With summer coming and graduation inching closer, rising seniors need to complete 40 hours of community service over the span of four years. For those looking to obtain these hours or even simply give back to their community, finding volunteer opportunities may be easier than you think.
Some great places to volunteer that are always looking for people to help out are: Bideawee, Literacy Suffolk INK, and Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation INC.
The Westhampton Beach location for Bideawee focuses on adoption for dogs and cats; they prioritize their animals with top-tier enrichment, essential training programs, medical care, and “compassionate behavioral rehabilitation.” Their requirements for interested volunteers includes: an experienced worker with animals, you must be willing to learn and implement training techniques, be comfortable working with a wide range of dogs, and be physically capable to handle dogs of all ages and sizes. The link to their website is: https://www.bideawee.org/
The literacy Suffolk INK is an organization that focuses on primarily “training volunteers to tutor adults who want to improve their low literacy skills” and they have helped thousands of immigrants and native speakers. The ability to be able to communicate in English is critical to personal freedom, economic betterment, and maintaining a democratic society in the United States. The training consists of three in-person sessions, the volunteers must be 18 or older, and be able to volunteer at least two hours a week for a year. Although this may seem like a lot, this organization helps make a huge impact in utilizing your schooling and literacy skills to help others. Tutors and students meet at a library ad at a time that is convenient for both, and all that matters is that the tutors have empathy and patience to work one-on-one with an adult learner determined to be a better anglophone. In order to qualify for the tutor position, a four-session live training program is required and it can be attended either in person or remotely. If live training programs aren’t your choice of training they also offer an online program that tutors complete at their own page. The link to their website is: https://literacysuffolk.org/tutors-testers/
Last but definitely not least is the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, located at 102 Old Riverhead RD in Westhampton Bays. This shelter focuses on nurturing the bond between humans and animal companions through education, advocacy, and adoption. “We enrich the lives of the animals in our care through training, affection and veterinary services, ultimately placing them in a loving forever home.” The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation is a non profit, no kill, and open admission shelter that relies on the generosity of donors and volunteers to care for the animals within their community. The shelter acts as a stepping stone for these animals providing food, housing, shelter, and they even rescue dogs from “kill shelters” and dire situations from across the country and even Mexico. This shelter provides a variety of opportunities for volunteers to assist in helping out the animals at the shelter including: walking dogs, spending time with cats, assistance with laundry, help with both onsite and offsite events, and so much more! The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Teen Volunteer Program is for 15-17 years old. Attendance with a parent or legal guardian is required (just to sign waivers and learn about rules and responsibilities). The link to their website is: https://southamptonanimalshelter.com/
With these volunteer options in mind, Melina Pinozek, a graduating senior, talks about the volunteer tasks she has taken on and the impact it has had on her life and others. Cancer Kids First is an organization which aims to help pediatric cancer patients experience a better childhood whether it be through fundraisers, social media, crafts, cards, etc everyone has a chance to do something and make a difference. Melina is an ambassador for this organization and she is responsible for hosting monthly events and fundraisers and she has volunteered over 800 hours of volunteer time. The biggest takeaway from volunteering at the Cancer Kids First organization for Melina is that even the smallest act can make a huge impact on someone’s life, and she has gained knowledge of essential life skills such as budgeting costs and time management. For anyone these skills and lessons are ones you have to learn on your own and volunteering can act as the perfect educating job on how different the world can be and how you can help others. The role she plays as ambassador in this organization has sparked her passion for community service and she continues to volunteer for other organizations, utilizing her time to better the lives of others.
Through the school or various resources you can complete your necessary hours and maybe learn something about yourself along the way; learn a lesson, get your hands dirty, help your community, or change a life. Volunteering is a clean slate for people to learn life lessons and different ways the world works.
