Summer Volunteering - KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe Sparks News, Weather, Video

"Today, millions of Americans, the quiet Americans, the selfless Americans, are giving of their time and themselves, and they work at day care centers and inner-city schools, homes for the elderly--anywhere there's a need, anytime they are needed--making a difference in the lives of those for whom the American dream seem an impossible dream." -- George Bush

Young people are serving their communities in record numbers... and, with school out, summer is a great time to get started volunteering!  Youth Service America suggests these 100 Ways to Make a Difference in Your Community:

1. Help teach a younger child to read.
2. Help cook and/or serve a meal at a homeless shelter.
3. Gather clothing from your neighbors and donate it to a local shelter.
4. Make “I Care” kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for the homeless.
5. Pack and hand out food at a local food bank.
6. Adopt a “grandfriend” and write them letters and visit them.
7. Visit senior citizens at a nursing home.
8. Rake leaves, shovel snow, clean gutters, or wash windows for a senior citizen.
9. Pick up groceries or medicine for an elderly person.
10. Go for a walk with a senior citizen in your community.
11. Deliver meals to homebound individuals.
12. Hold an afternoon dance for your local nursing home.
13. Teach a senior friend how to use a computer and the Internet.
14. Paint a mural over graffiti.
15. Invite local police officers to present a drug awareness or safety presentation.
16. Tutor a student that needs help learning English or some other subject.
17. Organize a canned goods drive.
18. Clean up a vacant lot or park.
19. Organize a campaign to raise money to purchase and install playground equipment.
20. Plant flowers in public areas that could use some color.
21. Volunteer to help at a Special Olympics event.
22. Set up a buddy system for kids with special needs in your community.
23. Raise money for Braille books for visually impaired people.
24. Read books or the newspaper on tape for visually impaired people.
25. Bring toys to children in the cancer ward of a hospital.
26. Contact your local political representative about key issues.
27. Register people to vote.
28. Organize a public issues forum for your neighborhood.
29. Volunteer at a polling booth the day of an election.
30. Take a friend to the polling booths.
31. Vote.
32. Offer to pass out election materials.
33. Plant a garden or tree where the whole neighborhood can enjoy it.
34. Set up a recycling system for your home.
35. Organize a carpooling campaign in your neighborhood.
36. Adopt an acre of a rainforest.
37. Clean up trash along a river, beach, or in a park.
38. Create a habitat for wildlife.
39. Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking.
40. Test the health of the water in your local lakes, rivers, and streams.
41. Contact your local volunteer center for opportunities to serve.
42. Volunteer at your local animal shelter.
43. Help build a home with Habitat for Humanity .
44. Walk a neighbor's dog or pet sit while they are on vacation.
45. Teach Sunday school.
46. Learn to be a peer counselor.
47. Send a letter to one of America's veterans or overseas soldiers.
48. Volunteer at your local youth center.
49. Participate in a marathon for your favorite charity.
50. Become a candy striper at your local hospital.
51. Mentor a young person.
52. Serve your country by joining AmeriCorps.
53. Become a volunteer firefighter or EMT.
54. Donate books to your local library.
55. Donate clothes to the Salvation Army .
56. Start a book club in your area.
57. Adopt a pet from the Humane Society .
58. Hold a door open for someone.
59. Give up your seat on the bus or train to someone.
60. Donate your old computer to a school.
61. Give blood.
62. Coach a children's sports team
63. Become an organ donor.
64. Teach a dance class.
65. Participate in Job Shadow Day.
66. Organize a project for National Youth Service Days.
67. Volunteer on a hotline.
68. Meet with local representatives from your area.
69. Don't drink and drive.
70. Listen to others.
71. Write a letter to the editor about an issue you care about.
72. Learn First Aid.
73. Shop at local, family owned businesses.
74. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister .
75. Take a historical tour of your area about your community.
76. Write a note to a teacher that had a positive effect on you.
77. Get together with some friends to buy holiday presents for a family at a shelter.
78. Recycle.
79. Drive responsibly.
80. Get CPR and First Aid certification.
81. Don't litter.
82. Shop responsibly.
83. Don't spread or start gossip.
84. Tell a custodian that you appreciate him/her.
85. Hold a teddy bear drive for foster children, fire victims, etc.
86. Make a care package for an elderly or shut-in person.
87. Teach at an adult literacy center.
88. Sing for residents at a nursing home.
89. Befriend a new student or neighbor.
90. Babysit.
91. Look for the good in all people.
92. Coordinate a book drive.
93. Donate money to your favorite charity.
94. Make quilts or baby clothes for low-income families.
95. Bake cookies and bring them to your local fire hall or police station.
96. Donate toys or suitcases to foster children.
97. When visiting someone in a hospital, talk to someone that doesn't have many visitors.
98. Around the holidays, visit the Post Office and answer some letters to Santa.
99. Start a neighborhood welcome committee.
100. Visit www.SERVEnet.org to find volunteer opportunities in your area.