Opportunities to Care

Volunteering your time in the local community is a great way to bulk up your college application, get those National Honors Society service hours and above all feel good about yourself by helping a cause. Find a cause you’re passionate about, whether it be reading with children, helping victims of domestic violence or cleaning up the local parks and rivers. Don’t let a lack of information fool you into thinking your involvement isn’t needed. There are hundreds of Kansas City organizations working tirelessly to help those in need that could use all the help they can get.

Habitat For Humanity

You can help families get the boost they need by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity KC.

Habitat for Humanity KC provides homes for low to medium income families that need shelter. The families have to put 350 hours of work and some money towards the house and the rest comes from volunteers. This year, Habitat KC aims to complete 35 projects — from small repairs to building brand new homes in the Kansas City urban core.

What can you do:

Volunteering in construction is only open to those age 16 and over.

• Volunteer by painting, drilling or sawing on the construction site .
• Work in the office doing tasks like answering phones, greeting guests and drafting emails.
• Become a store clerk in ReStore, Habitat for Humanity’s home improvement store.

How can you get involved:

To become a volunteer complete the form online at habitatkc.org or contact Dana Bass at

(816)924 -1096 or dbass@habitatkc.org.

Also contact Dana Bass if you are under 16 but would like to get involved.

For more information on Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, visit their website at habitatkc.org, follow them on Twitter at HabitatKC, or on Facebook at Habitat for Humanity Kansas City.

Children’s TLC

For many people one of the most rewarding things you can do is work with young children who have mental and physical disabilities.

Children’s TLC is a preschool on Main and 31st Street for children with disabilities. They work with kids with disorders such as Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome or Autism, to try and teach them the learning skills they will need as they grow older.

What can you do:

• Help plan and implement their fundraising events, such as the Groundhog Run in January or Parent’s Night Out in November.
• Volunteer at the preschool. Although it clashes with school hours, it runs through summer, which is when they need volunteers most.
• Apply as a group of friends, or even a club, to run a day-long service project. It can be anything from a swim-day to a holiday themed activity day. This is perfect for when we have a day off school.

How can you get involved:

Visit the website childrenstlc.org for more details on specific volunteer opportunities and steps required to join the volunteer team.  You can send further questions to info@childrenstlc.org for more information and assistance.

Red Cross

First-aid is an extremely useful life skill and can be used to improve the lives of people around you. The American Red Cross, is a humanitarian organization that provides first aid services free of charge within the community and is ready to help in a disaster.

What can you do:

Volunteering is only open to those age 16 and over.

• Receive free first-aid training from the organization
• Go to events such as community fairs or charity runs and provide first-aid treatment to injured members of the public.
• As a first-aid volunteer you are required to work three events of your choice a year, which can be anywhere between two and ten hours long.

• You can also help out at Red Cross blood drive by registering people or handing out refreshments.

How can you get involved:

Before you can start going to events, you have to attend a volunteer orientation and a first aid training session at the Red Cross KC headquarters on Armour Blvd.

Contact Kimberly Stafford at 816-841-5312 or kimberly.stafford@redcross.org

Students Helping in Areas Related to Education (SHARE)

You may have many causes you think are important, but don’t know how to get involved with them. SHARE has already done half the work for you. SHARE is a student-led program at East that coordinates a huge number of volunteer opportunities throughout the school year, both within East and with outside organizations.

What can you do:

The SHARE website lists all the projects you can sign up for, and has a calendar of the events.

Projects include:

Brighton Gardens – volunteers take part in activities with people of Brighton Gardens, the senior citizens residency on Mission road.

Project Warmth – students hold drive to collect warm clothes for winter for those in need.

Soup Kitchen – students serve lunch to those in need at Grace and Holy Trinity Soup Kitchen

How can you get involved:

Sign up week has already taken place but you can still get involved. Go to smeastshare.com to find a project you want to be take part in, then contact one of the eight SHARE execs to get started.