Volunteer Opportunities for Community Service
by Debbie Berges
December 20, 2010
Especially Focused on Involving the Youth
Any citizen is welcome to choose an activity to dedicate some time towards.
Compiled by Debbie Berges. Current as of December 2010
Benefit dinners - check with a church member or Contact Donna Bryan, 889-4364.
A church – ask someone in a church what you can do to help the church and its programs such as religious education, cleaning, folding programs, etc.
Golden Acres Visits – visit the care home residents; play cards, games, checkers with them; help with miscellaneous facility care projects: Contact Carol Henninger, 889-4227.
Leisureland Care: Contact Jim or Lois Loucks, 889-0151.
NEK-CAP Head Start Program – help with evening programs for parents once a month by providing child care at the Center, help with parent activities, as well as other activities. Contact Tammy Wesley or Jamie Ringel, 889-4722.
Onaga Cemetery Board – picking up limbs, cleaning out fence rows around cemetery, picking up flowers, clearing out dead flowers, trimming limbs, mowing, weed-eating, cutting down brush, resowing grass, etc. Contact John Annan, President of Cemetery Board at 889-4491.
Other Cemetery Help – if there is a cemetery near where you live or you have a “family” cemetery, do little spruce up tasks around it.
Onaga Elementary School – separate the tulip bulbs, pick up trash around the school, etc. Contact Sandra Zahn, 889-7101.
Onaga City projects: general clean-up of the streets; care of flower containers – plantings,watering, pulling weeds; painting; etc. Contact City Clerk, Pam Unruh, at 889-4456.
Participate in charitable collections done at school such as food drives, penny drives, etc.
Railroad Park: Railroad Park (on the bypass) has several projects going that could use some help. Contact Dale Renfro, 889-7194.
Recycling trailer help and road clean-up: Contact Debbie Berges, 889-7104.
Redbud Visits – visit the elderly, play cards, put puzzles together with residents, sing, etc.: Contact Linda Werren or Jane McClain, 889-4142.
Senior Citizen Center -serving meals, washing dishes: Contact Dorothy Boswell, 889-4525.
Senior Citizen help – raking leaves, washing windows, writing envelopes, etc. Just as them.
- Observe help your neighbor might appreciate for a day or so.
- Tutor a child who is having difficulty with a particular subject in school.
- Is there a park around town that could use a bit of cleaning up?
- Know a young mother, offer to babysit for a couple of hours.
- Collect food for the Onaga Food Pantry. Contact Jean Krouse, 889-4569.
- Mow yards and weed-eat for the elderly.
- Like history and arranging things, the Onaga Historical Society can use help organizing and setting up exhibits, general cleaning, etc. during the summer months. Contact Linda Tessendorf, 889-4451.
- Walk the streets, highways, roads and pick up the trash.
- Write letters to soldiers and veterans in the VA Hospital.
- Join a community organization such as 4-H or Boy Scouts whose mission is to be involved in community service projects.
- Like to sew, make lap blankets and donate them to the Topeka VA Hospital residents (contact Debbie Berges, 889-7104) or sew comforter blankets for overseas missions. Contact Nila Haefner, 396-4483.
- Summer ball programs can use help with coaching, field clean-up, and lots of painting this spring. Contact Sean Spoonts, 889-4251 or 889-1099.
- Help at the Topeka Rescue Mission. For options for your help, contact www.trmonline.org
- Your ideas: _________________________
