HELPING HANDS

HELPING HANDS
Volunteering
Volunteer Services Agency is the resource for volunteer recruitment, placement and management for people of all ages in the Mahoning Valley. It sponsors the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which places people 55 and older, and the Volunteer Center, the clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities. For more information, call RSVP at (330) 782-6171, or the center at (330) 782-1220.
SHORT TERM OPPORTUNITIES
Jingle Bell Run: Invitational race at Canfield Fairgrounds Dec. 31. Proceeds will go to designated area nonprofit programs. Volunteers are needed for 3-4 hours to sell refreshments, give directions on the track and distribute water to runners.
First Night Youngstown: Many volunteers needed Dec. 31 as entry and exit monitors, souvenir booth staff, parking attendants, ushers, greeters, information booth staff and site leaders. Orientation meetings will be held in December during which job descriptions and handbooks will be distributed.
CAN YOU HELP?
Volunteer help also is needed for these agencies:
Volunteer Service to Seniors: Need one-on-one companions to elderly people living alone and having difficulty meeting their daily living needs. Activities include, but are not limited to, friendly visits, weekly shopping, transport to hairdresser appointments and transport to doctor's appointments. A background check will be required.
The Salvation Army: Volunteers are needed to distribute gifts to nursing homes on Dec. 9, to sort and bag toys Dec. 10-14, and to distribute toys from their gymnasium on Dec. 19.
Meals on Wheels: Volunteers are needed to drive and deliver meals. Individuals willing to volunteer in pairs, one to drive and one to deliver, are particularly needed. A background check is not required.
D & amp; E Counseling Center: A volunteer is needed 15 hours per week to scan and verify coded forms into a computer system. Individual needed must be detail-oriented and have some comfort with computers.
Alternative School in Choffin Career Center: Volunteers are needed to tutor students in grades 5-8 and students enrolled in the GED program. There is a special need for instruction in writing skills. Individuals are needed 1-2 hours per week form 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mahoning County Council for Retarded Citizens: Volunteers are needed for the monthly dance at Youngstown Developmental Center from 7 to 9 p.m. to help serve refreshments, to assist and chaperone participants.
Angels for Animals: Volunteers are needed Dec. 8 to make apple pies as part of a fundraising effort. Two shifts are available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The first shift will cut and peel the apples and involves mostly sitting while working. The second shift will assemble, and requires mostly standing while working. Volunteers are to meet at the Greenford facility. For information, call Michael Hoffman at (330) 538-3900, ext. 148, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.