Meeting Attendee Volunteer Opportunities
 

Restoring & Protecting our Environment
 

Lynnhaven River Now

Agency Focus: The goal of Lynnhaven River Now is a clean and healthy Lynnhaven River. Their objectives are to identify and reduce sources of contamination in the river; and to reduce nutrients, sediments and chemicals running off of our lawns, parking lots, roadways and out of our septic systems. LRN also strives to educate and engage the community and partner organizations in restoring and protecting the Lynnhaven River; and to restore lost habitats such as oyster reefs, salt marshes, and other buffers that help to filter polluted runoff and protect the river and its marine life.

LRN’s committees gives many and varied opportunities for citizens to participate in a meaningful way in the development and execution of education and restoration projects in the Lynnhaven watershed. Individual projects are dictated by season and the size of the volunteer group.

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Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Agency Focus: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is the only independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated solely to restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers. Since their founding 40 years ago, their goal has been to improve water quality by reducing pollution. Volunteers are always needed for projects ranging from tree planting to collecting litter.

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Supporting the Armed Forces
 

USO of Hampton Roads

Agency Focus: The USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families. The USO of Hampton Roads provides enhancement of the quality of life for US Armed Forces personnel and their families worldwide and create a cooperative relationship between U.S. Military and civilian communities.

The USO of Hampton Roads is continually in need of volunteers to work at one of the South-side service centers. The role of the volunteer is to greet military service members and/or family members who are traveling through or live in Hampton Roads and provide light snacks and information. Arrangements can be made for large volunteer groups for special events. The USO of Hampton Roads presents annual Quality of Life events such as, Military Appreciation at the Virginia Zoo, Patriotic Festival and a Holiday Party. These are major events that are attended by thousands of military personnel and their families. The USO of Hampton Roads needs many volunteers for these events to assist in light manual labor and to help man Information and Referral booths.

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Books for Soldiers

Agency Focus: Books for Soldiers is a non-profit organization, operated as a ministry of the non-denominational, interfaith Order of the Red Grail Church in North Carolina. Books for Soldiers is an online bulletin board which posts requests from U.S. soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines, and coast guardsmen. Requests range from books and magazines to hygiene care package and pen pals. BFS relies on supporters to individually to search through the requests and decide on which to reply. Members then choose the request they’d like to contribute to filling, and handles mailing the item(s).

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Vetshouse, Inc.

Agency Focus: Vetshouse, Inc. is a unique, private, nonprofit organization which has been assisting homeless Veterans in Hampton Roads since 1992. Our mission is to provide housing, food, clothing, counseling and other assistance to homeless veterans of the U. S. Armed Forces in order to facilitate their return to an independent, responsible and productive lifestyle.

Volunteers needed for: assistance with home repairs, general groundskeeping, assistance with the vegetable garden and working at the produce stand.

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Combating Homelessness, Hunger and Domestic Violence
 

Virginia Beach United Methodist Church: The Potter’s House

Agency Focus: Potter’s House is one of several urban outreach ministries of the Virginia Beach United Methodist Church. Potter’s House provides services to the homeless, the working poor, and those in crisis situations, who are residents of Virginia Beach. Assistance is available for sack lunches, food order, rent, utilities, personal hygiene items, haircuts, clothing and bicycles/bicycles repair. Help with paperwork to obtain birth certificates and a Virginia ID card is also available. Volunteers and donations are always needed.

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Virginia Beach United Methodist Church: Care by Community

Agency Focus: Care by Community (CBC) is VBUMC’s after-school program for children from the homeless and working poor community. This outreach focuses on the children of nearby Cooke Elementary School and runs from mid-October through May on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed to work with kids one-on-one with homework, reading, school projects and playing games. In addition, snack donations and dinner sponsors are always welcome.

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Judeo-Christian Outreach Center

Agency Focus: The Judeo-Christian Outreach Center provides a full-service recovery program providing food, shelter, clothing, medical assessments, substance abuse referral, education services and job training for homeless men, women and families. Since its beginning in 1986, the JCOC has served the Virginia Beach community by providing a safe place to stay for the homeless and a hot, wholesome meal. During this time, the JCOC has served over half a million meals to those in need and helped those searching for a new start by providing shelter, case management, life skill classes, job placement assistance as well as help to overcome drug or alcohol addictions.

JCOC has opportunities for individuals, families, groups and businesses. Volunteers are always needed to prepare and serve one evening meals to more 90 people who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The JCOC serves 32,000 free evening meals per year.

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Samaritan House

Agency Focus: Samaritan House provides a comprehensive range of crisis hotline, residential, counseling, legal referrals, victim advocacy and outreach services to homeless families and victims of domestic violence. Volunteers are needed in all areas: Hotline Volunteer, Food Shopper, Transportation Drivers, Children’s Program Volunteers, Administrative Office and Maintenance Volunteers, Special Event Volunteers and Education.

Samaritan House also has cell phone recycling program. Working cell phones are collected and given to families in case of emergency; cell phones without calling plans can call 911. For families at Samaritan House, this is often when an abuser trespasses in the home or workplace. All other phones are recycled and help raise money for Samaritan House services.

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Assisting Youth and the Elderly
 

Seton Youth Shelters / Mother Seton House, Inc.

Agency Focus: Mother Seton House offers shelter and counseling for at-risk you through our residential, youth and family counseling, in-school, mentoring children of prisoners and street outreach programs. Volunteers needed for: regular maintenance - groundskeeping, paint and other general repairs. Groups and/or individuals can assist as their time allows.

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Community Service - General
 

Volunteer Hampton Roads

Agency Focus: Community Service Projects are a series of one-day volunteer projects sponsored nationally by Points of Light and the Hands On Network. Locally, VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads coordinates projects with area nonprofits to create fun and meaningful ways for groups to get involved in the community. Through Seasons of Service projects, which are held throughout the year, volunteers can use their time and talents to help solve serious social problems and community needs.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- January

Global Youth Service Day -- April

Family Volunteer Day -- November

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International Outreach
 

Plan International USA

Agency Focus: Founded over 70 years ago, Plan is a nearly $800 million organization ranked among the top 10 international development agencies by reputation, size and scope.

Plan works side-by-side with communities in 50 developing countries to end the cycle of poverty for children by developing solutions to ensure long-term sustainability. Their outreach efforts range from clean water and health care programs, to education projects and child protection initiatives. Community by community, Plan works to promise futures that are worthy of all children’s potential. The VBCVB has a dedicated URL for Plan’s Gift of Hope programs which can track any donations received through the efforts of CVB’s partners. Gifts of Hope are actual items needed by the communities where Plan works; donations are matched to a project that includes the items selected. Gifts range from sock and shoe pledges to donations for purchasing a herd of goats for a village. Donations pledges start at $10.

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Stop Hunger Now

Agency Focus: For more than 15 years, Stop Hunger Now has been creating a movement to end hunger. More than 150,000,000 meals have been packaged and distributed along with other aid to 65 countries impacting millions of lives. The organization is driven by a mission to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-saving aid to the world's most vulnerable and by creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.

The Stop Hunger Now meal packaging program was created to give dedicated individuals the opportunity to participate in a hands-on international hunger relief program and to become educated, engaged advocates for the world’s poor and hungry. In 2013, Stop Hunger Now packaged 38.6 million meals in the U.S. and International Affiliates packaged an additional 3.3 million meals.

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