VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
Just a few for you to browse through. . . . .!!!
The following programs are in need of volunteers:
Alzheimer¹s Association
Alzheimer¹s Association, 311 Arsenal St., Watertown. The Alzheimer¹s Association is looking for volunteers to assist with their Helpline on weekdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Training is provided. Call 617-868-6718 for more information.
Alzheimer¹s Memory Walk
Canal Park, Cambridge Side Galleria, Cambridge. Sunday, Sept. 30. Volunteers needed
to hang posters and distribute flyers to promote the 15th annual Alzheimer¹s Association
Greater Boston Memory Walk. The walk benefits the Alzheimer¹s Association and the
programs it provides to support individuals and families touched by the disease. Call
617-393-2050, e-mailinfo@memorywalkma.org, or visit memorywalkma.org for more
information.
Big Sisters
The Big Sisters Association of Greater Boston seeks women to provide friendship and
support to girls in the community, and offers weekly information sessions. Call
617-236-8060 for locations of information sessions.
Cancer Center
Hallmark Health Cancer Center, 41 Montvale Ave., Stoneham. The new
Hematology and Oncology Center at Hallmark Health Cancer Center seeks
volunteers to help with a variety of needs including helping with patients,socializing,
escorting, serving refreshments, various clerical task, and assisting staff as needed.
Call Judy Worthley, 781-979-3091.
Rape Crisis Services
Rape Crisis Services of Great Lowell, 144 Merrimack St., Suite 304, Lowell,will begin its
annual free training of those interested in becoming volunteer rape crisis counselors. As
a volunteer counselor, you will have the opportunity to support survivors of sexual
violence on the 24-hour hotline at the courts and hospitals, and do community
educating and outreach. The training is Tuesday and Wednesday 6-9 p.m. from Sept.
4- Oct.17, as well as two Saturdays, Oct. 13 and 20, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If interested call
Trish, 978-. 452-7721.
Common Cause
Common Cause of Massachusetts develops and lobbies for legislation in concert with
advocates on Beacon Hill and coalition partners across the state, and fosters grassroots
activism in support of its agenda. Common Cause of Massachusetts seeks volunteers
for a variety of tasks including addressing envelopes and preparing mailings, helping to
organize public events, working on grassroots organization in support of campaigns,
researching issues, and more. Volunteers learn about good government issues and
state politics and have an opportunity to participate in strategic discussions. Houses can
usually be arranged to meet preferred schedules. Call 617-426-9600 or 781-862-7036
or visit commoncause.org/MA for more info.
Elder Services
Elders Services of the Merrimack Valley, Inc. has many opportunities for volunteers of all
ages who want to help older people in local communities including driving elders to
medical appointments. All training, support, and veterinary expenses are provided free
of charge. Owning pets does not preclude people from puppy raising. Hancock and
Skyler, and their GEB raisers were recently featured on ABC¹s eleven o¹clock news as
part of a segment relating to the television series, Blind Justice. Call 866-432-5227; the
Area Coordinator at 508-866-2368; or, check out the GEB Website
cdc.guideineyes.org/bin/raising for more information on puppy raising.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts seeks volunteers to help build its first
house in Ayer. Volunteers are needed for all phases of construction, from excavation to
framing, siding and roofing, to installing walls, laying floors and finish carpentry.
Volunteers also needed to work on planning, communications, publicity, fundraising,
scheduling and coordinating volunteers, site hosting, food provision, and first aid. Call
978-348-2749 or e-mail habitatncm1@aol.com.
Hallmark Cancer Center
Hallmark Health Cancer Center, 41 Montvale Ave., Stoneham. The new Hematology and
Oncology Center at Hallmark Health Cancer Center seeks volunteers to help with a
variety of needs including helping with patients,socializing, escorting, serving
refreshments, various clerical task, and assisting staff as needed. Contact Judy
Worthley, 781-979-3091.
Health Center
Malden Family Health Center, 100 Hospital Road, Malden, across from the Malden
Medical Center. The Health Center seeks volunteers. Volunteers are especially needed
to help file medical records and prepare patient charts. Call Judy Worthley,
781-979-3091, to find out how to become a volunteer.
Horizons for Homeless Children
Horizons for Homeless Children seeks volunteers to play with and interact with children
for two hours a week. A commitment of six months and attendance at a training sessions
required. Call Sheila Carman, 978-557-2182or e-mail scarman
@horizonsforhomelesschildren.org for more information.
Hospice Care, Inc.Hospice Care, Woburn.
Hospice Care, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving patients with life-limiting illnesses
and their families, needs volunteers to provide companionship to patients, respite time
for family members, or help with errands. Volunteers are men and women who come
from diverse backgrounds and range in ages from their 20s to their 80s. As some
patients speak another language, there is also a need for people who speak English
and a second language. Training, beginning in early April, takes place the Woburn
office. Call Lisa Palais, 781-279-4100.
Hospice Nursing Service
The Hospice of Nashoba Nursing Service in Shirley is looking for women and men willing
to volunteer with families before or after death with support groups or with special
offerings. Volunteers can offer such services as Reiki, massage, manicuring,
housework, yard work, handyman fixing, a celebration meal and more. The Shirley office
also needs three to four hours of help each week. Appropriate training provided.
Volunteers visiting a patient to give the caregiver a break, take five sessions of four
hours weekly starting Oct. 5, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Companioning or providing special
services requires less training and these can be scheduled on a Saturday morning. Call
Margaret Ledger, volunteer coordinator, 800-698-3307,ext. 320.
Jewish Coalition for Literacy
Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy, 126 High St., Boston. Fall training will be
held Sept. 11-Nov. 16 for new volunteer tutors. All new volunteers must attend a training
to begin their volunteer commitment. Once trained, tutors will be placed in elementary
schools, choosing from schools in any one of the following regions: Boston, Cambridge,
Somerville, Framingham, Maynard, and Brockton. Contact Rachel Utain-Evans,
617-457-8669for details and to reserve a place.
Jewish Philanthropies
Combined Jewish Philanthropies offers volunteer possibilities for people of
all ages and interests - teach a child or adult to read, share time with an isolated senior,
make a real difference n the lives of children, visit a new mother, feed the hungry, or
use professional skills. Teenagers are especially. Call Nancy at the Jewish Community
Volunteer Program,617-558-6585, or e-mail jcvp@cjp.org.
Literacy volunteers
English at Large, 400 High St., Medford. EMLC combats low English literacy by providing
free instruction to adults in 20 local communities. EMLC seeks volunteers willing to be
trained as English literacy tutors and to work one-on-one to help an adult learner
improve their English literacy skills. More than 200 adults are waiting for help. The
volunteer training involves a 15-hour workshop with materials provided. Registration is
required for the information sessions. Call 781-385-2374 or visit volunteer@emlc.org.
Melanoma Education Foundation
The Melanoma Education Committee seeks volunteers to help raise melanoma
awareness. The organization specializes in training wellness teachers and nurses about
skin cancer and providing them with free materials to teach the subject to high school
and middle age students in a single-class session. Volunteers should preferably have
two or more weekends per month available and be willing to plan and organize
fundraising events in their area in memory of a loved one or friend whose life was lost to
melanoma. Examples of fundraisers: races, raffles, dinners, and auctions. Call
800-259-1633,e-mail MEF @skincheck.org, or visit skincheck.org for more info.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center
The Nashoba Valley Medical Center, 200 Groton Road, Ayer, seeks volunteers to assist
patients and their families, and to assist in several business departments of the hospital.
Help is needed Monday, Thursday and Friday at the front reception desk; Friday in the
Emergency Department Reception area;Thursday and Friday in the Endoscopy
Department; Monday and Tuesday in the pharmacy; and daily in Patient Transport. Call
NVMC, 978-784-9000.
New England Wild flower Society Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road,
Framingham.
The New England Wild Flower Society, now celebrating its 75th anniversary, seeks
volunteers to lead informal tours of the Garden for adults and children, weekdays or
weekends. There are also many opportunities to participate through May on a project
basis with ³Art Goes Wild: Innovation with Native Plants. Administrative opportunities are
also available. No experience necessary. Free exhibit training. Plant lovers and art lover
especially welcome. Experienced volunteers also needed to help with the Gardens in the
Woods image library, design projects and work with the new Web site currently in
development. Call Bonnie Drexler, 508-877-7630, ext. 3302, or
e-mailbdrexler@newfs.org.
Parents Helping Parents
Parents Helping Parents, a network of support groups for parents who want to improve
relationships with their children, needs volunteers to act as group facilitators. Volunteers
must commit one and a half to three hours a week for at least one year. Training and
ongoing supervision provided. Call 800-882-1250 for needs in specific areas.
Road to Recovery
The American Cancer Society¹s Road to Recovery Program seeks volunteers to drive
patients to and from their treatments. Call 800-227-2345.
Samaritans of Boston
The Samaritans of Boston, a non-profit, non-denominational suicide prevention center,
seeks volunteers to staff their telephone befriending services. Accepted applicants will
be trained to provide non-judgmental listening and support to lonely, despairing, and
suicidal individuals. Daytime, nighttime, and parent-friendly hours available. Call
617-536-2460.
Senior volunteers
CTI Senior Corps/Volunteer Center office, 169 Merrimack St., Lowell. CT Iinvites seniors
to become involved in three Senior Volunteer programs. Participants in the Foster
Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program must be age 60 or older, income
eligible, and able to commit to an average of 20 hours a week. The RSVP program is
open to any interest adult age 55 and up with flexible time commitment. Besides the joy
and satisfaction in the work, other benefits of the programs include a small tax-free
stipend plus earned leave, travel reimbursement, an annual recognition luncheon, and
monthly training. Contact Joan Aseltine, 978-654-5080, ext. 14.
Substance Abuse Helpline
The Mass Substance Abuse HELPLINE seeks volunteers, for phone service to persons
affected by alcoholism and substance abuse. The HELPLINE provides training,
supervision, flexible scheduling, and is T assessable. Volunteers must have computer
experience. In recovery from addiction helpful but not necessary. Call 617-536-0501,
Ext. 201; or visit helpline-online.com.
Sudanese Education Fund
The Sudanese Education Fund seeks volunteers to work with The Lost Boys and Girls
of Sudan. Advocacy and other roles with the organization are open. Orientation and
training will be held in September. Call Judi Goodman,781-862-7589.
VNA Care Network
VNA Care Network and Hospice, a nonprofit visiting nurse association, needs volunteers
to provide practical and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families in
the North Shore, Cape Ann, Merrimack Valley and other areas in eastern and central
Massachusetts. Volunteers receive training and ongoing supervision and support. Call
Susan Smith, volunteer coordinator, 888-663-3688, ext. 1402. Visit vnacarenetwork.org
for more Information about becoming a hospice volunteer.
Right Turn, Inc.
Right Turn, Inc. provides many programs and services to help recovering drug and
alcohol addicts, and to promote general wellness. Right Turn, Inc. is located at 299
Broadway, Arlington. For more information, call 781-646-3800or toll free ·
888-578-8876. For a schedule of events, visitwww.right-turn.org.
Stop Addiction
Studies show that some youth are experimenting with drugs or alcohol as early as age
11. Narconon Arrowhead reminds everyone of the importance of getting our youth
educated on drugs and alcohol in today¹s society by offering free addiction counseling,
assessments and local referrals. Call to find out what can e done in your area,
1-800-468-6933 or visitwww.stopaddiction.com.
Counseling referrals
The Social Work Therapy Referral Service, a public service of the National Association
of Social Workers, offers free confidential referrals for individual, couple, family and
group therapy. Those seeking referrals are matched for specialty, location and
insurance. Call 617-720-2828 or 800-242-9794.
Young Widow Group
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Needham Campus, Conference Room 1, lower level.
Fourth Tuesday of each month, 7-8:30 p.m. The young widowed group of greater
Boston, a support group for widows and widowers meets. This support group is open to
all men and women regardless of age or length of time widowed. Contact Olive at
omcmee107@comcast.net or visitwww.widow.meetup.com/38.
Hope you find something that suits you!