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
Art Stop on the Go
Every month the Philip S. Miller Library hosts “Art Stop on the Go” where kids ages 6-12 do literature-based art projects with presenters from the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. This active and exciting event relies on volunteer help. Recently, volunteers Emri, Rosco and Caylee helped with a Disney’s Frozen themed Art Stop session. After listening to a book and seeing videos of real northern lights for inspiration, kids created amazing “Northern Lights” art projects.
Kids were captivated by the beauty of this stunning natural phenomenon and fascinated by the smudging process used to create the art. Intricate backdrops were used by some, while others embraced an open sky theme for their projects. Either way, vibrant color was the focus of the day (along with messy fingers!). Volunteers helped by welcoming participants, distributing supplies and providing encouraging interaction with kids as they created their art. The museum and library staff members are grateful for the essential help volunteers provide to keep the program running
smoothly every month.
Be part of the Parker Christmas Carriage Parade!
Do you enjoy events, like to meet new people and want to give back to the community? If you love Parker and want to be a part of helping us keep our hometown feel, we’d love to have you join our volunteer group for the Christmas Carriage Parade on Saturday, December 8, 2018. Volunteers are an integral part of the Town’s signature events. Parker is able to put on these signature community events largely thanks to our amazing volunteers who lend their time and talents to us.
We are seeking Parade Route and Street Closure Marshals for this year’s parade. All positions are a one-day obligation and shifts vary depending on what you are interested in. There is also something for everyone. If you’d like to be in the heart of the activity, the Parade Route Marshal will be a great volunteer position for you! Parade Route Marshals will be responsible for assisting with crowd control along an assigned portion of the parade route and will be standing or walking the entire time. They will be tasked with reminding patrons to stay off the street during the parade and assisting with any event questions. For those who would rather be a little bit away from the main crowd, our Street Closure Marshal would be a great position for you. These volunteers will be positioned at street closure intersections. Volunteers at this position will be monitoring the closure area and assisting with giving out information for alternate ways to get around parade closures. This position will be able to bring their own lawn chair and may have some down time during certain parts of the day. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit the Christmas Carriage Parade Volunteers page on Volunteer Connect or contact Brooke Spain at bspain@parkeronline.org or 303.805.3253.
The Town of Parker also has a variety of other events throughout the year and we’re always looking for volunteers, so be sure to check out our opportunities here.
National Day of Service and Remembrance – September 11th
September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance is the culmination of efforts, originally launched in 2002 that promotes community service on 9/11 as an annual and forward-looking tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks.
Volunteer Connect Douglas County is a great resource to find the perfect volunteer opportunity in your community. Simply search the portal by geographic area, area of interest, date, and/or desired organization. You can choose from one-time, short and long-term opportunities. Register as an individual, family or group. Search Volunteer Opportunities
Thank you for making a difference in Douglas County, Colorado!
Welcome American Diabetes Association!
American Diabetes Association is a new member of Volunteer Connect Douglas County and is actively posting volunteer opportunities. 1 in 11 Americans has diabetes today. Together, let’s help every 1.
Their mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Do you know someone with diabetes? Are you at risk? You can help by volunteering at the Tour de Cure on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Several volunteers are needed for event set up, registration, route marshals, tear down and more! Click here and register for a shift that works with your schedule.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at American Diabetes Association in Douglas County, Colorado, please email Lindsay Phelan at LPhelan@diabetes.org.
