HANDS ON | Valley volunteering

HandsOn Volunteer Network of the Valley, a United Way Agency, is the local resource for volunteer recruitment, placement and management for people of all ages and abilities in the Mahoning Valley located at Youngstown State University, second floor of the Williamson School of Business in the Center for Non-profit Excellence with main office at 5500 Market St., Suite 106, Boardman. Hands On is a monthly column that serves to communicate the impact that volunteering can have on our community. To express interest in one of the opportunities below, contact HOVN at (330) 782-5877 or Trumbull County (330) 393-4254 or visit the Web site at www.HOVN.org.

OPPORTUNITIES

Older Americans Month 2009: May is Older Americans Month. This year’s theme is “Living Today For a Better Tomorrow.” Gather your family together and spend an afternoon at a local senior center or retirement community or make a one-on-one visit to someone from your church, family or neighborhood. If you would like to visit an isolated senior from our community, but don’t know where to start, call Anita at (330) 782-5877.

Planning for Safe Communities: The Ohio Citizen Corps regional workshop: “Community Response: Preparing and Planning for Safe Communities” will be May 13 at the Ralph Regula Conference Center on the campus of Northeast Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown. Among the topics to be discussed are connecting special-needs populations to disaster services. Registration is $10 per person. For more information or to register, contact Gretchen Brown at (330) 540-0081. Reservations are due by Friday.

Youth Volunteer Corps Summer of Service 2009: YVC will be organizing six weeklong service projects between June 12 and July 31 at six local organizations. Issues to be addressed are hunger, homelessness, environmental stewardship, mentoring and disability inclusion. The projects will be completed by groups of 10-15 high school students under the guidance of an adult team leader. For information or to register, visit www.hovn.org or call Corrie at (330) 782-5877.

We Grow Hope — 12th Annual Streetscape Event: Do you have a green thumb? Would you like to help beautify Downtown Youngstown? Join CityScape from 8 a.m. to noon May 30 for the 12th Annual Streetscape event. This event helps landscape downtown Youngstown by cleaning, trimming, planting flowers and shrubs and mulching the planting areas. This year, help is needed in the Wick Park area, the “Garden Bunker” on the corners of East Federal, Boardman and Champion streets, the hillside between Wood and Commerce streets, the “gateways” into Youngstown, and many other areas. For more information, call Youngstown CityScape at (330) 742-4040.

Relay for Life: It’s relay time, and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life teams in Trumbull and Mahoning County need your help. This 24-hour event can engage volunteers in a variety of ways. If you have a passion for fighting cancer, this is a great event. Relays begin on Friday nights at 6 p.m. and run until 6 p.m. Saturday each weekend during the month of May. For more information on ways you can get involved, contact Kristen Gallagher at (330) 393-4254 or Bridgett Savage at the American Cancer Society 1 (888) 227-6446, ext. 2205.

Activity Help: The Salvation Army of Trumbull County is looking for an energetic activities aide. This volunteer will provide activities to those visiting the drop-in center. Activities could include teaching line dancing, crafts, a fitness program or any other activity you like to do. Contact Kristen Gallagher at (330) 393-4254 for more information.

Canfield Fair volunteers: This is an early call for volunteers to staff the HOVN informational booth at the Canfield Fair. The fair runs from Sept. 2-7. Each volunteer will receive one free admission ticket to the fair for each shift worked. If you’re interested in volunteering, call Anita at (330) 782-5877.