Current Volunteer Opportunities

Environment/Education: The 11th Annual Campus Earth Summit will be held on Saturday, March 3rd from 11am-5pm at the College 9/10 Multi Purpose Room. The Earth Summit is an opportunity for students to unite over shared passion for environmental sustainability, social justice, education, and food! Engage with staff and students, learn about campus action plans, and get involved for the future! Volunteers are needed to:

• Set-up
• Registration table people
• Food prep, pass-out, and clean-up
• Take down/ clean-up

Please view the google document sign-up sheet with all of the available slots. Volunteers will receive a free organic cotton American Apparel t-shirt with the earth summit design on it and free food at the event!
Please contact Eliza Milio at emilio@ucsc.edu or at sec.enviroslug.org for more information.

Women: She.Is.Beautiful Santa Cruz's Pinkest 10K and 5K will be held on March 25th 2012.  The race will serve up to 1,500 women, so volunteers are essential to ensuring that everyone has both a safe and amazing experience. Volunteer duties will last from 7-11am on Sunday, March 25th.  Volunteers are needed to help with water stations, along the course to tell runners where to go, and/or letting drivers on roads that intersect the course know that the roads are closed.  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Sara Tanza, volunteer coordinator as soon as possible at Sara@runsheisbeautiful.com.

Children/Nutrition/Environment: Farm to School, a program of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), provides volunteers or interns the opportunity to help connect kids to local farms, support local agriculture, and teach kids about healthy eating practices. Volunteers can get involved with Farm to School in several ways:

• Visit schools on a weekly basis to get kids excited about healthy eating and local food systems
  
• Help develop nutrition education materials for elementary school students
  
• Teach science, nutrition and agricultural concepts to 4th-graders on our field trips to local farms • Help prepare boxes of local produce to be delivered to classrooms in the region
  

International: Global Health Corps’ mission is to mobilize a global community of emerging leaders to build a movement for global health equity. Global Health Corps (GHC) has just opened applications for their next class of Global Health Corps Fellows. GHC Fellowships are an exciting opportunity for young leaders to work on the front lines of public health alongside the leading partners in the field. For many of their alumni, their Fellowships were springboards into exciting careers in public health and related fields. This year, they are excited to offer Fellowship positions in Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and the US beginning in July 2012. Applications are open beginning December 5, 2011 until February 17, 2012.

Resource Center: The Human Race is the largest collaborative community fundraiser in our county. In 2011 they raised over $245,000 for 133 local non-profits, schools, and churches generating funds for youth, seniors, families, and people with disabilities, environmental, educational, and religious, social and arts groups. The walk and fun run begins and ends at the corner of Natural Bridges and Delaware in the UCSC facility and winds along beautiful West Cliff Drive. Students, organizations and businesses recruit walkers/runners/pledge-gatherers to raise funds.
Volunteers are needed to:

• Contact previous year’s participating agencies
• Identify & contact new agencies
  
• Identify and contact schools
  
• Outreach into schools/PTA’s/Clubs/etc
  
• Support participating agencies in fundraising / Train them with available tools: Winter & Spring intern opportunity (for credit can be arranged) or volunteer op.
  
• Website use – provide training when needed
  
• Pledge gathering logistics
  
• Develop form letters/e-mails
  
• Develop incentive strategies for each agency that wants support
  
• Find matching fund possibilities
  
• Locate and train Champion Teams (a champion team is any group of individuals that support a participating agency in fundraising. They can create their own fund raising web page through the Human Race website. Pledge sheets are also provided in a brochure formate.
  
• Chat room contacts (face book, twitter contacts etc.)
• Interview successful agencies/participants from 2011 HR and capture their strategies for others to duplicate.
• Keep the chat room alive with notifications and training schedules.

Time Frame
            Anytime from present to the first of May
Note:
You will be provided with the training and tools you will need to offer great support to some really worthy and interesting non-profits in the Santa Cruz County. For more information on the 2012 Human Race Walkathon & Fun Run, please contact Chris Braccini at (831) 427-5075 or at humanrace@scvolunteercenter.org.

Environment/Nature: The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. The Santa Cruz Surfrider Foundation Chapter is looking for volunteers. They are in need of a Volunteer Coordinator, a Water Sampler and a Beach Cleanup Coordinator. Volunteers must handle requests in a timely fashion, work well with the Chairperson or Chapter Admin and have their own transportation. If you are interested in the position please contact the chapter at activist@surfridersantacruz.org

Medical/Wellness: Jacob's Heart provides counseling, support, and resources for children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Ongoing volunteer/intern positions include:

Office Administrator
Jacob’s Heart is looking for friendly, responsible individuals who are willing to answer phones, organize donated food, toys, and other items, greet visitors to the center, learn a variety of tasks, and become part of the Jacob’s Heart Team.  Aspiring volunteers must attend a volunteer orientation and be able to commit to 3 months of weekly volunteer service. They are open 9-5 Monday through Thursday, and since there are slow periods during the day, they are happy to have their student volunteers bring in homework to do in between tasks.

Kid's Card Artists
This is a great opportunity to have fun and provide social support to children dealing with a challenging experience. Volunteer artists hand make a greeting card and put together a small care package using our art supplies. Creating a card for one of our children affected by pediatric cancer both lets them know someone cares about them and brightens their day.
Please contact Katarina Combs at katarina@jacobsheart.org for more information.

Hunger: Ag Against Hunger is looking for help with data entry in Excel. More new gleaning volunteers have come out this year than ever before! While that means they have been able to pick more food, unfortunately, they now need help keeping track of all their information. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer an hour or two, please call their office at 831-755-1480 or email Lindsay at lindsay@agagainsthunger.org.

Hunger: The Second Harvest Food Bank is looking for volunteers who could commit 3 months to helping out in their distribution area on Tuesday and/or Thursdays from 8am-11:45 am. The work will consist of using a scale to weigh out product/produce and using a scanner for bar coded items. Volunteers must customer service skills, computer skills, and lots of stand and or sitting ability. This opportunity takes place on site.

Volunteers are also needed to help in their distribution area on Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursdays from 8am-11:30am. The job consist of greeting their agencies while they shop, using a computer & scale to weigh out their produce or product (no lifting required and this is a sit down job). This volunteer position requires a 2-3 month commitment. Please contact Danny Robles at (831) 722-7110 or at danny@thefoodbank.org for more information.   

Hunger: The Calabasas Garden Project is in great need of volunteers. This program is in serious jeopardy of being discontinued due to the lack of volunteer participation/help (the work is hard and yet rewarding as you are helping to feed hungry families). Volunteers have helped with pulling weeds, sowing and reaping the great amount & quality of produce from her garden, which is then donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. Six volunteers are needed per shift (8:30am-11: 30am) every Saturday until the middle or end of November. Volunteers must be ages 11 & over to participate. If you’re interested and willing to commit to this volunteer opportunity please email Danny Robles who will forward your email to Rick Jacobson (Crew Leader of the Garden Project). Contact Danny at (831) 722-7110 or danny@thefoodbank.org.

Medical/ Wellness: Planned Parenthood Mar Monte is always open to volunteers at both their health centers and in their various departments (Public Affairs, Education, Marketing, etc.). Students who are interested in volunteering please contact Katrina Stearns at sjvolunteer@ppmarmonte.org or (408) 795- 3753 to obtain an application.

Animals/Education/Environment & Nature: California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) volunteers aid local scientists in the collection of valuable data on economically important marine fish species by fishing on board party boats out of Monterey and Half Moon Bay. Once caught, fish are identified, measured, tagged and released at their respective MPA or reference site. Data recorded from these fishing expeditions will eventually be used by state regulators to evaluate the effectiveness of MPAs in the region. Volunteer anglers should have a fair amount of experience fishing in the marine environment. Volunteer anglers must be at least 16 years of age in order to participate. All participants must be able to spend extended periods of time (up to 10 hours per day) on a recreational fishing boat, in potentially rough waters. An interest in marine fish/fishing is strongly desired. Please also note that there will be no individual take on these cruises, in accordance with our CDFG Scientific Collecting Permits. For more information please contact Cheryl at (831) 771-4443 or cbarnes@mlml.calstate.edu

Elderly/Art/Culture: Sunshine Villa’s philosophy of service encourages an active and independent senior lifestyle that supports residents' privacy and dignity. Sunshine Villa is always looking for volunteers who like working with seniors. Volunteers are needed to socialize with seniors with a word game, art, or any socializing activity. Seniors always love the company of young people. Contact: Rachael Magyar at 831-459 8400 or sunshine.ad@bpmsenior.com. 

Education/Medical: Santa Cruz AIDS Project is looking for interns to work on HIV/AIDS education and outreach. SCAP is a community-based, non-profit organization providing a comprehensive array of HIV/AIDS services and programs in Santa Cruz County. The HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention program provides free anonymous services to anyone within the Santa Cruz Community, but most specifically to those at high risk of cotracting HIV (such as injection drug users, sex workers, homeless, LGBTQI, etc). The Education and Prevention program strives to provide a safe place for people to access community resources while also providing information on HIV, STIs, and Hep C. SCAP volunteers will participate in street outreach, bar outreach, distribute resource guides and flyers, promote our HIV testing hours, table at community health fairs, and present HIV/STI information in community venues. Interns should be committed to working at least 6 hours a week (two or more three hour shifts) for at least six months. Experience in the health services, or working with youth, injection drug users, LGBTQ people, or Latinos is a plus, but not a requirement. Contact:  Angie, Volunteer Coordinator at (831) 427-3900 or angiew@scapsite.org

Social Services/Women’s Issues/Internship: SMART (Single Moms Alliance for Resources and Tools) offers an internship during winter quarter as workshop and support group leader. The duties include developing content for and leading the weekly support group, which assist single moms in developing life skills. Topics include: Financial Fitness for No/Low-Income Families, Me Myself and I- Self Definition Workshop, Creating Support- Don’t do it Alone, Standing up for Yourself, Time Management Basics, Parenting 101 for the Single Parent, Goal Setting- Achieve Your Dreams, and Get the Job Tips for Success. The support group will be held on Sunday evening, with flexible hours for the rest of the week - approximately 10 hours total per week. The ideal person for this internship has the following skills: excellent writing, communication, leadership, and presentation skills; well organized, and the ability to develop ideas into activities. Contact:  Kymberly Lacrosse (831) 234-2046or beasmartmom@aol.com 

Women/Youth: Siena House Maternity Home of Santa Cruz County provides an environment of support for women experiencing a crisis pregnancy. They provide a safe, secure, and loving home where women may live while preparing to have their babies. Volunteers are needed to help with administrative assistance, drive residents to appointments, hold babies, help residents with chores and cooking, teach classes/lead chapel, garden, and act as friends and mentors to the women. Contact: Sharron Ruddell at sharron@sienahouse.org for more information. 

Environment/Hunger: The Second Harvest Food Bank Garden Project donates all sowed and harvested produce to local families in need. Volunteers are requested from 8:30-11:30am every Saturday from May 21st to mid-November. Duties vary based on produce planting and maintenance. Contact crew leader Rick Jacobson at rjacobson@navisite.com

Youth/Education: Even Start is a family literacy program through Walnut Avenue Women's Center. This program offers literacy support, guidance and education to parents and qualifying children from low-income families. Through lively interactive workshops, parents actively learn the skills to prepare for success in the competitive job market of Santa Cruz County. Children receive the extra support they need to enter at or often above grade expectations in elementary school. This ensures confidence, probability of lifelong reading for pleasure and higher education. ESL volunteers are needed for this program, starting in January for one or two days a week. Volunteers would work with parents one-on-one and in groups to learn English. They would also show them how to use the computer. Classes will be held at WAWC in Downtown Santa Cruz. Training provided. Fingerprinting and strong interpersonal skills required, Spanish recommended. Contact Denise at (831) 426-3062 ext 206. 

Youth/Social Services: Youth Serve is an organization committed to engaging Santa Cruz County youth in meaningful volunteer opportunities. They request a campus liaison to promote Youth Serve on the UCSC campus and recruit UCSC students for Team Leader positions. Orientation is provided. Flexible schedule, but 3 months commitment required. Contact Woubzena Jifar at ys@scvolunteer.org or (831) 427-5066. 

Youth/Social Services/Education: The Beach Flats Community Center strives to improve the living and social conditions of families and individuals living in the Beach Flats neighborhood. The IMAGINE after- school program needs tutors for 2nd-5th grade children Monday-Thursday 3:30-5pm. Their Family School program needs a bilingual volunteer to assist the teacher Monday-Thursday from 9am-Noon in family bilingual enrichment. Their Gardening Club needs a volunteer to assist in teaching how to garden within the community. For all programs, contact Vanessa at volunteer@beachflatscommunitycenter.org or (831) 426-8232.

Youth/Women's Issues: Girls Moving Forward is an education and empowerment service dedicated to ending the gender-confidence gap in school. Through hands-on tutoring and empowerment, their mission is to help girls gain confidence and competence both in and out of the classroom while developing positive, girl-centered communities. Volunteers are needed to help in the classroom. A 3-hour weekly commitment is required between 2:30-5:30pm. Contact Raquel Ordonez atraquel@girlsmovingforward.com or (831) 421-1952.
  
Youth/Social Services/Homeless: The Jesus Mary and Joseph Home is a long-term shelter for women, children, and terminally ill. Volunteers are needed to assist in children's activities (storytelling, playground, art groups), household cleaning, baking/cooking class, gardening, and administration. Flexible scheduling, but "must be peaceful and compassionate".  Contact Pat Gorman at patsgorman@hotmail.com or (831) 459-8046. 

Youth/Education: The Familia Center, a Latino-based family resource center assisting low-income Santa Cruz county residents, is seeking support for their youth programs. Volunteers of the Homework Club assist youth grades 5th-8th in completing their homework and help them to build skills in all subject areas - meets Monday-Thursday from 3-6pm. Volunteers of the Teen Club assist youth grades 9th-11th in completing homework and serve as mentors every Tuesday-Thursday from 6-8pm. Academic credit is available. Contact Erika Lomeli at (831) 423-5747 ext 18 or elomeli@familiacenter.org 

Youth/Education: The Walnut Avenue Women's Center provides Early Childhood Education services that are carefully designed to meet the needs of children and families who have experienced domestic violence or who faced adverse circumstances such as adolescent parenting (teen mothers), poverty, or illiteracy. Volunteers assist with daily activities - reading stories, doing art projects, playing games, and helping children learn problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. Training is provided and proof of a negative TB test is required. Bilingual volunteers are greatly needed but being bilingual is not required for this program. At least one quarter, consistent 2-4 hours per week time commitment required according to your schedule Monday-Friday 9am-3pm. Contact Denise at (831) 426-3062 ext 206. 

Medical: MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) offers opportunities for interns/volunteers to develop their resumes and learn job skills while learning the inner workings of a fast-paced progressive non-profit pharmaceutical company that is working to change the way the world thinks about psychedelic medicines. For all MAPS internships, hours may vary with a minimum of 8 hours a week, and the applicant should note their scheduling restraints within their cover letter. Positions are available in Development & Fundraising, Communication/Education/Outreach, Website Content Management, and Clinical Research. For Clinical Research, please send a cover letter and CV to Berra Yazar-Klosinski, MAPS Clinical Research Associate, at berra@maps.org. All other positions are based out of our Santa Cruz headquarters. Students are encouraged to apply for course credit through their respective institutions as desired - MAPS is glad to work with students on paperwork provided by their universities, or by giving evaluations as the internship is completed. To be considered for an internship with MAPS, you must send a resume or CV and cover letter. Contact: Kynthia Brunette at kynthia@maps.org

Happy volunteering!
Student Volunteer Center
University of California, Santa Cruz
831.459.3363
volunteer@ucsc.edu
http://volunteer.ucsc.edu

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