Opportunities to Volunteer with Special Olympics

• Special Olympics needs volunteers for softball on July 30, 2011.  To help with this event, RSVP to Darrin Burnett at dburnett@soill.org. 

• They also need volunteers for bowling on August 20, 2011.  The UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center will be taking volunteers to this event, so you can RSVP to volunteer@uis.edu or you can call 217-206-7716.

• On October 21, 2011 they will be having a Trivia Knight and they need players and auction items for this event.  You can contact Darrin Burnett at dburnett@soill.org for more information. 

Volunteer at the Taste of Downtown: July 8th and 9th

The Taste of Downtown in Springfield is looking for volunteers to help with this event.  They need volunteers for Friday night, July 8, between 9pm and 11pm, and on Saturday, July 9, from 7pm to 11pm. If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer during these hours, please contact Diane Covinton, Volunteer CoordinatorTaste of Downtown, right away! Her email is Diane.Covington@ieanea.org.
Please email her with your:

1) full name,

2) mailing address,

3) phone number,

4) desired volunteer duty,

5) hours you are available to volunteer (a minimum of 2 hours, please) and

6) t-shirt size.

The volunteer opportunities include:

Friday:

Set Up/Tear Down (3PM to 5PM and 9PM to Close)

4th & Washington Entrance Ticket Booth (4:45 PM to 10PM)

6th & Washington Entrance Ticket Booth (4:45 PM to 10PM)

5th & Adams Street Entrance Ticket Booth (4:45 PM to 10PM)

4th & Washington Entrance Food Ticket Sales (4:45 PM to 10PM)

6th & Washington Entrance Food Ticket Sales (4:45 PM to 10PM)

5th & Adams Street Entrance Food Ticket Sales (4:45 PM to 10PM)

5th & Jefferson Security

Volunteer Sign In (4:30 PM to 10:00 PM)

I.D. Check (5 PM to 11:30 PM)

Soda Sales (5 PM to 11:00 PM)

Floater (5 PM to Midnight)

Ice Delivery (3:00 PM to 9:00 PM)

Saturday:

Set Up/Tear Down (10 AM to Noon and 9PM to Close)

4th & Washington Entrance Ticket Booth (Noon to 10PM)

6th & Washington Entrance Ticket Booth (Noon to 10PM)

5th & Adams Street Entrance Ticket Booth (Noon to 10PM)

4th & Washington Entrance Food Ticket Sales (Noon to 10PM)

6th & Washington Entrance Food Ticket Sales (Noon to 10PM)

5th & Adams Street Entrance Food Ticket Sales (Noon to 10PM)

5th & Jefferson Security

Volunteer Sign In (11:30 AM to 10:00 PM)

I.D. Check (Noon to 11:30 PM)

Soda Sales – Children’s Area (Noon to 6:00 PM)

Soda Sales – 5th & Washington (Noon 11:00 PM)

Floater (Noon to Midnight)

Ice Delivery (Noon to 10:00 PM)

Keep Lending a Helping Hand!

UIS is in need of about 10 more volunteers to help with Commencement. Details include:
Date: Saturday, May 14
Where: Prairie Capital Convention Center
Time: 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Responsibilities: To help students lineup in proper college programs and make sure students stay in their proper lines as they walk into the seating area.
To volunteer to help, contact Grant Johnson at gjohn04s@uis.edu.

Also, considering helping out with The Glass Collection on Saturday May 21 from 8am to noon. For more information call the Division of Waste & Recycling at 789-2327 and visit their website at http://www.springfield.il.us/.

More Opportunities!

Springfield Animal Protective League
APL’s Summer Junior Volunteer Program is a go! The Program will run for 10 weeks from June 13 – August 21.
Attention Adults interested in helping! I heard from a few of you a couple months ago. Now that’s it’s official, I’d like to hear from you again if you’re interested in helping with this program! There are many new volunteers seeing this for the first time, so what I’m looking for in a nutshell is for adults to participate as “Team Leaders”. Based on your schedule, you would commit to a regular weekly 4-hour shift. During that time you would supervise a group of 4-5 teens in activities here at the shelter, at off-site events, and at special fundraisers. I would ESPECIALLY love to have some responsible college students involved. I will be holding two informational/training sessions for Team Leaders next week: Monday, April 18 at 6pm and Saturday, April 23 at 10am. Please let me know which one you can attend. You need not make an official commitment until you attend a session to get more info. Further training will be provided in May.
Attention Teens and Parents of Teens! The application is attached to this email. If you have trouble opening the attachment, let me know, and I can fax or mail you one. Note on the app that an essay or artwork project will be required as well. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Any teenager at least 13 years old is eligible to apply. APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MAY 7. They can be dropped off at the shelter, mailed, or faxed to 217-525-5896. Applicants will be invited to an orientation, dates TBA. There will be a small t-shirt/participation fee, probably around $15 per teen, to be paid at orientation. One parent or legal guardian will be required to attend orientation with their child and will sign release forms to give permission for the kids to participate in activities.

I’m still working out the kinks, but I will be able to give everyone much more information on the types of things you’ll be doing at info meetings and orientations. I am SUPER excited that we’re trying this out, and I hope it will be an amazing experience for everyone involved! Contact Angie Antonucci at 217-544-7387 (ext.) 227 or at volunteer@apl-shelter.org

CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOODBANK

MOBILE PANTRY COORDINATORS
A mobile pantry is a method of direct client distribution that utilizes a dry/refrigerated vehicle to provide food that traditional pantries do not normally accept or distribute to people in need. These events encourage community collaboration and are an energetic, fun, and rewarding experience for all volunteers involved.

Foodbank needs volunteers to organize mobile pantries in the following counties: Bond, Christian, Greene, Logan & Morgan. The Mobile Pantry Coordinator will be responsible for managing the recruitment of host sites and volunteers. On the day of the event, the Mobile Pantry Coordinator will delegate volunteer tasks to ensure the operation runs smoothly. These Mobile Pantries will take place on a Saturday morning or weekday evening in each of the counties stated above once per quarter (17 mobiles pantries remaining for 2011). We are seeking Mobile Pantry Coordinators that can commit to volunteering at several Mobile Pantries throughout the year.

AGENCY CONFERENCE VOLUNTEERS
We host an annual conference offering educational sessions and networking opportunities for our partner agencies. We need volunteers for the following projects:

Agency conference event volunteers - help with setting up food, seating guests, cleanup, etc. Friday, April 29th 7:00am - 5:00pm.

GROUP SORTING EVENTS
Groups of 6-8 people who are at least 16 years of age and able to lift up to 50 pounds are needed on Thursday evenings from 5:00-8:00pm. Groups will be sorting salvage product into boxes. All volunteers should wear covered shoes and clothes that may be dirtied.

To sign up for any of these volunteer opportunties, please contact Shawna Cain at: scain@centralilfoodbank.org or 217-522-4022.

May and Summer Opportunities

Art Fair Comes to Downtown Springfield!
Saturday, May 21 shifts available from 6:00am to 10:00am
                                                           11:00am to 2:00 pm
                                                            12:00pm to 2:30pm
                                                            2:30pm to 5:00pm
Sunday, May 22 shifts available from 10:00am to 12:00pm
                                                         11:00am to 2:00pm
                                                          12:00pm to 2:30pm
                                                          2:00pm to 4:00pm
If you would like to volunteer contact Brant Mackey at 217-726-6600 or brrant@springfieldbusinessjournal.com

The Forever Home Feline Ranch
June 3/4 - Garage Sale. Also looking for donations and help the days of the event.

June 8 - Fundraiser Dinner at the Pasfield Home. Dinner will be served - tickets are $50.00. Guest Speaker Melanie Brooks.

June 25- This will be a get together at the ranch. We would like everyone to come out to Rochester to see the property.

July - Save the Dates! Bowling event and Noodles & Company

The Ranch has lots of babies! We have three mothers and three litters of kittens. We have a 4 week old litter, 3 week old litter, and a 2 week old litter. 14 tiny babies to be exact. These kids will need vet care and eventually be looking for their own homes.
If you would like to help with any of these events, you can contact Michelle Claussen at mclau2@uis.edu
Also follow the Ranch on Facebook and Twitter!

Don't forget about our other events coming up in May!
May 7 is the Earth Awareness Fair at Erin's Pavilion
May 21 is the Glass Recycling Collection

April and May Volunteer Opportunities

April and May Volunteer Opportunitites

Saturday, April 2 - Muscular Dystrophy Association Annual Walk at White Oaks Mall

7:30 am to 12:00 pm

The Muscular Dystrophy Association will be doing their annual walk on April 2 from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm. They need volunteers to help with registration, food, passing out t-shirts, etc. This will take place at White Oaks Mall. The UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center will be providing transportation to this event. To RSVP either call our office at 217-206-7716 or email us at volunteer@uis.edu.

 Wednesday, April 13 – Springfest Event “Box City” at UIS Quad
5:00 pm to 5:00 am
Students will sleep out on the UIS quad for a night. They will take shelter inside of the cardboard structure that they will design.  There will be various activities going on throughout the night.  One of the activities will be a panel put on by Homeless United for Change.  The members of HUC will tell their stories and answer any questions that the students may have. The event will start at 5 pm and it will run until 5 am.

Saturday, May 7 - Earth Awareness Fair at Erin’s Pavilion in Southwind Park
9:00 am -3:00 pm
This Earth Day celebration is a fun and action-packed event, family friendly and free public admission. Approximately 30 different exhibitors will be there and many have games or activities for attendees. Volunteers are needed from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm and could help in any of these ways: help unload/tear down and re-load exhibits; assist at any of the exhibits/displays. NOTE: Volunteers are also needed to help hang event flyers prior to the event! To volunteer for this event, contact Wynne Coplea at Wynne.Coplea@cwlp.com.

Saturday, May 21 - Glass Recycling Collection at the State Fairgrounds
7:30 am to 12:30 pm
The city will host a glass recycling drop-off (for all colors of glass bottles and jars, no window panes, etc.) on Sat May 21 from 8am – 12pm at the State Fairgrounds, parking lot 21. Volunteers are needed at this great community service event any time from 7:30 am – 12:30 pm. Tasks could range from either traffic control, to literature distribution, to physically helping to unload glass from participants’ cars and/or helping put up and take down equipment/signs that day. To volunteer for this event, contact Wynne Coplea at Wynne.Coplea@cwlp.com.

March Volunteer Opportunities

March Volunteer Opportunities

Ongoing - Forever Home Feline Ranch

The Forever Home Feline Ranch is a Non-Profit organization that takes in cats and kittens that no longer have a home or their previous owners can no longer take care of them. The Forever Home Feline Ranch started as a concept of a sanctuary to reduce the number of healthy cats euthanized in shelters. They are looking for volunteers to help socialize the cats by playing with them throughout the week and they also need volunteers to help with adoptions that take place at Petsmart every 2nd and 5th weekend of each month. If you are interested in volunteering with them you can call them at 217-679-1593 or you can email them at feline_ranch@yahoo.com. For more information about what they do, you can visit their website: http://www.felineranch.org/index.html.

Saturday, March 12 - Alpha Kappa Alpha/American Lung Associatoin Walk/Run
7:30 am to 12:00 pm

Alpha Kappa Alpha and the American Lung Association are teaming up to do a 5k walk/run on March 12 from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Volunteers are needed to help with registration, set up and to help along the course. The UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center will be providing transportation to this event. To RSVP either call our office at 217-206-7716 or email us at volunteer@uis.edu.


Thursday, March 24th - Million Trees Project
9:00 am to 3:00 pm

On March 24th from 9am to 3pm, Living Lands and Waters will be working on their Million Trees Project at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. They need volunteers to help either bundling trees in newspaper, placing trees in bags, tying, tagging, or organizing the trees. Volunteers should wear warm and comfortable clothes and shoes that can get dirty. More information about the MillionTrees Project can be found at www.livinglandsandwaters.org/milliontrees. The UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center will be providing transportation to this event. To RSVP either call our office at 217-206-7716 or email us at volunteer@uis.edu.


Saturday, April 2 - Muscular Dystrophy Association Annual Walk
7:30 am to 12:00 pm

The Muscular Dystrophy Association will be doing their annual walk on April 2 from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm. They need volunteers to help with registration, food, passing out t-shirts, etc. This will take place at White Oaks Mall. The UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center will be providing transportation to this event. To RSVP either call our office at 217-206-7716 or email us at volunteer@uis.edu.