VOLUNTEER
NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE |
|
| IF YOU
BECOME A HELPER OF HEARTS, SPRINGS OF WISDOM WILL FLOW FROM YOUR
HEART. |
-- Rumi 13th century poet, mystic, and
scholar |
| |
Nominate
Volunteers for County Awards Act
Before March 11 Deadline! |
|
AGENCY SPOTLIGHT: GILCHRIST IMMIGRANT RESOURCE
CENTER |
|
The Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center,
part of Montgomery County's Office of Community Partnerships (OCP),
provides welcome and support to residents of Montgomery County
and serves as a gateway for County immigrants. Through the Gilchrist Center, Montgomery County
residents including newcomers can obtain information and
referrals to programs and services offered by government agencies
and community organizations; strengthen their life skills through
English and basic computer classes; and increase their knowledge
to prepare for civic life and/or U.S. citizenship. The Gilchrist Center's English and computer
classes are taught entirely by volunteers. Since the pandemic
classes have been held virtually, which has increased the number
of people who are interested in enrolling in classes due to the
convenience of online learning. That has increased the need for
volunteers to support creating more classes and workshops to
respond to the need. "The goal is to keep these classes
small," says Program Manager Josephine Garnem. "The
smaller the class, the more learning happens." Volunteers tend to stay with the Gilchrist Center
for a long time and the Center also welcomes short-term
volunteers. "They get a lot of support and community
building," says Program Manager Anna DeNicolo, Newer
volunteers that are teaching classes can be paired with
established teachers to observe a class before moving into
leading a class on their own. The Gilchrist Center partners with other
Montgomery County agencies including Montgomery College,
Workforce Montgomery, and Life Assets, providing workshops
throughout the year on everything from learning about college
programs, starting a small business, managing finances to job
seeking. Many graduates of the classes are motivated to volunteer
at the Gilchrist Center as a way of giving back to the community
and getting the needed experience on their resumes. "We have
many people who had highly professional jobs in their countries
of origin but are needing to build their experience here,"
says Anna, "so we encourage them to volunteer as well." Here are the current opportunities
posted with the Volunteer Center by The Gilchrist Immigrant
Resource Center for computer instructors, Spanish-speaking
computer instructors, Zoom assistants, and online ESOL
instructors. |
|
FEATURED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES |
|
Volunteering
Does a Heart Good |
|
The benefits of volunteering are broad and can
include positive impacts on volunteers' physical and emotional
health. Experience these yourself by filling any of the volunteer
needs below--or any of the hundreds of other volunteer positions
that local nonprofits and government agencies are currently
recruiting for. Use the search box at the top of this email or on
any page of the Volunteer Center website
to search for more ways to serve. |
|
BLACK HISTORY MONTH TRANSCRIBE-A-THON: Sandy
Spring Museum seeks help in transcribing historic documents
from their archives as part of a partnership with Digital
Maryland. Learn more here or send an email.
Register by February 21. |
|
INDOOR SPRING SALE HELP: Montgomery
County Parents of Multiples seeks volunteers to help set up
booths for an indoor yard sale on March 5 from 11 am-2 pm that
benefits their group and the community. The event is held at
Seneca Creek Community Church in Gaithersburg. Tasks will include
handing out bags to shoppers, helping shoppers carry purchases to
the curb, and helping move items that will be donated to a local
charity from the sale space to the donation area. Masks are
required. Details for sign up and more can be found here. |
|
KEEPING IT SAFE VIDEO CONTEST: Middle
school and high school teams are invited to create a 30-second
PSA about underage drinking. Register by March 11. Click here for entry details
and a link to the submission and release forms. Questions? Email Gabriela Monzon-Reynolds or
call 240-777-1954 or Rodrigo Aguerre or call
240-672-3318. |
|
ROCKVILLE WEED WARRIOR WORKDAY: Join
Rockville Weed Warrior Leaders for a non-native, invasive plant
removal workday at Redgate Park on February 21. Space is limited
and online registration is required. Read details here, or contact Weed
Warrior Leader Chuck Woolery at 240-997-2209 or email chuck@igc.org
with questions. |
|
Opportunities marked with the graduation cap icon
meet the MCPS guidelines for Student Service Learning (SSL)
hours--but they're not just for students! Other
opportunities may be eligible for SSL hours; visit the MCPS SSL website to learn more. |
|
SSL and
Eligibility for Certificate of Meritorious Service |
|
SSL remains a state graduation requirement for
students this year, and the SSL Hub for Students and Families is a one-stop place for
accessing SSL forms, opportunities, guidelines, and more. Any high school senior who has submitted
documentation to show the completion of 240 SSL hours or more by
April 1, 2022, will earn the Certificate of Meritorious
Service along with a purple tassel for graduation. This
award requirement has been prorated to account for the period of
time during which school buildings were closed Any middle school student who has submitted
documentation to show the completion of the 75-hour SSL
graduation requirement (for the first time in middle school) by
April 1, 2022, will receive the Superintendent's SSL Award. A complete list of SSL coordinators may be
found on the MCPS SSL webpage at www.mcps-ssl.org. Any
questions about the SSL program may be directed to the SSL
dropbox at SSL@mcpsmd.org. |
|
Residents
Honor Dr. King Through Virtual Volunteering |
|
The 2022 MLK Week of Service wrapped up with
another impressive show of participation from volunteers. The
pandemic constraints did not dampen the spirits and energy of our
community participants. MCVC hosted seven projects itself and
supported and promoted thirty additional projects across the
county. The event, which ran from January 15-22 with volunteers
completing their projects from home, saw more than 350 volunteers
donate over 4,000 projects throughout the week of the MCVC-hosted
projects. A sample of projects: volunteers wrote 758
letters to seniors, 460 letters to foster children, 927
valentines to veterans, and assembled 228 fleece blankets. Thank you to all of the volunteers who dedicated
their time and energy to giving time in the spirit of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. We've included two of the many pictures shared
with us by MLK Week volunteers. See our MLK photo gallery for
more photos submitted by our hardworking volunteers! We look
forward to seeing everyone again next year. |
|
Volunteer
Bill Hicks Honored for Years of Service |
|
William (Bill) Hicks, a long-time AmeriCorps
Seniors RSVP who volunteers with AARP Tax-Aide in Montgomery
County was recently honored with a Daily Point of Light Award
for his dedicated leadership in providing free tax preparation
assistance to low-to-moderate income Montgomery County residents
with special attention to older adults. This award celebrates the
power of individuals to lead and lend support to causes they care
about. Read Bill's story here. Congratulations,
Bill! |
|
Watch
the Ways to Make a Difference |
|
| Make a Difference is a
monthly County Cable Montgomery program that highlights the
contributions of exemplary county volunteers and organizations
that work to better our community. You can view the latest
episodes here. |
|
Subscribe
to Our Partner Newsletters |
|
Copyright © 2021. All Rights
Reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
