Upcoming and Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities:
American Red Cross - Click
HERE to visit the volunteer page for our local Red Cross Chapter
CASA of the Bluegrass -- Franklin County - 502-875-0702. As a CASA volunteer, you are empowered by the courts to help make a child's dream of a forever home a reality. You will be the one consistent adult in these children's lives, fighting for and protecting their right to be treated with the dignity and respect that every child deserves. You will not only bring positive change to the lives of these vulnerable children, but also their children and generations to come. And in doing so, you will enrich your life as well.
Effective CASA volunteers are concerned for the well-being of children and see the importance of advocating for a child until a safe, permanent home is obtained. Volunteers must be objective, nonjudgmental and able to interact with people of various educational, economic and ethnic backgrounds. Click
HERE to see a CASA volunteer at work in the courtroom.
Emergency Food Pantry - Filling food orders & stocking shelves (M-F: 1:30pm - 4:00pm) Please email
donate@frankfortfoodpantry.org if interested in helping.
The Sunshine Center
Volunteers must be available evenings and weekends, specifically between 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Monday on the weekend and/or between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. during the week. Volunteers schedule in advance and may actually go about their regular activities. Hotline trainings are held the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Paul Sawyier Public Library located at 319 Wapping Street; Frankfort, KY 40601. For further information, please call 502-875-3495 or email: frankfortsunshinecenter@gmail.com. or email fccofavolunteer@gmail.com.
Franklin County Public School - Click here for information on becoming a surrogate parent to serve on behalf of a child.
Nursing Home Ombudsman - The need for visitors in nursing homes is tremendous. The Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency (NHOA) understands that 60% or more of residents have NO visitors! It’s astonishing to think that during such an important time of life, residents have few people to lean on, or talk to. You will find more information about this program on the NHOA website. You will also be able to download an application. The website address is http://www.ombuddy.org/Volunteer.htm. Applications can be mailed to NHOA, 1530 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY 40503. They must have your completed application so you can join the next training. They try to train new volunteers as quickly as possible, and appreciate your patience as they only offer training to groups of 10 or more. If you know of others who would enjoy impacting the life of a nursing home resident we encourage you to invite them to volunteer.
SIMON House - Click HERE for information on how to become a SIMON's Sidekick
Franklin County Public Schools - Click here to view newsletter, which includes upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Kentucky Asset Success Initiative - Interested in helping low- to moderate- income families in your community? Want to gain valuable experience for your resume, or hours toward an internship or practicum experience? Kentucky Asset Success Initiative (KASI) volunteers gain training and experience in assisting working families file taxes and reclaim earned income, while avoiding filing fees and predatory lending practices. The Kentucky Domestic Violence Association will host KASI free tax preparation sites in Franklin, Mercer, Owen, Scott, and Woodford Counties and is looking for volunteers! Can you help us help others? Volunteers are needed to greet taxpayers, prepare returns, and conduct quality reviews. Contact Michelle Fiore at 502-209-5382.
Full Listing of Partner Agencies:
(See "Agencies" pages for details.)
American Red Cross - http://redcrossfrankfort.org
Blue Grass Community Action (Home Care & Senior Companion Program) - http://www.bluegrasscommunityaction.org/
Boy Scouts - www.bgbsa.org
CASA of the Bluegrass - http://www.casaofthebluegrass.org/
Emergency Food Pantry - www.frankfortfoodpantry.org
Frankfort YMCA - www.frankfortymca.org
Girl Scouts - www.gskentucky.org
Kings Center - www.kingscenter.org
Legal Aid of the Bluegrass - www.lablaw.org
Nursing Home Ombudsman - http://www.ombuddy.org
Salvation Army - www.salvationarmyusa.org
Senior Activity Center - http://fccoa.com
SIMON House - simonhouseonline.org
Soup Kitchen - (502) 223-5179
South Frankfort Community Center - (502) 352-6067 (home) or (502) 573-4836 (work)
The Sunshine Center - (502) 875-3495 - www.thesunshinecenter.org - 24-hour Domestic Violence hotline: (502) 229-9762
Thorn Hill Education Center - (502) 223-3110
26 ways to volunteer where you live...
Education
1) Invite a friend, neighbor, family member to attend a school board meeting with you.
2) Organize a book drive with your family, co-workers, school, club or faith community.
3) Read to children in your family, at a library, or with a local non-profit engaged in child care of literacy.
4) Purchase school supplies for a local school to distribute to children who need them.
5) Help organize and promote a summer reading program at the local library.
6) Donate your newspaper subscription to a local school when you go on vacation.
7) Allow a high school student to shadow you at work and show them how to apply things they learn in school.
8) Take the children in your life to a local museum, exhibit or play.
9) Be a mealtime partner for a pre-school class to help kids develop social skills.
10) Mentor an at-risk youth at your neighborhood school.
Income
11) Bring a child in your life to a bank to have a tour and open up a savings account.
12) Tutor at an adult literacy or technology program.
13) Donate new or gently used professional clothing to an organization assisting individuals in seeking employment.
14) Serve as a greeter at a free tax preparation community coalition site to help low-income families acquire up to thousands of dollars in earned income tax credits.
15) Volunteer to prepare tax returns for low-income families.
16) Contact your local representative about an issue affecting working people in your community.
17) As your bank if they offer free checking and savings accounts to low-income familes and encourage them to start if they don't.
18) Engage with a middle school to teach a class on how to save money and watch with them as it grows.
19) Help senior citizens learn how to detect and prevent fraud.
Health
20) Contact your local health clinic to offer assistance in anything from distributing flyers to serving on an event committee to writing a letter to the editor on their behalf.
21) Check into what healthy snacks are or are not available in your local schools and call on others to promote tasty healthy meals and fun exercise at school.
22) Start a walking group for friends, families, neighbors and/or community members that meets regularly at a set time and location.
23) Buy pedometers for your friends and have a fun competition for who can walk the most steps.
24) Purchase personal care items such as deodorant, toothbrushes and soap and drop them off at the local homeless shelter.
25) Help transport families to necessary medical appointments so children can have proper screening and immunizations.
26) Donate blood.
Volunteer Center Information
The Volunteer Center is a United Way of Franklin County program established to provide our community with a centralized source of volunteer information.
The Volunteer Center is dedicated to promoting volunteerism in Franklin County by:
* Connecting people with opportunities to serve
* Helping our community organizations recruit volunteers
* Organizing community-wide service events, such as Day of Caring
*Provide training to programs that use volunteers
National Volunteer Week - April 7-13, 2019
"Celebrating People in Action"
This national event gives us a chance to recognize volunteerism in our community!