VOLUNTEER NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE
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YOU SHOULDN'T GO THROUGH LIFE WITH A CATCHER'S MITT ON BOTH HANDS. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO THROW SOMETHING BACK.
-- Maya Angelou
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Find a volunteer opportunity
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Plan Now!
Volunteer at Spring Break and Summer Camps
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Spring is around the corner, with summer right behind it. That means it's time to start planning volunteer activities for spring break and summer--especially if you're interested in serving at a camp program or similar multi-day volunteer commitment.
Use the Volunteer Center website to help find these opportunities. Search for the
keyword "spring break" and check out the
April volunteer calendar to learn about ways to serve during next month's MCPS spring break. For summer-specific volunteer opportunities, search for the
keyword "summer" and look through the volunteer calendars for
June,
July, and
August. Most of these opportunities are geared toward students (and meet the criteria for MCPS student service learning hours), but some are specifically in search of adults and a few are appropriate for families to volunteer together.
If you don't find the right volunteer position the first time you look, be sure to check back as new opportunities are added regularly.
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Warrior Canine Connection
Be a Hero for a Hero
Raise a Future Service Dog
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Interested in helping veterans who have sacrificed so much for all of us? One way is to volunteer as a puppy parent with
Warrior Canine Connection, a local nonprofit that breeds, trains, and places much-needed service dogs with veterans with visible and invisible wounds.
Puppy parents raise WCC service dogs (all Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers) for approximately two years before the dogs graduate and are placed with veterans to help with myriad needs--from coping with anxiety to accommodating mobility issues. During that time, the dogs are trained using WCC's own Mission Based Trauma Recovery method, a unique program that enlists recovering veterans to train service dogs for their fellow warriors as part of their own therapy. That means one dog can positively impact up to 60 people along its two-year training period. In fact, by placing 62 assistance dogs with veterans through the years, Warrior Canine Connection has positively impacted more than 4,000 service members and veterans.
Puppy parents will be the first to tell you that the time, attention, and love they give these future service dogs is incredibly rewarding and joyful. “It’s unbelievable what these dogs are doing with the service members and veterans. Seeing their faces light up is awesome," says Bruce Guth, WCC volunteer. “The dogs just have an intelligence and unspoken emotion about them that has a great capacity to heal."
If being a puppy parent is too long of a commitment, Warrior Canine Connection is also in need of “puppy watcher” volunteers to help whelp upcoming litters. Duties include day and overnight supervision of future litters, cleaning, and responsibilities related to supporting WCC’s breeding program.
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FEATURED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
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Here are just a few of the hundreds of volunteer positions listed on the
Volunteer Center website. Check our
online calendar for more date-specific opportunities or use the search box at the top of this email or the top of our home page to search for more ways to serve.
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Opportunities marked with the graduation cap icon meet the MCPS guidelines for Student Service Learning (SSL) hours--but
they're not just for students
! Other opportunities may be eligible for SSL hours; visit the
MCPS SSL website
to learn more.
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HIGHLIGHTS IN MARCH & APRIL
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ONGOING & FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
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CHILDREN'S BEREAVEMENT BUDDIES: Provide caring support for a child or teen who has recently experienced the death of a loved one at Camp Erin, an overnight weekend camp sponsored by
CaringMatters. Camp is held May 3-5 in Frederick, with required training on Saturday, April 15. Minimum age: 21.
Email Leigh Bluestein or call 301-869-4673.
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Tidying Up? Donate Your Discards
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Have you been inspired by Marie Kondo to rid your home or office of items that don't spark joy? Or are you simply de-cluttering as part of your spring cleaning? Either way, if you're ready to donate items you no longer want, the Volunteer Center can help connect you to local nonprofits and government agencies that may need them.
Visit our online
donation resource page for a quick guide to organizations and the types of donated goods they receive--everything from books and clothing to garden supplies and athletic equipment. In addition, you'll find details on how to list furniture, office equipment, medical devices, craft supplies, and other items you may have available for donation in
Hotlink, our weekly e-newsletter sent to the 1,200 nonprofits and government agencies registered with the Volunteer Center.
Listing donations in
Hotlink is simple and easy. Just
email the Volunteer Center with a complete description of your items (including condition), the city or town where they would need to be picked up from, and your preferred contact information. Organizations then contact you directly to express interest; you can work with any you choose to arrange pickup.
Hotlink does not list donations of clothing, books, old-style (not flat-screen) televisions, or food, and all items must be in at least good condition.
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Don't Let SSL Hold Up Your Graduation!
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High school students: Have you completed your student service learning hours required for graduation? All diploma-seeking Montgomery County public school students must earn at least 75 SSL hours between the summer after 5th grade and the end of 12th grade (or a reduced number of hours for those who entered MCPS after 6th grade).
If you or someone you know still needs more service learning hours in order to graduate, you can find hundreds of
volunteer opportunities across the county that meet the guidelines for student service learning on the Volunteer Center website. In addition, students may be able to earn hours by serving at their high schools or the feeder middle and elementary schools.
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Watch the Ways to Make a Difference
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Make a Difference, a monthly County Cable Montgomery program, highlights the contributions of stellar county volunteers and organizations that contribute positively to our community. This month's program features representatives from the
Montgomery County Therapeutic Recreation, which is dedicated to providing accessible recreation programs for people of all ages throughout the county.
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Subscribe to Our Partner Newsletters
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Follow these links to subscribe to our other partner agencies' electronic publications:
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Montgomery County Volunteer Center
240-777-2600
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Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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