Want to Help Out this Summer but Don't Know How to Find Local Volunteer Opportunities?

Summer is great time to spend time with friends and family while soaking up some sun and simply having fun.  What better way to combine all of these this summer while making a difference in your community than to volunteer your time!  There are so many volunteer opportunities to partake in or be involved with in different ways in your local area and throughout your region.  Summer is a fantastic time to give back and have fun at the same time.  It’s also a great way to get your children involved in helping others. 

There are countless volunteer opportunities with various non-profit organizations this summer in your area.  Some events and opportunities include: participating in a run/walk/bike event or helping out with set-up or registration, spending time at a local hospital, nursing home, veterans home, homeless shelter, or animal shelter doing activities like playing games, teaching skills, therapy, arts and crafts, cooking or serving food, or dog walking, sorting food at food pantries, and much more. 

You can be cause-specific such as supporting organizations like: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Autism Speaks, the Ronald McDonald House, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, the Salvation Army, the Food Hunger Task Force, and a myriad of others.  You can also choose by cause areas such as: education and literacy, art and culture, animals, children and youth, disaster relief, politics, LGBT, race and ethnicity, veteran, elderly, women’s rights, homeless and housing, hunger, faith-based, and many others.  There are so many ways for you to lend a helping hand this summer. 

Here are some of my favorite volunteer websites to help find local volunteer events and opportunities:

Find events in your area check out Volunteer Match

or All for Good 

To find opportunities near or far visit Idealist.org

Find teen-specific volunteer opportunities at Teen Life

Find volunteer opportunities at the Milwaukee Children's Hospital

Be sure to keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities in your local newspaper as well.

If you have a cause, organization, or establishment that you’re already passionate about, visit their webpage to find any upcoming volunteer opportunities.