Welcome Sidekicks for Sight Puppy Club!
Sidekicks for Sight Puppy Club is a new member of Volunteer Connect Douglas County and is actively posting volunteer opportunities.
Sidekicks for Sight is a puppy raising club for Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB). They raise puppies for about a year before they go in for formal guide work training.
Interested in becoming a puppy raiser? Puppies are placed in raiser homes when they are about 8 weeks old, and they return to a GDB campus for formal training when they are between 13 and 15 months old. Puppy raisers are responsible for teaching their puppies good manners and basic obedience. The club meets twice a month to work on specific skills and support raisers through the process. They also meet once a month for a socialization outing. No special training is needed; all training and support is provided.
If you aren’t able to commit to raising a puppy full time, or if a year is too much, there are still other ways to get involved. You could “start” a puppy from about 8 weeks until about 5 months, finish a “transfer” puppy, co-raise a puppy with another raiser, or be a puppy sitter. There are many ways you can get involved!
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Sidekicks for Sight, click here.
Book Start Volunteer Testimonial
I am a retired teacher in the Book Start program. I have been reading to children ages 2 to 5, every Thursday at a lovely day care center for over 6 years. Of all the volunteer opportunities I have had, Book Start is my all-time favorite. I am greeted by shrieks of joy each week. The Book Start program has provided wonderful books, poems, songs, and manipulative materials week after week. The children are totally involved and excited. The best part is seeing the same child graduate from the diaper class through to kindergarten, and watching the love of books develop. Douglas County Libraries has provided a wonderful, rewarding literary opportunity for our youngest residents and adult volunteers alike. -Nancy L. Find Volunteer Opportunities Here
Welcome Colorado HorsePower!
Colorado HorsePower is now a member of Volunteer Connect Douglas County and is actively posting volunteer opportunities.
Colorado HorsePower, Inc. is a nonprofit therapeutic riding center which began in 1984 with a vision of supporting elementary children in the Castle Rock schools. Since then HorsePower has grown to work with children and adults with disabilities, and offers therapeutic riding. They are committed to meeting the needs of mentally, emotionally, and physically challenged children and adults by bringing the therapeutic power of horses and horsemanship to their students. Their mission is to provide a place for students where they gain a sense of freedom and independence, experience accomplishments, interact socially and learn new skills in a pleasurable environment. This is empowering not only the life of the rider, but the entire family.
Without volunteers, they could not operate their program. Colorado HorsePower offers many volunteer opportunities and horse experience is not needed. To learn more about Colorado HorsePower and their volunteer opportunities click here.
HRCA Volunteers of the Month
July volunteers of the month for the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) program at Highlands Ranch Community Association are the Basketball Coaches that helped in May and June. This program has grown thanks to the selfless efforts of a number of dedicated individuals. Many have been with TR basketball for over four years. They represent a wide age-range including students, working professionals, and retirees. When asked what keeps them coming back, they cite love of the athletes and love of the game. This program would not be possible without their help. Many thanks to these volunteers who bring so much joy to the participants!
Join the Slick Science Family!
Slick Science has been a successful program at Douglas County Libraries for over 18 years. The program teaches science literacy with hands on activities for kids and families to enjoy.
To pack in as many experiments as possible, we rely on our dedicated volunteers to help guide and teach simple science concepts to our patrons. Past volunteers have ranged from having an interest in science, to no science experience at all, but all have a desire to help in our community. Volunteers learn these themed science concepts and practice the experiment shortly before the program begins. During the program, they have fun demonstrating and helping our young scientists learn useful science that will enrich their lives. Without the help of our volunteers, the Slick Science program would not be able to reach as many families with fun science and interesting hands on experiments every month. In particular, two volunteers have been with the program for about 10 years! Jim and Pam know Slick Science so well that they can jump in and help wherever needed. Their knowledge is outstanding, they are always able to share a good laugh with the program’s attendees. We’d love to find more volunteers that would like to follow their lead and join our Slick Science family!
Exceptional Volunteer
The Philip S. Miller branch is blessed to have volunteer DJ on its volunteer crew. DJ began volunteering for Douglas County Libraries in June 2014. DJ is always happy to help with whatever is asked of her. She does myriad projects to support library and book store operations as well as library events. If you attend an event at the Philip S. Miller branch it’s likely DJ has had a hand in preparing some aspect of it, or she is there welcoming you to the event, like she did at our Summer Reading Kickoff Party on her 4th anniversary of volunteering with DCL. She is a delight to all who meet her and we would be lost without her devoted volunteerism.
Volunteers Needed on June 16, 2018 – Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s
Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s (P4P) is an annual charity bike ride that takes place at Sweetwater Park in Lone Tree, CO. 100% of all profits go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
There are many volunteer opportunities available, from setting up to tearing down, running an aid station for the cyclists, greeting participants as they arrive at the park, and more! Join Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Click here for volunteer opportunities and register online. You can also find all volunteer positions listed at Join Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s.
Welcome Advocates for Children CASA!
Advocates for Children CASA is now a member of Volunteer Connect Douglas County and is actively posting volunteer opportunities on the portal.
Advocates for Children CASA works to make sure that all children dream, thrive, and grow with a sense of belonging and empowerment to build a successful future. The organization recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers who advocate for children who have open dependency & neglect cases, truancy cases, need additional education advocacy, or are an adolescent that may need some additional support. Our compassionate Court Appointed Special Advocates, volunteers, and mentors speak up for these children’s’ best interests.
Advocates for Children needs your help to ensure they continue to grow and support the children in our community by having enough volunteers to operate effectively. You don’t have to be a CASA to help. Talk to other people in your life and spread the word. Share this information with anyone who is looking to get involved in their community. Lift up a Child’s Voice and make a difference today.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Advocates for Children CASA, click here.
Welcome Douglas/Elbert Task Force!
Douglas/Elbert Task Force is now a member of Volunteer Connect Douglas County and is actively posting volunteer opportunities on the portal.
The Douglas/Elbert Task Force is a human service organization that endeavors to meet the immediate needs of residents of Douglas and Elbert counties who are in financial distress and/or at risk of becoming homeless. Staff and volunteers help residents through troublesome times with dignity. Their motto is – Help & Hope Here!
Volunteerism is the key to the daily operations at the Task Force. Since 1984 people have given freely of their time to help their neighbors in need. Currently there are over 200 volunteers who work at the Task Force and this enables the majority of annual expenditures to go directly to their clients. Less than 8% of expenses are spent on general and administrative costs.
Do you have about 10 hours a month to give to help someone in need? Do you like administrative work? Perhaps you enjoy handyman repairs and maintenance work? Are you passionate about working in a thrift store, driving to pick up food donations, and/or helping at a Food Bank? The Task Force has many volunteer opportunities to choose from that accomodate most everyone’s schedule. Get involved, get connected and consider becoming a volunteer at Douglas/Elbert Task Force.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Douglas/Elbert Task Force, click here.
DCL Trivia Night for Volunteers
During National Volunteer Appreciation Week, Douglas County Libraries Director Bob Pasicznyuk welcomed a large audience at their annual volunteer appreciation event. The cruise-themed evening featured ‘Trivia Night’ aboard the Lido Deck. The library district celebrates its volunteers with a districtwide event every year in which volunteers across all seven libraries can mingle and feel the impact of being a part of a larger team and vision.
“I would like to thank Douglas County Libraries for the awesome event they held for all their volunteers,” shared Joyce Kramer, a library volunteer for the adult literacy program. “I attended with my husband, and we both had a great evening. We had really nice guests at our table, and we held our own for the Trivia game – a strong 4th place! The food was delicious. It was a very nice ‘Thank You’ for all the volunteers and I greatly appreciated it!”
