VOLUNTEER NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE
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UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER. IT'S NOT.
-- Dr. Seuss
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Find a volunteer opportunity
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Volunteers Receive Top Honors
Tickets Now Available for Awards Event
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Montgomery County has named nine individuals and organizations as recipients of the 2019
Montgomery Serves Awards, our county's highest honor for service and volunteerism. The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday, April 29, 6:30 pm, at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. The event is free to attend and open to the public, but
reservations are required as seating is limited.
This year's Montgomery Serves Awards winners will be recognized in several categories.
The
Neal Potter Path of Achievement Awards, for lifetime volunteer service by those age 60 and up, will go to:
- Karen Bashir, one of the founders of the Montgomery County Project Prom/Graduation (commonly known as "Post Prom"), who has also volunteered her professional skills as a nurse with the Muslim Community Center, and
- Jacquette Frazier, in recognition of her years of service to seniors, youth, and people with disabilities at Essex House, the Takoma Park affordable housing community in which she lives.
The
Volunteer of the Year Awards, for outstanding volunteer efforts performed in 2018, will be presented in four categories:
- Volunteer of the Year, Amy Yontef-McGrath, who marked her 50th birthday by participating in 50 diverse service projects and blogged about the experience throughout the year,
- Youth Volunteer of the Year, Dhruv Pai, a freshman at Montgomery Blair High School who volunteered at Walter Reed National Medical Center, the KID Museum, and Democracy Summer,
- Volunteer Group of the Year, KindWorks, whose 1,600 volunteers supported 22 nonprofit organizations and government agencies to serve thousands of vulnerable community members, including refugee families and those experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, and incarceration, and
- Business Volunteer of the Year, Hugo Salon in Kensington, which partnered with Easterseals DC MD VA to provide complimentary salon services to participants in the nonprofit's adult day services on a monthly basis.
The
Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Awards, for community leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to Montgomery County over the course of their lives, will be presented to:
- Charlotte Coffield, a lifetime resident of the formerly segregated Lyttonsville community, a leader in the preservation of the history of black people in Montgomery County, and a long-time advocate for performing arts programs for the deaf community,
- Ike Leggett, who left a large imprint on Montgomery County during the decades he served as a county council member and county executive, successfully navigating the county through the worst economic upheaval of our time while maintaining his commitment to an inclusive and growing community, and
- David Rodich, former executive director of SEIU Local 500, who has been involved in social justice for more than 40 years, advocating not only for union workers, but also for broader education needs, civil rights, and economic rights.
The Montgomery Serves Awards are organized by the Volunteer Center, with sponsorship provided by the
Fund for Montgomery.
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Button Farm Living History Center
A Chance to Work the Farm and Bring Slave History to Life
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The Menare Foundation's
Button Farm Living History Center, situated on 40 acres in Germantown, depicts 19th century slave plantation life and the story of the Underground Railroad, bringing history to life by immersing visitors in the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of the 1850s.
A
volunteer base of community friends and supporters makes it all possible. Students, individuals, and corporate and private groups are needed throughout the spring, summer, and fall to serve as
general farm help, handling a variety of tasks depending upon their interests and skills (and what needs to be accomplished that day). Volunteers might help plant, cultivate, or harvest 19th century crops. Or perhaps they'll feed and care for the farm's heritage breed chickens, geese, and hogs. Short-term volunteers also help the organization run its open houses and festival events. In addition, the farm hosts Eagle Scout projects and other scouting activities.
Volunteers able to make a longer-term commitment to Button Farm can also serve as
docents,
historical interpreters, and
living history reenactors, providing them a chance to use the farm as an outdoor stage as they guide visitors into the past. For those who prefer working behind the scenes, there are opportunities to dive into Menare's historical archives and to help with professional needs.
This summer, Button Farm is training new recruits to help it launch a public version of its Underground Railroad Immersion Experience, a simulated sensory “journey to freedom” that will take place on the farm. Designed by Menare and used to train Oprah Winfrey for her role in the film
Beloved, this program will focus on creative discernment, group collaboration, and confronting inner limitations.
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FEATURED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
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It's Earth Month
Environmental Activities Take Center Stage
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It's Earth Month, a time to focus on our planet's needs and get involved in one of the the many park and stream cleanups or other environment-related volunteer activities taking place in our area this month.
Other Earth Month volunteer activities include
planting spring crops at a Spencerville farm that produces vegetables for those in need (Monday, April 22),
picking up trash at the Long Branch Community Center in Silver Spring on Saturday, April 13, and
removing invasive weeds at various county parks every weekend in April.
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Step Up to the Volunteer Plate This Spring!
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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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MOCK JOB INTERVIEWERS: Thursday, April 11, 8:30 am-12 noon, Wheaton. Conduct mock interviews with and provide feedback to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are seeking employment. Sponsored by
SEEC.
Email Steve Blanks or call 301-576-8000 x 225.
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PARADE & CARNIVAL VOLUNTEERS: Saturday & Sunday, April 27-28, shifts available throughout the weekend, Olney. Assist with a variety of event assignments during Olney Days, including helping with parking control, carnival games, food sales, and parade marshaling. Sponsored by the
Olney Civic Fund. Minimum age for most positions: 14.
Email Barbara Falcigno or call 301-332-4554.
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ONGOING & FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
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MUSEUM CALL CENTER VOLUNTEERS: Engage with callers to the
Smithsonian Institution's call center, helping them plan experiences and answering questions. Volunteers also assist with other projects related to visitor engagement. Minimum age: 18. Federal background check and training required. (Next training session scheduled for Saturday, May 4.)
Email Abbey Earich.
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Age 50+ and Looking to Serve?
Find Your Best Volunteer Fit
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The Montgomery County Volunteer Center's
50+ Volunteer Network can help you find volunteer opportunities that fit your particular combination of skills, interests, and availability. The program's advisers will help you determine not just what you can do, but what you want to do, and connect you to these options at nonprofits and government agencies.
In just one year, the program has placed hundreds of volunteers at a broad range of agencies in a variety of opportunities as tutors, courtroom monitors, professional coaches, counselors, communications and marketing specialists, grant writers, IT consultants, board members, attorneys, event planners, intake coordinators, mediators, mentors, program managers, strategic planners, tax preparers, and more.
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Celebrate National Volunteer Week This Month
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National Volunteer Week, running April 7-13, is an annual chance to celebrate the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to build stronger communities. Here in Montgomery County, we are fortunate to have a robust culture of service. The Volunteer Center sends its thanks to the thousands of volunteers who serve throughout our community--and especially to those who help in our office and make our work possible! They are Taina Alexander, Ruth Choi, Lorraine Hunte, Beth Isen, Carley Lee, Carol Ross, and Sandy Smith.
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Donate Food for the Hungry, Ride the Bus for Free
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Donate nonperishable food for those who are hungry and get a free bus trip during
Montgomery County Ride On's annual "Give and Ride" week, running April 28-May 4. Throughout the week, all Ride On buses will have food collection bags near their fare boxes. Passengers who deposit a food donation in the bag ride free. (Transfers and return trips require additional food donations for a free ride.)
All food collected will be donated to
Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, which provides nourishment for local individuals and families in need.
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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 focuses on ways to help the environment during Earth Month and all year, with guests from the
Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.
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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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