If you’re looking at a calendar full of the summer blahs, consider donating your time and expertise to a local charity.
Volunteering offers the chance to enrich senior living by giving back to the community as you fight summertime boredom.
Plugging into a local retirement community or senior center can be a great way to connect with local volunteer opportunities. At Deupree House, our outreach programs have helped our residents build relationships in the Greater Cincinnati community.
If you aren’t part of a senior living community there are still plenty of ways to get involved. You can find volunteer openings year-round, and plenty of charities and nonprofits need all hands on deck during the summer.
Consider filling your empty calendar by volunteering with one of these four organizations:
1. AARP Experience Corps
The AARP is all about providing ways for older adults to enrich their senior living— and that includes plenty of chances to volunteer that will help you connect with your community.
The AARP Experience Corps is one of the largest volunteer organizations in the country that specializes in helping older Americans utilize their expertise in service to underprivileged children.
The Experience Corps is “a national leader in engaging older adult tutors to improve K-3 student literacy in disadvantaged schools.” As part of the AARP Experience Corps you have the opportunity to use the knowledge and experience you have gained during your lifetime to give children in your community a better chance at succeeding in school and in life.
Find an Experience Corps opportunity near you or use the Volunteer Wizard to link up with other non-profits, charities, or volunteer opportunities that can use your skills and expertise.
2. American Red Cross
The American Red Cross provides assistance and relief to hundreds of communities in need across the United States.
The Red Cross believes that it is only through the “the time and care of ordinary people that we can do extraordinary things,” and Red Cross volunteers are making a tangible impact every day in the lives of displaced families, disaster victims, and the men and women who have served our country and their families.
Whether you have nursing experience that you can put into action at a local blood drive or just a desire to get involved, the Red Cross is always looking for volunteers who can make their disaster relief efforts, fundraisers, and community outreach successful.
Find a volunteer opportunity in your area or check out other ways that you can help support the Red Cross.
3. Senior Corps
A division of the AmeriCorps sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Senior Corps is designed specifically to help older adults connect with the people and organizations that need them most.
Whatever your interests or skill set, you can find a way to help your community. Senior Corps volunteers act as mentors, coaches or companions to people in need, and contribute their job skills and expertise to community projects and organizations.
Senior Corps volunteers receive guidance and training, so you don’t have to worry about being unprepared. Volunteering with Senior Corps means that you’ll be able to find a contribution that is tailor-made for your talents, interests, and availability.
4. VolunteerMatch
Like Senior Corps, VolunteerMatch works to find opportunities and organizations in your community that are in need of your skills.
“VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement.”
More than 7 million volunteers have used VolunteerMatch to find local causes that needed their skills, and with 93,045 organizations listing more than 75,000 opportunities across the US, it’s not hard to see why the website a popular tool for service-minded Americans.
Image Credit: AARP Experience Corps
