HOLIDAY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
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AGE (Austin Groups for the Elderly)
Austin Groups for the Elderly (AGE) is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to provide resources, education, support, and advocacy
to area seniors and their families and caregivers, since
1986. AGE comprises four unique programs.
Elderhaven Adult Day Centers provide low-cost day programs for seniors
that include stimulating activities, meals, medical supervision, and
transportation. AGE's Caregiver Resource Center houses a free
lending library, and provides free caregiver classes, seminars, and
community referrals. The Health Equipment Lending Program
(H.E.L.P.) gives free Durable Medical Equipment (DME's) to those in
need. The Austin Computer Learning Center (ACLC) offers
peer-to-peer computer training, and technology-based clubs for seniors.
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Volunteers are needed for two hours to help serve meals to
our clients and their families at Elderhaven in Austin on November 17,
2011 and at Elderhaven in Round Rock on November 18, 2011 during
their lunchtime Thanksgiving celebrations.
- Volunteers are needed to assist our clients with holiday crafts
and activities throughout the holiday season. Those with skills in
art, music, and spiritual/religious studies are encouraged to lead an
activity. Time commitment can vary. Volunteers must be
available during weekday hours.
In-Kind Donations:
AGE needs bath products and
toiletries, socks, hats, accessories, and other small gift items to be
used for its Elderhaven clients' Christmas and holiday gifts.
For more information
about in-kind donations and volunteer opportunities, please call or
email Amanda Lyles, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator,
at 512-451-4611 ext. 224 or alyles@ageofaustin.org .
For more information, visit our website at www.ageofaustin.org
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Any Baby Can
Any Baby Can works to improve the lives of children by strengthening
them and their families through education, therapy and family support
services. We serve the youngest, sickest and poorest children in our
community and their families.
Any Baby Can - Adopt a Family- Special Holiday Opportunity!
Please go to this site and apply.
Contact Amy Hamilton: amyh@abcaus.org or 512-334-4432 for more information
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities:Family Literacy Program
Play
developmental activities with children, tutor kids with homework, and
help adults with English literacy and basic computer skills.
Tuesday through Friday, 9 am-Noon
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-6:30 pm
Saturday Learning Center
Tutor children and parents on literacy, math and English as a second language or supervise children during classes.
Saturdays, 10:30 am-3 pm Saturdays, 9:15-10:30 am and 3-4:00 pm **Center closed for holiday on November 26th
In-Kind Donations: Collect
items through a drive at your office. Some items that are especially
useful to the children and families that Any Baby Can serves are newly
and gently used strollers, cribs, Pack N' Plays, new booster seats,
diapers, glass baby bottles and children's books. Find more items on our
"wish list" at: donate
Volunteers working
with our clients need to submit an application, confidentiality
statement, and criminal background check release prior to
volunteering. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an
adult. Please visit www.abcaus.org for application forms and other current opportunities.
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Blue Santa
The Austin Police Operation Blue Santa is a non-profit volunteer
organization that has been helping to serve Austin families in need for
39 years. Our mission is to provide toys and food for Austin
families in need during the Holiday Season. What began with gift
distributions to 20 families from the back of a police patrol car in
1972 has become a massive effort serving almost 4,000 families in
Austin.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Each
year we provide each family we serve with a full holiday meal and
wrapped Christmas Gifts for each child under the age of 14. This
is possible only because of the goodwill and big hearts of Austin's
citizens, businesses, and civic groups that support us.
We have volunteer opportunities for family package preparation which
includes boxing food items for the holiday meal, toy selection and
wrapping as well as delivery opportunities on the morning of December
17, 2011.
For more information contact visit our website: bluesanta.org
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Brown Santa
BROWN SANTA is a community service program of the Travis County Sheriff's Office, and the many sponsors and volunteers who make it happen each year. We
depend on the generosity of individuals, groups and businesses in
the community, like you, to provide items for people in need and those
that are less fortunate than others. Since 1981, Travis
County Brown Santa has helped thousands of people with more than
half of those helped being children.
In-Kind Donations:
We
accept all non-perishable food times in unopened containers. Some of
the main items that are needed for every food box are: corn,
green beans, cranberry sauce, instant potatoes, stuffing mix, cake mix
and cake icing.
Brown Santa gives toys to each child in the family from age 0
-14 boys and girls. Donations of books, puzzles, stuffed animals,
new toys are needed for every age group. The ages that are less
donated for are infants to toddlers (0-2) and 10-14 boys and
girls.
Suggested donations for the older kids could be: Wallets,
electronics, bath gift sets, basket balls, foot balls, purses, curling
irons, hair dryers, hair straightners, ball caps, sock caps, hat and
gloves sets, mittens, board games,etc.
Suggested donations for infants to toddlers could be: Receiving blankets, bottle sets, teethers, rattlers, stackable rings , diapers & wipes, onesies, etc.
All
donations need to be new and unwrapped. We do accept very gently
used toys if all pieces are present and are in excellent shape.
Donations can be brought to the warehouse located at 2400 Grand Ave.
Pkway, Suite 106, staring Monday November 14th, hours of operation
will be Mon-Thurs 12p-8pm, Fri/Sat 9a-7p and Sundays 12p-7p.
Volunteer Opportunities Assist with sorting and wrapping of the toys. Hours of operation are: Mon-Thurs: 12pm - 8pm.
Fri - Sat: 9am - 7pm
Sundays: 12pm - 7pm
Email the date/times you are interested in to volunteer@brownsanta.org or you can call Brown Santa headquarters at 247-2682.
For more information visit our website:brownsanta.org
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Care Communities
The mission of The
Care Communities is to provide practical and compassionate support,
through Care Teams, for persons living with AIDS or Cancer. The
Care Communities has Care Teams in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop &
Hayes counties.
Volunteer Opportunities:
The Holidays are a perfect time to give the gift of compassionate support.
Be
the part of a Care Team of 3 - 6 persons who will provide
support, such as light housecleaning, shopping, meal preparation, yard
work, laundry and also companionship. The Care Team is matched with a
Care Partner (one with cancer of AIDS). Each Care Team member is asked
to give four hours a month to helping the Care Partner after going
through a volunteer training.
Volunteer Training Our
next Care Team Training is Sunday, November 20. It will be from 1:30pm -
4:30pm here at our office, 4315 Guadalupe St. Suite 303. Contact Roger
Temme to RSVP for the training roger@thecarecommunities.org
Businesses or Corporations
If
there is a group at your business or corporation that would like to do a
Day of Service for someone living with Cancer or AIDS --- house
cleaning, major yard clean up, etc., let us know.
Office Support
Provide data entry, newsletter preparation, call volunteers for monthly hour reports, print volunteer manual, etc.
For more information about The Care Communities, check out the TCC website.
If you want to have a presentation to your place of business,
neighborhood association, or faith community email the Outreach
Coordinator, Roger Temme or call him at 459-5883.
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CASA of Travis County
CASA of Travis County
speaks up for children who've been abused or neglected by empowering our
community to volunteer as advocates for them in the court system. When
the state steps in to protect a child's safety, a judge appoints a
trained CASA volunteer to make independent and informed recommendations
in the child's best interest.
Holiday Gift Card Drive:
At CASA, we believe every child who's been abused or neglected deserves
to have a dedicated advocate speaking up for their best interest in
court, at school and in our community. We also believe these children
deserve to have as many fun and typical childhood moments as possible
during this difficult time in their lives. Receiving the special gift
they asked for from their CASA volunteer means so much to a child who
has to spend the holidays in foster care and far away from their family.
You
can provide a special moment for CASA children this holiday season by
donating $30 gift cards to our Holiday Toy Drive. We need $30 gift cards
from Target, Wal-Mart and Visa for over 150 more children right now.
Gift cards can be mailed to:
CASA of Travis County 7701 N Lamar Blvd Ste 301
Austin, TX 78752, c/o Callie Langford. Make sure and include your full contact information so that we can thank you! To learn more about CASA of Travis County, visit www.casatravis.org or call 512.459.2272.
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Coats for Kids
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Coats For Kids is an
annual community project that collects and distributes warm winter coats
to eligible children and teenagers in Central Texas. Each year, The
Junior League of Austin, Jack Brown Cleaners, KASE 101, and KVUE partner
to bring the community together to ensure that the children of Central
Texas stay warm.
Volunteer Opportunities:Last year, with the help of our sponsors and 2,600 community volunteers, Coats for Kids distributed 35,157 new and gently used coats to young people in Central Texas. As we prepare for the Coats for Kids Distribution Day, we look forward to the continued support and participation of the Central Texas community.
SORTING WEEK December 6-9, 2011
Help prepare donated coats for distribution to children!-
Do you have a child that would like to volunteer? Youth Sorting
Night will be held on Tuesday, December 6th from 6:00 to 8:30
p.m. where children ages 8 and older, accompanied by a parent, will
help sort and prepare coats.
- Except for Youth Sorting Night, all Sorting Week volunteers MUST be
at least 15 years old and must be accompanied by an adult if 15, 16, or
17 years old.
- Sign up to volunteer during Sorting Week!
- Location: Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road
DISTRIBUTION DAY: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Help distribute warm coats to children! - Volunteers MUST be 18 years of age or older
- Sign up to volunteer on Distribution Day!
- Location: Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road
ORGANIZE A COAT DRIVE - Organize a coat drive at your neighborhood school, place of business, community organization or place of worship.
- Click here to get started on a coat drive!
For more information, please contact The Junior League of Austin Coats for Kids office at (512) 467-8982, ext. 292 or via email at cfkvolunteers@jlaustin.org
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 DiscoverHope Fund
DiscoverHope is on a mission for women in poverty to create
their own prosperity through microcredit, entrepreneurship, and
training.
Holiday of Hope Gala & Auction Fundraiser
Thursday, December 8th UT Alumni Center's Connally Ballroom 7:00-10:00pm
Volunteer Opportunity: DiscoverHope is in need of event volunteers for our upcoming Gala
If interested, please attend our Gala Team Meeting on Thursday, November 17th at Austin Java on 1608 Barton Springs Rd. from 6:00-7:30 pm.
In-Kind Donations: We are in need of silent and live auction items!
To
RSVP for the Gala Team meeting or to make an in-kind auction donation,
please contact our Development Associate, Charlotte Bumbulis, at charlotte@lendhope.org
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Family Eldercare
Family Eldercare provides essential services to
seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers. Vision: Elders and
adults with disabilities live in a supportive community with dignity and
as much independence as possible.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Holiday Giving Drive - Help us make the holidays brighter for seniors
and adults with disabilities by volunteering to sponsor and/or deliver
gifts. Sponsorship includes fulfilling the "wish lists" of one or more
clients with gifts costing about $30-50 per person.
Become a sponsor:
Purchase gifts from an individual's "wish list"
"Wish lists" will be distributed in mid-November
Personally deliver your gift or bring it to Family Eldercare's office by November 29th
Volunteer your time:
Sign up individually or with a group to deliver gifts
Visit, https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/FamilyEldercare/OnlineDonation.html
and select "Holiday Giving Drive" from the drop down menu.
To become a sponsor or to volunteer, please respond to Melissa Gray at volunteer@familyeldercare.org (Subject line - "Holiday Giving Drive")
by Friday, November 4th with the following information:
Name:
Company/Organization Name:
Email:
Mailing Address:
Phone:
How you want to help (i.e. make a donation, purchase gifts, deliver gifts):
Number of clients you wish to sponsor:
Preferred delivery area (i.e. South, Central, North, East):
To learn more about this and other volunteer opportunities please visit: http://www.familyeldercare.org/how-you-can-help
or call 512-483-3582.
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Foundation Communities
Foundation Communities is a nonprofit organization that empowers
low-income families and individuals with the tools they need to succeed.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Looking for a giving
opportunity this holiday season? Foundation Communities Holiday
Assistance program matches community sponsors with working-poor families
to help provide them with food and gifts to make their holiday a
special time! 100% of your donations and contributions go to deserving
families that need your help. If you are interested in becoming a
sponsors or want more information on our holiday program please email
Christopher.alberts@foundcom.org or call 512-610-4008. Thank you!
Help low income families and individuals have a very happy new year! Volunteer in our
Community Tax Centers
and help low-income families claim millions of dollars in tax refunds
and credits. By providing free income tax preparation services, IRS
certified volunteers give working families a chance to build a financial
future.
For the 2012 tax
season, we need over 700 volunteers to reach our goal of completing
20,000 tax returns and putting $32 million back into the pockets of
those who need it most. There are 10 conveniently located tax centers
throughout Austin, including one in Round Rock and del Valle.
What is takes to volunteer:
- A desire to give back to YOUR community - No Prior Experience Required!
- Complete 8-12 hours of New Volunteer Training (Training starts at the end of November and runs through January)
- A commitment of just 3hrs/wk, or a total of 36 hours, between January and April
- CPE credits are offered for CPA's that receive their IRS certification and volunteer the 36 hours requested
Upcoming Events:Join
us for our Cupcake Social from 5:00 - 7:00 pm on November 3rd. Take a
tour of our flagship site, talk to other volunteers and program staff
and enjoy a delicious cupcake!
For more information, other ways to volunteer and to sign up to volunteer e-mail Jackie.Blair@foundcom.org~call 512-610-7377
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Mainspring School
Mainspring Schools is an
early childhood, family-centered community where children enjoy learning
and become self-assured and socially competent in order to excel in
school and in life.
In-Kind Donations:
For most of our families, their main concern during the Holidays is
keeping their children warm and fed. Try as they may, saving for the
Holidays can be almost unbearable because they had to spend it fixing a
flat or paying for an emergency doctor's visit. During this time, we try
to help these families by providing a medium for which their
necessities can be met. This in turn, provides them with the time and
energy to spend together. Please help us continue our work by helping to
supply our families with the items that we may take for granted.
During the holiday time, we will be collecting useful items to
distribute in early-mid December. Please feel free to contribute any or
all of the following items:
- Children's soap/ Shampoo/ lotion
- Adult Soap/ Shampoo
- Lip Balm
- Toilet Paper
- Adhesive Bandages/ Antibiotic Ointment
- Paper Towels
- Aluminum Foil/ Plastic Wrap
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Dish Soap
- Canned Vegetables
- Children's socks/ underwear (6 weeks-4 years)
Our location:
Mainspring Schools
1100 W Live Oak Austin, TX 78704
For information contact
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Miracle Foundation
The Miracle Foundation empowers orphans to reach their full potential-one child at a time.
In-Kind Donations:
Help our agency better serve more orphaned children this holiday season
We are in need of laptops, large monitors, digital projectors, digital cameras, and a laminating machine.
If you have any of these items, please contact Niyoshi Mehta at 512.329.8635 or via e-mail at NMehta@MiracleFoundation.org
To learn more our us visit our website www.MiracleFoundation.org
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SafePlace
SafePlace works to end sexual and domestic violence through
safety, healing, prevention and social change. The holidays are a
difficult time for those we serve at SafePlace. Compounded by the
violence they have suffered, the issues of homelessness and severe lack
of resources make it extraordinarily difficult to celebrate the season.
Special Holiday EventKick Off for SafePlace Christmas Toy Drive Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Santa Rita Cantina
5900 W. Slaughter Lane
This Kick Off Event for the toy drive is sure to be a blast! We
will have live music, food specials, all-night happy hour, raffle
prizes, silent auction and we will be collecting new toys for SafePlace
for the holidays!
For more information go to: SafePlace Event
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Salvation Army
Our mission to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
Volunteer Opportunities:Thanksgiving Meal Service On
Thursday, November 24, 2011 from 11a-2p, serve people visiting the
downtown shelter dining room for a meal prepared especially for them.
Volunteers help out in all areas of the dining room and the minimum age
requirement is 13 yrs.
Tis the season for giving! Reach out to your community and get
involved with giving gifts to children who would, otherwise, not have a
Christmas. Our Angel Trees are set-up at the Barton Creek and Lakeline
Malls and children's wish cards are hung like ornaments.
Be Santa's Helper, volunteer and assist people with choosing kids to
shop for or distribute gifts to families at the warehouse. The
warehouse is open Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4pm and Saturday from
8:30am-1pm. Volunteering during distribution days are crucial as
it takes 40-50 people per day to distribute thousands of presents to
families and ensure all gifts are labeled for the correct child.
Schedule a minimum of 3 hour shift, be sure to wear warm, comfortable
clothes and gloves and you must be at least 18 yrs.
These efforts are not possible without volunteers, so mark your calendars, reach out to your community and get involved!
For all other volunteer inquiries, contact Michelle Packer at (512)634-5911 or email via michelle_packer@uss.salvationarmy.
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