Service Opportunities

These service opportunities are for students looking for service and volunteerism in the community without ties to academics.

You may also want to see a list of organizations that offer a range of service-learning opportunities, Click here for that information.

Women's Wellbeing and Development Foundation

Call for Volunteers! We are looking for many volunteers for the upcoming Mothers' Day at the Spa event, the Juneteenth event, and the Trail Blazers Outdoor Adventure Club! If you would like to help please call Nicole at the office at 828-255-8777 or email at nicole@wwd-f.org. Thanks!

This Sunday we will be hosting our second annual Mothers' Day at the Spa event at the Carl E. Johnson Community Center in Hillcrest from 4:00-6:00pm! This free event will feature professional massage therapists, yoga instruction, professional acupuncturists, fresh herbal facials, herbal tea-making, nail care, service information from Our Voice, HelpMate, and Mountain Biz Works, refreshments, childcare, prizes, and giveaways of live plants and seeds. We are looking for volunteers to assist with childcare, nail painting, and setup and cleanup duties. If you are interested in helping us pamper the mothers of Hillcrest please call or email Nicole.

Juneteenth is Hillcrest's second annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. It will be taking place June 16th from 11am-3pm in the field at Hillcrest. The event will feature activities for children and adults, information, food, entertainment, and more. We need volunteers to assist with setup, food tent, activities, and cleanup.

The Trail Blazers Outdoor Adventure Club is our summertime hiking series in which from June 18th through August 9th we will take children and adults from the Hillcrest neighborhood hiking to the most beautiful trails and waterfalls all over Western North Carolina. Last summer we hiked over 65 miles, and participants gained swimming and hiking skills, plant identification education, and developed a relationship with nature that most had not had the opportunity to cultivate prior to the series. We need volunteers to accompany the hikers from 10am to 4pm each day. We prefer that volunteers have experience in the outdoors and preferably also have experience with children. We are also looking for people who have 1st Aid/CPR and/or life guarding training. It is a great way to be of service while experiencing the beauty and adventure of our region.

If interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Nicole Hinebaugh, Director of Programs
Women's Wellbeing and Development Foundation
22 Ravenscroft Dr.
Asheville, NC 28801
828.255.8777
www.wwd-f.org

Asheville Downtown Association

Starting in May 18th and then for every 3rd Friday of the month through September we have an event downtown called Downtown After 5. All the proceeds from this event go to funding projects for the ADA. In the fall season we also staff the Holiday Parade and Jinglefest with volunteers.

This link below is the official place to sign up for people who may be interested in the May 18^th event. Any other inquires can be sent to Volunteer@ashevilledowntown.org.

http://dta5-may18-2012.eventbrite.com

The eventbrite sign up also talks about the volunteer perks plan which is quite fun for people of all ages.

If interested, contact Amy Huntsman, 828.301.9444

www.ashevilledowntown.org

River Bound Race/ Outward Bound need volunteers!

June 9th and October 6th North Carolina Outward Bound is holding a trail running series at the NC Arboretum called River Bound Race Series and it will benefit scholarships for youth, educators and veterans and service members from western NC to attend North Carolina Outward Bound courses. They are currently looking for volunteers and runners to sign up! Check out this link for more info:  http://riverboundasheville.racesonline.com/

West Asheville Carnival

The West Asheville Carnival is a great event for all ages . Organized by Vance Elementary Parents, there will be a lots of carnival games and crafts, as well as a bountiful auction and music stage. The organizers need volunteers to run games and rides, set up and break down, and much more. This event will serve as a fundraiser for the school.

If anyone is available to volunteer April 28th (Saturday), anytime between 2-9pm, lots of volunteer help is needed. Perks include making young folks happy, raising dough for our underfunded school, and unrivaled networking for summer babysitting jobs!

If interested, please visit this link to sign up for a shift.

Volunteers Needed for MS Walk

On Saturday, April 21, the National MS Society annual MS Walk will be held at Carrier Park from 8 am-1 pm. This event will host a Wellness Fair featuring local health and wellness groups that can help meet the specific needs of individuals living with multiple sclerosis.

Volunteers are needed to help set-up the event at 7 am and assist throughout the Walk and Wellness Fair. Volunteers will be included in the raffle that highlights Asheville's restaurants, boutiques, and homegrown talents. Additionally, morning refreshments and lunch will be provided to volunteers. Please go to CarolinasWalkMS.org to register.

If you have any questions, contact Leslie Newman at 828-772-4920 or email MScommunityWNC@gmail.com.

Blood Drive Greeters

American Red Cross needs Blood Drive Greeters at their local Chapter and at local mobile blood drives. Greeters help donors feel welcome and comfortable, and visit with them while giving out snacks & beverages after they donate blood. Times vary each month, but average 2.5 hours at the Chapter, and 3-4 hours at the blood drives. Volunteers can select time slots each month when receiving the calendar and news. Dress is casual.

Please contact Cappy Tosetti at tosettim@usa.redcross.org or (828) 258 3888. Please visit the Red Cross website, here, for more information about volunteering.

Project MARCH Afterschool Learning Centers

Do you LOVE working with children and changing their lives for the better? Project MARCH needs volunteers for at least one hour a day, Monday through Thursday from 2:30-5:30 to assist K-5th graders living in vulnerable conditions with their homework and enrichment activities. The Learning Centers are on-site at two housing authority neighborhoods and one Section 8 neighborhood, so volunteers will need to provide their own transportation. Volunteers will assist the site leaders with distributing healthy snacks, assisting with homework, and participating in the enrichment activities.

Project MARCH
50 S. French Broad Ave. Ste. #246
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 259-9717
fax: (828) 281-3308

Build Fences for Chained Dogs

Chainfree Asheville builds fences every Sunday afternoon to help low-income families release their dogs from the 24/7 chain. Projects start at 11am and generally end by 3pm. All fence projects are in Asheville. All tools are provided. Please wear work clothes and closed-toe shoes. 

http://www.chainfreeasheville.org

On-Campus Gardening

Volunteers are needed to work on composting, weeding, and brainstorming ideas for the campus garden behind the cafeteria for the coming months.

Visit www.squashgarden.tumblr.com for campus garden updates, photos, and interesting links throughout the week!

Mondays from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m.- 3 p.m.

YMCA Healthy Kid’s Day

YMCA’s Healthy Kid’s Day is interested UNCA volunteers for the event!

The specifics for volunteering are as follows:

• ·Healthy Kid’s Day will be on Saturday April 14 from 11-5pm at Pack Square
• ·Each volunteer will be given a shift based on their preferred area of service
• ·Shifts last usually between 2-3 hours.
• ·Some shifts will begin as early as 6:30am for set up and breakdown shifts will end after the event has ended

Women’s Wellbeing & Development Foundation

 WWD-F is currently looking for volunteers to assist in the kitchen and tutoring children. If interested, please contact Nicole Hinebaugh at (828)255-8777 or nicole@wwd-f.org.

Emma Elementary

Volunteering at Emma Elementary School in West Asheville is a wonderful way to be connect your passion with the needs of our community. Emma is a welcoming environment of wonderful students and dedicated faculty and staff. The school is accessible by Asheville Transit Bus Route 16 from the downtown transit center, and it’s not a far drive at all from UNCA!

Opportunities:

Academic mentors: Classrooms Kindergarten through fourth grade are seeking regular volunteers for thirty minutes to an hour each week to work with individual students in all subjects, especially reading, math, and writing. Teachers appreciate volunteers who are able to make a semester-long commitment and thus provide consistency for students.

ESL mentors: Many of the students at Emma speak a language other than English, including Russian, Moldovan, Marshallese, and Spanish, at home. Classroom and ESL teachers are seeking volunteers to assist these students in their regular class work and help them practice English. Teachers appreciate volunteers who are able to make a semester-long commitment and thus provide consistency for students.

Environment: Emma is growing green! We are looking for passionate people to help incorporate sustainable-environmental education and practices into daily life at Emma. If you have an idea for a project or program to share with the Emma community—whether it’s a water-saving poster initiative or an “up-cycling” activity in class or any creative way of sharing these values with our school community—we’d love to have you!

If you have a passion or a creative way of going about a class project that you’d like to share at Emma, give us a call or send an email. We’d love to know how you’d like to be involved at Emma!

If interested, contact Graham Wesley, volunteer coordinator at 828-232-4272 or olivia.g.wesley@gmail.com

Asheville Design Center

Molly Must (molly@ashevilledesigncenter.org) is looking for student volunteers to help with media work and managing a tumblr account. Ideally, the student will have some audio/video expertise.

Women’s Wellbeing & Development Foundation

WWD-F is currently looking for volunteers to assist with childcare during Women’s Yoga Class on Fridays from 4:00-5:30p.m. If interested, please contact Nicole Hinebaugh at (828)255-8777 or nicole@wwd-f.org.

The Foster Church Crisis Ministry

The Foster Church Crisis Ministry is looking for students to get involved with their programs. Needs range from things like working in their kitchen and tutoring to surveying clients about needed services and website work. Contact Kathy Gindersleeve 828.274.2014 or kathy@fosterchurch.com.

Estes Elementary

Describe what your organization does, especially the main issue or problems it addresses (your mission or goals):
W.W. Estes Elementary School, located in South Asheville (Arden, Hendersonville Rd. area) educates approximately 700 students in Gr. K-4. Approximately 1 in 8 of our students speak a different language other than English at home. The ESL Dept. strives to help ESL students meet grade level achievement goals. We strive to help parents help their children.

What types of service opportunities do you have for students:
The school will begin offering English as a Second Language classes to adults starting Tuesday January 24th. Classes will be held from 5-7 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday evening. We are looking for students to babysit children of our adult learners. If we do not offer childcare, the number of parents able to attend classes may decrease substantially.

How do you envision students learning and growing from their involvement?
Students will have the opportunity to work with children of various ages- to read to them and to play educational games with them. They will have the opportunity to practice their Spanish language skills because some of the youngest children do not speak English. They will have an opportunity to interact with a segment of the population that they might not normally get a chance to interact with. They will gain a sense of accomplishment from being able to provide a service to families that are trying to improve their lives.

Will you train students? Supervise them? If so, please explain how:
For the first few sessions, one of the ESL teachers from Estes Elementary will supervise the students. The ESL teacher will orient the college students and let them know what their responsibilities are. The teacher will show the college students how they can work with the children to TEACH/LEAD the children in important activities to PREPARE THEM FOR ENTERING SCHOOL. The ESL teacher will be on hand to answer questions. If a college student needs a child's parents, they will know in which room the parent is studying. There will be learning games, blocks, etc. for the children.

Scheduling could be an important issue. Please note the available times students could work with your organization (e.g., 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Monday-Friday):
We would be happy if the same students could commit to babysit for two or four hours a week from Jan. 24th to May 29th, if possible. We are looking for at least four students, but are happy to have more!

Contact Info: 

Kim Boss
828-654-1795
kimberly.boss@bcsemail.org
W.W. Estes Elementary
275 Overlook Dr.
Asheville
28803

Hall Fletcher Elementary School

Hall Fletcher Elementary School, located in West Asheville, is seeking volunteers to help with the spring session of Cougar Time. "Cougar Time" is an after-school enrichment program that provides very low cost or free opportunities for students at our school, many of whom normally wouldn't be able to participate in such activities because our student body consists of a large population of economically disadvantaged families. The program runs for eight weeks, beginning on February 7 and going until March 28, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:45-4:00pm. Volunteers will be serving snack to students, and then assisting teachers with the various clubs (such as yoga or "green" science). We depend on volunteer help to be able to offer this program to our students. Please know that if you help us, you will truly be making a difference in the lives of our students!

If you are interested in assisting us in this worthy cause, please contact Julia Robinson at:

Julia Robinson
Volunteer and Garden Coordinator
Hall Fletcher Elementary School
60 Ridgelawn Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 350 6451
julia.robinson@asheville.k12.nc.us