Can't Wait for Spring Break? Sign Up to Volunteer with an Easter Egg Hunt!

If you're looking to earn some community service hours over spring break, check out this event sponsored by Greater DC Cares:

Easter Egg Hunt

You can sign up to volunteer on the bottom of the page.

Upcoming Service Trips with Teen Action

If you're looking for a way to get community service hours while working with friends, look no further than Teen Action! This TMA club, which meets every Wednesday after school in room 104, connects students with volunteer opportunities throughout the semester. The group has these upcoming trips:

February

Saturday, 2/25:

We Are Family (Columbia Heights & Park View Grocery Delivery) 9:30am -1pm **rescheduled for later in the month!

March

Thursday, 3/1

Downtown Clusters Geriatric Day Care (Mt. Vernon Sq Metro) 3:45pm- 6:00pm

Saturday, 3/24:

We Are Family (Columbia Heights & Park View Grocery Delivery) 9:30am -1pm

Thursday, 3/ 29

Martha’s Table  (U Street Metro) 3:45pm- 6:00pm

April

Saturday, 4/ 14

The Anacostia Watershed Society Nash Run Trash Trap cleanup (Deanwood Metro stop) 9am-1pm

Thursday 4/26

Downtown Clusters Geriatric Day Care (Mt. Vernon Sq Metro) 3:45pm- 6:00pm

Saturday 4/28

We Are Family (Columbia Heights & Park View Grocery Delivery) 9:30am -1pm

If you're interested in going on one of these trips, please come to a Teen Action meeting or talk with Ms. Boehle-Silva! 

Note: You must have a permission slip to participate, so sign up early!

Needs and Opportunties at A Wider Circle

Come work with A Wider Circle this Saturday, February 4th. Help move donated beds so that DC residents will have places to sleep in their homes and apartments!

This Saturday, as part of a special event with corporate partner First Finish, A Wider Circle is getting three floors of beds from a local hotel and they need volunteers to work either 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. to help them load and unload the beds.  If you want to help, please email Anne Thompson.

A Wider Circle also needs volunteers for their educational jobs programs. Here are a few ways you can help:

We are looking for a few good cooks!

We need volunteers to provide dinner for one or more classes. The classes will take place in A Wider Circle's new classroom on Tuesday evenings; dinner would need to arrive by 6:15 and serve 20-30 people.  You can provide all or part of the dinners!

Good with children?

We are also looking for volunteers to help out with childcare during classes, Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00 pm, on-site at A Wider Circle.  Volunteers help with homework, play games, and help serve dinner to the children while their parent(s) attend(s) class.  In addition to childcare for the adult education, we will be having a formal reading program for children on Tuesday evenings, so volunteers to read with children will also be helpful.

Interested in providing one-on-one support?

We need volunteers willing to work with adults to format résumés, practice interviewing, and search for jobs during and/or outside of class time.

For more information, or to sign up, please contact Marian Cooper at: Marian@awidercircle.org

Experience the Student Program at Washington Hospital Center

The Washington Hospital Center, the District's largest hospital, has a volunteer program geared toward high school students wishing to earn community service hours. Volunteers can work in many different departments of the hospital, and receive complimentary meals and parking!

Note: Washington Hospital Center's Student Volunteer Program has many steps, including:

• an online application
• a reference from a teacher or employer
• a one-page typed summary/description of yourself
• an interview

All applicants must be at least 14 years old.

Click on this link to get started with your online application. If you have any questions, please come talk with Ms. Boehle-Silva in Programs.

So Others Might Eat (SOME): Options, Options, Options!

SOME has served Washington, DC for more than 40 years, working to

• Feed and clothe DC’s homeless and poor 
• Treat ill, homeless people at their medical, dental and mental health programs
• Train people for jobs and house homeless families and single adults

Over the years, SOME has helped thousands of people get off the streets, transform their lives, and live independently.

SOME has over 10 different areas in need of volunteers, including:

 

Administrative 

Professional Services 

Elderly Services 

Tutoring Adults 

Tutoring Children 

Food Service 

Special Occasions 

Landscaping 

Activity Leaders 

Material Donations 

Opportunities for Children 

Long-term Volunteers

After you've looked over the many options on SOME's volunteer page, fill out their volunteer application (here).

Work with Children at Bright Beginnings

Students interested in working with children should check out Bright Beginnings, an organization that provides a safe, nurturing education environment for young children whose families are experiencing homelessness.

Volunteers can work in Bright Beginnings' classrooms a few hours, a half day or full day or can develop a specialized volunteer experience based on their skills (technology, fundraising, marketing, data analysis, art, music, etc.)

To get started, fill out an online volunteer application here.

Note: Volunteers must be 16 or older, and provide a background check and a negative TB-test in order to volunteer. Talk to Ms. Boehle-Silva if you have any questions!

Work with Children at the Spanish Education Development (SED) Center

Hey, Spanish-speaking students! Looking for a way to practice your language skills? Like to work with children? Sounds like the Spanish Education Development Center (SED) is for you!

SED Center focuses on providing education to low-income families, particularly those with young children. Volunteers can read or play with children in the preschool and after school/weekend programs, mentor a child, or help SED spread the word about their programs.

Note: Spanish is not required, but is helpful. 

To begin volunteering, contact Doris Ruano at (202) 462-8848, or email her at dorisruano@sedcenter.com.

This site is accessible via the Green Line and 90 Bus.

Volunteer at The Family Place

The Family Place DC provides services to families with young children in the Mt. Pleasant area. Students can volunteer at The Family Place's three different programs: Family Literacy, Family Wellness, and Family Stability. Each of these three programs has many different components, and students can contact The Family Place for more information: email them at info@thefamilyplacedc.org or look for their postings on Idealist.org and VolunteerMatch.org. You can also contact them at 202-265-0149.

Focus on Education: Crossway Community

Looking for new ways to approach and experience education? Challenge yourself to think outside the box by volunteering with Crossway Community!

Crossway Community is an organization focused on reducing poverty and creating social change through education.

In their own words: "We maintain a deep belief that every individual and family is capable of success when equipped with a set of educational, professional, and personal tools. Our programs are both evidence-based and need-based and assist our students in cultivating the skills necessary to succeed in today's economy and society."

Crossway Community has three different programs that students can volunteer with: the Family Leadership Academy, the Crossway Montessori Programs, and the Community Lifelong Learning Center.

At the Family Leadership Academy, young mothers are provided with the opportunity and the resources to reshape their lives and learn to be effective parents. While mothers are participating in the Family Leadership Academy, their children attend the Crossway Montessori Programs, where they are encouraged to become independent, creative, and able thinkers. The Community Lifelong Learning Center brings the community to Crossway's campus through a variety of recreational, cultural, and civic events, activating Crossway's mission to foster community, creativity, and learning for all families.

The core of all of Crossway's programs is the belief that education is the key to success, and that every family, regardless of income or other factors, deserves the opportunity to succeed.

To learn more about Crossway Community's volunteer opportunities, fill out the "Volunteer Form" on their website: find it here or contact them by phone at (301) 929-2505 or email them at http://crossway-community.org/support-us/volunteer.

Be sure to let them know that you're a high school student looking to earn community service hours!