Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – Jan 21
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. Millions of Americans honor Dr. King by contributing their time, hard work, and enthusiasm to making their community a better place.
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you HRMD volunteers!
There is no typical volunteer, there is no one volunteer like another, but they do have one thing in common – an interest in their community and desire to make a difference. The Highlands Ranch Metro District is lucky to have had 1,413 volunteers in 2018. These individuals have contributed time in a variety of areas including coaching youth sports, greeting guests at the Highlands Ranch Mansion, planting a tree, serving ice cream at a community event and more.
Families, students, retirees – these are some of the faces of Highlands Ranch volunteers. Thank you for giving your time and energy and we look forward to working with you in 2019.
To learn more about volunteering with the Highlands Ranch Metro District, click here.
Welcome Renew Respite!
Renew Respite recently joined Volunteer Connect Douglas County and is actively posting volunteer opportunities. Renew Respite is a free, monthly, respite program for families with children with cognitive, communication, emotional, and physical challenges and their siblings.
One Friday night a month, trained volunteers provide an evening of care and fun through pre-planned activities for children with special needs and their siblings, ages 1 month to 12 years. During each Renew evening, each child, including siblings, has his or her own “Buddy.” This one-on-one attention ensures safety and personal attention for the entire evening. Trained volunteers are supported by
a nursing staff to ensure the safety and comfort of the children.
This program is only limited by the number of volunteers. Over 80 children are registered with several families waiting to join. The
program can usually manage about 30 kids each month. Please consider becoming a volunteer so more children can participate.
Learn more about Renew Respite and their volunteer opportunities here.
HRCA Volunteer of the Month
Debbie is the December Volunteer of the Month at Highlands Ranch Community Association. Debbie has been volunteering with the Therapeutic Recreation Dept. for almost a year and her caring and sensitivity have made her a favorite of the athletes. She helps with soccer, basketball, swim team, and sports camps. An Iowa native, Debbie is a graduate of CU Denver and has lived in Highlands Ranch for 20 years. Debbie says getting to know the kids and seeing their sportsmanship develop has been the highlight of her volunteer experience. Thank you Debbie for all you do!
Turkey ROCK Trot
Volunteers are needed in Castle Rock at the Turkey Rock Trot on Thanksgiving Day!
Help at the Race Start and Finish Lines, pass out medals and swag bags, supervise the Bounce House, help in the Beer Garden and much more. Benefits include free Chick-Fil-A gift cards and VolRUNteer Turkey ROCK Trot t-shirts. This is a great opportunity for high school students who need to fulfill their community service hours.
All proceeds from the Turkey ROCK Trot support the Help & Hope Center, Douglas/Elbert Task Force. The Help & Hope Center supports our neighbors in need. Register now and give back to your community in this great Castle Rock tradition! Register Here
Family Volunteer Day is Nov 17
Family Volunteer Day is a day of service that demonstrates and celebrates the power of families who volunteer together, supporting their neighborhoods, communities and the world. Created by Points of Light in 1991, Family Volunteer Day is held annually the Saturday before Thanksgiving to ‘kick off’ the holiday season with giving and service, and to signal the start of National Family Week.
Click here to search and register for an opportunity of interest in your community. It’s a quick and easy process- get connected and help celebrate Family Volunteer Day!
Make a Difference Day 2018
National Make a Difference Day is an annual community service event which is held on the fourth Saturday in October. Join many volunteers across the country on October 27, 2018 with a common mission to improve the lives of others through community service. Click here and find an opportunity in your Douglas County, Colorado community.
Mom & Daughter Duo
Mary Ellen and Katie Thurston are a dynamic mother and daughter duo. They are a great team and support the Lone Tree branch of Douglas County Libraries by volunteering 2 days a week. They started as shelvers and now help with the bookstore. In addition, the Lone Tree branch maintains bookshelves at the local recreation center where they keep the shelves full and in great condition.
The library is privileged to have this dedicated, generous and hard working mom and daughter team as part of their volunteer family. Mary Ellen has shared her world famous pumpkin pancakes with the library staff and Katie never comes in without giving hugs and great big smiles! Everyone looks forward to seeing them as they bring joy to all the staff every time they volunteer.
Because Mary Ellen and Katie are such dedicated volunteers, they were nominated for and won the Heart of Volunteerism Award from Metro Volunteers in 2018. They have elevated our community by donating their time, talent and graciousness.
Volunteer Connect Celebrates Milestone
Volunteer Connect Douglas County Celebrates 10,000-Volunteer Milestone!
Volunteer Connect Douglas County has been connecting volunteers with nonprofit organizations in the county since January 2014 via its interactive website at VolunteerConnectDC.org. Recently, the organization reached a significant milestone: More than 10,000 volunteers have registered through the online resource.
And those users are active volunteers. VolunteerConnectDC.org is not a database of potential volunteers; on the contrary, users must register for a volunteer opportunity before they are added to the portal. The 10,000-volunteer milestone represents people who have been active in giving back in their communities.
Volunteers of all ages can choose from multiple opportunities throughout Douglas County directly from the website. Individuals, families, and groups looking for ways to help can volunteer for one-time community events or short- and long-term commitments. High school students can easily find community service opportunities to fulfill graduation requirements.
The volunteer resource began as an initiative of the Partnership of Douglas County Governments (PDCG) as a way to ease the process of volunteering in Douglas County. One volunteer application is applicable to the many local nonprofits seeking volunteers. Because it’s a one-stop portal, VolunteerConnectDC.org encourages Douglas County residents to give back locally with minimal administrative effort.
PDCG organizations include City of Castle Pines, City of Lone Tree, Douglas County Government, Douglas County Libraries, Douglas County School District, Highlands Ranch Metro District, Town of Castle Rock, Town of Larkspur and Town of Parker.
Volunteer Connect Douglas County has over 25 nonprofit member organizations. For detailed information on all members, visit the Organization Directory.
Dish Cares Volunteers
The volunteers from Dish elevated the Oregon Trail program at the Castle Pines Library with their enthusiasm and good humor. From playing a maniacal thief to celebrating participants little wins, the Dish Cares team made the event so much more fun and engaging for our patrons. I appreciated all of their help both during the program and clean up. I couldn’t have done it without them!
-Alyson, Douglas County Libraries
