you have the heart of a willing volunteer -- you know you have a lot to contribute, but it’s hard to find a volunteer opportunity that’s for you. Campus Kitchens, Meals on Wheels, and Sisters Camelot travel around the Twin Cities feeding the hungry, but they want quick, able-bodied volunteers. Some nonprofits, like the Traces Museum of history in St Paul, are still not accessible to people in walkers, crutches or wheelchairs.
Fortunately, several charities and churches in the Twin Cities do value the contributions of disabled volunteers, reaching out and accommodating their skill sets. You can greet and direct guests at Abbot Northwestern Hospital, serve hot meals to the public at Open Arms, coordinate book drives or clothing drives for Goodwill sales, lead a small group or confirmation class at your place of worship, or tutor a child looking for mentoring.
Open Arms of Minnesota, on Bloomington Avenue in Minneapolis, prepares and delivers free meals tailored for those facing critical illness and their families. They are looking for enthusiastic greeters; you can call Lyla at 612-872-1152 to ask about volunteer orientation!
Anyone with a big heart can mentor a child, and the Kinship Project is seeking diverse adults of all abilities, from all backgrounds to either befriend and mentor a local kid, or help in the office once each week. Visit www.kinship.org to apply to be a mentor. Kinship also will provide training for a new volunteer office assistant! Call Penny Kallas at (612)588-4655
If you’ve ever been taken by the volume & diversity of STUFF at Goodwill, you know they need volunteers --behind the scenes and in the adult & youth tutoring programs, you can help Goodwill continue its thrift store sales that benefit the Easter Seals. Call Rebecca Bedner
at 651-379-5937, to ask when you can sort or appraise items, or get involved as a tutor! GoodWill has very accessible facilities at 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul.
Voluntourism is a growing trend today, partly because volunteering is a no-cost vacation activity, a chance to understand and connect with, rather than just tour, a new location, and because it reduces your impact on a place and its culture overall. Contact these organizations to arrange to both travel and volunteer:
Camphill Association of North America
There is one Camphill Village in Sauk Centre, MN, where people of all ages and abilities can stay for a month or a season or a year, if they live with others in the community and volunteer.
Camphill is an international movement of intentional communities designed to meet the needs of children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities through a combination of community life, the arts and work on the land. The experience offered in Camphill is varied and includes: supporting individuals with disabilities in the home, at work on the farm, garden or in one of the various craft workshops, such as weaving, pottery, stained glass, woodworking, candle-making, bookbinding or bakery; cooking food for your household with a small group of people.
You can also call Camphill Village to ask about their sites in other states, if you want to travel & stay in a different Camphill. (320) 732-6365
Global Deaf Connection,
Based in South Minneapolis, they organize deaf education teachers and community members to go on short-term summer programs to volunteer at the schools for deaf children in Kenya, Jamaica, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sign language interpreters are always welcome. You can call
612- 724-8565 or see www.deafconnection.org
Wilderness Inquiry
They organize a wide variety of canoe, sea kayak, dogsled, rafting, horse pack, and hiking trips in Africa, North America, Oceania, and other regions of the world. All trips include people with and without disabilities working together to make the outdoor adventures open to everyone.
Their Minneapolis office is seeking ASL interpreters, office assistance, design and outreach volunteers. If you want to volunteer your skills, like helping others with disabilities, on one of their wilderness trips in Minnesota, the price will be discounted.
www.wildernessinquiry.org
