.
Cooking:
If cooking is your forte there are many opportunities for you. The Ronald Mcdonald house is a community supported “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children who must travel from long distances to receive care at Salt Lake area hospitals. The families who stay at the House appreciate a home-cooked meal prepared by caring individuals. Through the Adopt a Meal program you will make dinner at the Ronald Mcdonald house for up to 40. For more information check out
http://www.rmhcslc.org/pageview.aspx?id=12171
Camp K has a fun six week program that focuses on the instruction of basic cooking skills, cooking techniques and simple recipes to our disabled participants. Each week we will meet at Camp K where we will learn how to cook fun, exciting dishes that we will then eat together. Volunteers will be expected to socialize and interact with our participants, under the supervision of our staff, while helping to ensure that all the basic instructions are followed. More information is provided here http://mail.google.com/a/todaysmama.com/#drafts/126d0486e64d6974
The Road Home is also in need of dinners. More information is here http://www.theroadhome.org/volunteers.html
Quilting:
If you are a quilter consider Humanitarian Services. This organization is in need of full size quilts. For more information visit http://www.lds.org/library/page/display/0,7098,6433-1-3298-1,00.html. . The Ronald Mcdonald house is also in need of quilts as they provide one for each of their residents when they depart. For more information look here http://www.rmhcslc.org/pageview.aspx?menu=3385&id=12375
Reading:
Your love of reading can be infectious. The Road Home has Literacy Night. The goal of this program is to help children ages 5-11 become interested in reading. Volunteers read a story with the children. Afterward, art and snack activities centered on the theme or characters in the story follow to reinforce the enjoyment of reading. This is a popular program and does fill up. For more information go here www.theroadhome.org/volunteers.html
Additional resources:
www.211ut.org,
https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/utah/volunteer/calendar/,
For more great ideas on getting involved in your community go to: www.utahmama.com
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