Six community outreach trips open doors to student service

The Community Outreach Program hosts six weekly service trips for students at area nonprofits this semester. Volunteer work ranges from planting in community gardens to tutoring local school children.

Students can sign up on a weekly basis in the Center for Leadership & Social Change lobby. Transportation is provided.

  • America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend (Lott's Garden), facilitated by David Butter and Gabriel Soto on Mondays from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Lott family generously donates land, equipment and labor to grow food for America's Second Harvest Food Bank. Volunteers are needed to aid in various tasks such as planting and harvesting.
  • Project LOVE (Loving Our Valued Elders), facilitated by Sarah Gonzales on Mondays from 5:15 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. Volunteers spend time with residents at Westminster Oaks Retirement Community and Assisted Living Facility. Volunteers will accompany residents to Monday Night Music, a program that occurs every Monday and features local musicians, and provide companionship throughout the program. Please bring a jacket, as the auditorium can get cold.
  • Grace Mission tutoring, facilitated by Emily Nunez and Ryan Taite on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Grace Mission is a 16-year old ministry to help reach those who are often forgotten by society: the homeless, poor, underemployed, addicted, etc. Their charge is to serve, care for, and love the poor and most vulnerable among us, including the children. Volunteer positions include behind-the-scenes support, independent work such as photography, and face-to-face interaction with children and adults. The greatest need is in our children’s program for play pals, tutors, and kitchen angels for 50 children in Tallahassee’s largest public housing project. Training and orientation are provided.
  • Lichgate Gardens, facilitated by Heidi Mathe on Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Lichgate Gardens on High Road is home to an English Tudor-style cottage, labyrinth, live oak tree, and community garden. Volunteers are crucial for helping to maintain the property to provide safe access to visitors and preserve the grounds. Please wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, and bring a water bottle, as you will be working outside in the gardens.
  • America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend (Warehouse), facilitated by David Butter and Nicholas Baron on Thursdays from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Volunteers are needed to sort salvage food items and organize them in boxes for distribution to numerous shelters, food pantries and other agencies that address hunger issues. Volunteers must wear close-toed shoes for this project.
  • Capital City Youth Services, facilitated by Harlee Onovbiona and Patricia Dauphin on Saturdays from 4:45 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. This agency offers counseling and outreach services to youth and their families, and emergency shelter services to youth in crisis. Volunteers are needed to serve as positive role models and mentors, encouraging productive, positive behavior, spending quality time with the children there, and showing genuine concern for their futures.

 

For more information about the Community Outreach Program, contact Maria Martinez atmcmartinez2@fsu.edu.