Community Service Activities

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store "re-do": Volunteers are needed to help organize, sort, etc., donations for the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, 6260 E. Colfax  Denver CO 80220. The proceeds from the store are used to help those in need. They are in the process of re-doing the store and would like as much help as possible.  Work will be starting the week of June 17th. This is a great opportunity for community service, and they will work with girls on tie ins to completing badges.  Families would be welcome, however, anyone coming to be over the age of 14 unless supervised by their parents. Contact Lorraine Curtis for more details at 303-756-0806 or curtislorraine@hotmail.com. This should be a FUN opportunity!

Volunteer with RISE Early Literacy Program - Center for Hearing Speech and Language is a non-profit located in Denver, CO. One of the departments within the Center, called RISE, works with underprivileged toddlers to give them a chance at literacy. RISE is a free language and literacy program that supplements preschool curriculum working with children living in inner city public housing. We are looking for volunteers to help either leading the RISE sessions at the different sites as well as reading buddies to children ages 3-5 in our program. Please visit there website for more information http://www.chsl.org/rise.php.

Bird Nests for Rehabilitation - Wild Bird Rehab of Denver is the only wild bird rescue in the Denver Metro area and is gearing up for the hundreds of baby birds we will receive this Spring.  For our babies, we use nests made out of toilet paper in 4 sizes and are in need of hundreds of these nests for the upcoming season!  We can have a licensed Rehabilitator there for questions and answers and to give the girls information on the need for conservation and care of our Colorado Wild Bird population. Call Peggy O'Neill at 303.921.9770 for more information.

Teen Volunteer Summer Squad - Louisville Public Library: June - July 2013 - Do you need volunteer hours or want to help out the library? Do you like working with children? Teens 13 and older are invited to join the Louisville Public Library’s Teen Volunteer Summer Squad and help run our Children’s Summer Reading Program! You will be interacting with children and talking to them about their summer reading, as well as giving out prizes and signing children up for the program. Come to the Louisville Public Library to get your registration packet and sign up for an orientation. You can also find more information on our website: http://www.louisville-library.org/. Call  303-335-4821 or email childrensreference@louisvilleco.gov for more info!

Just Add Water ~ Summer Playologist - Join the Children’s Museum this summer as we engage children in the excitement of water! As a summer Playologist Volunteer, you will get to facilitate the “Just Add Water” summer exhibit by encouraging children to observe, question, test, and think creatively about the wildly unpredictable properties of water. Morning and afternoon shifts available daily Four-hour weekly commitment Great summer opportunity for youth (Age 12+). To learn more about these positions and requirements, visit www.mychildsmuseum.org or contact Angela Caudill at 303-561-0114 or volunteer@cmdenver.org.

One Book 4 Colorado - One Book 4 Colorado is the result of collaboration between Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia’s office, Reach Out and Read Colorado, Colorado State Library, public libraries, the private sector, and the nonprofit and foundation communities. It is modeled after the successful Preschool One Book, One Denver program originated by the Denver Preschool Program. Both programs stem from the idea that providing young children with access to books promotes early literacy and helps families serve as their children’s first and most important teachers. For low-income families, access to quality books and early literacy efforts are doubly important as research shows that low-income children have few to no books in their homes and are exposed to 30 million fewer words before the age of four than their higher-income peers.  One Book 4 Colorado aims to close this vocabulary gap by getting a book into the home of every four-year-old in Colorado and fostering a culture of reading. Contact your local library to see how you can help. This could be a great way to fulfill the "Leading Through Reading" activity segments.

-Larimer and Weld County:

*Christy Headrick
Youth Services Librarian
Berthoud Community Library District
cheadrick.bpl@gmail.com
970-532-2757

-Denver County:

*Darlene Datkuliak, BSN, RNC
Westwood Clinic Manager
Denver Health Medical Center
Office Phone I 303-602-4657
darlene.datkuliak@dhha.org

Project C.U.R.E.: Kits for Kids - The Kits for Kids program supplies families in the developing world with common "medicine cabinet" items.  Everyday supplies that we find in U.S. households like bar soap, antibiotic ointment, and bandages are very rarely found in clinics or homes in the developing world and can make a world of difference.  You can send Kits for Kids to clinics and households all around the world in five easy steps:

1. Fill out the Kits for Kids Request Form (Click here to begin Step 1)
2. Gather people: This might be your troop or anyone else who might want to take part in the program
3. Gather stuff: Collect at least 10 items from the Kits for Kids list on the website http://www.projectcure.org/programs/kidskits
4. Fill bags: Please include your name card and $5 donation in each Kit
5. Drop bags: Please take completed Kits for Kids to our Centennial warehouse at 10377 E. Geddes Ave, Ste. 200 Centennial, CO 80112

No time?: If you would like to make a direct donation to the program text kidskits to 20222

For more information, please email Megan at meganprentice@projectcure.org

Inter-Faith Community Services - Inter-Faith Community Services provides basic human services and enrichment programs to low-income people using community resources. Inter-Faith fosters self-sufficiency and respects the dignity of each client. Inter-Faith serves the people of Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Sheridan and unincorporated Arapahoe County. Our largest need at Inter-Faith is food, clothing and financial support. Volunteer opportunities at Inter-Faith Community Services are mainly focused on collecting donations for our client’s needs.

NONPROFIT FINDER - Looking for a kid or family-friendly service project at your favorite non-profit?  Need to know who best to contact at your favorite organization? Here is a great resource from the Young Philanthropists Foundation that may help point you in the right direction. Also, are you curious about how best to create a meaningful service project? Here is a great brochure on the subject, also provided by YPF.