[Volunteers] Volunteer listserv: September 7, 2004

[Staci Provezis]

Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Office of Volunteer Programs Weekly Listserv

Table of Contents
1.	Volunteer Fair
2.	School Supply Drive
3.	Service Organization: Alpha Phi Omega 
4.	HOMEWORKS
5.	The YWCA Youth Mentor Program
6.	American Red Cross—Health and Safety Instructors 
7.	Information Desk Assistant at Spurlock Museum
8.	CUVolunteer

1. Attend the Volunteer Fair this Thursday!!!!

The Office of Volunteer Programs, The United Way, and The 
Career Center present a Volunteer Fair on Thursday, September 
9th.  The Volunteer Fair will showcase over 50 service 
agencies and student organizations, so you can find out what 
opportunities interest you most. Come by the Illini Union 
Rooms ABC anytime from 10-2. Mark your calendars now. We hope 
to see you this week at the Volunteer Fair!

2. Donate School Supplies. 

Phi Eta Sigma and the Office of Volunteer Programs are co-
sponsoring a school supplies drive from August 21-September 9 
to benefit local youth. We are asking for donations of 
pens/pencils, notebooks/folders, glue, crayons/markers, and 
rulers.  The items that are collected will be donated to Salt 
and Light, an area organization that assists families below 
the poverty line. Drop off locations can be found at Wal-Mart 
of Savoy, Osco Drugs on Green St., and the Office of 
Volunteer Programs located in the RSO complex.

3. Join a service organization . . .

Alpha Phi Omega is a national co-ed service organization 
based on the three cardinal principles of leadership,  
friendship, and service.  We volunteer for a variety of  
service organizations, hold numerous fellowship activities  
including a Barn dance, ice skating, and a scavenger hunt, 
and  offer opportunities to enhance your leadership skills.

Come to our first pledge meeting to find out what you can do 
to become a member!  Thursday, September 9, 2004 at 6:30 in 
223 Greg Hall.

4. Volunteer at HOMEWORKS 

HOMEWORKS is a home improvement resale warehouse selling new 
and gently used furniture, household items, gardening 
supplies, and building materials to the public at greatly 
discounted prices. The 9,000 sq. foot store opened in May 
2003 and is almost completely volunteer run. Below are 
specific volunteer opportunities that we now have open. 
Contact Angela Miller, HOMEWORKS Manager, at 
homeworks at soltec.net or call 355-6460 if you're interested.

Cashiers needed to help customers and run the cash register 
at HOMEWORKS, Wednesdays 3-7pm, Fridays and Saturdays 9am-
4pm.  Basic math skills, attention to detail, customer 
service skills, and previous cashier experience desired.  

Pick-up and delivery drivers needed at HOMEWORKS on 
Wednesdays 3-7pm, Fridays & Saturdays 9am-4pm.  Drive our 
pickup or box truck to help with donation pick-ups and 
merchandise delivery.   

5. Become a Mentor for YWCA

The YWCA Youth Mentor Program has been pairing women with 
girls in the community between the ages of 6-16 since the 
1960s. Mentors and mentees meet one-on-one for an average of 
one hour a week during the academic year. They decide 
together what activities and goals they will pursue. The 
program is flexible with regards to the activities pairs like 
to do together just as long as they have the mentees’ parents 
approval. Mentors and mentees usually hang out with each 
other, cook, go to the park, go to plays, eat out, go to the 
mall, work on homework, go to museums. In addition to meeting 
for an average of one hour a week with mentees, mentors are 
expected to attend a training session at the beginning of the 
semester in addition to attending monthly group mentor 
meetings and monthly individual meetings with the coordinator 
(~15 minutes). Mentors also complete activity report forms on 
a monthly basis and an exit interview at the end of the year. 
Interested applicants submit an application, a reference, a 
release for background check and complete an interview before 
successfully joining the program. Contact Rachael Dietkus at 
(217) 344-0721 or email to rdietkus at hotmail.com.

6. Become a Health and Safety Instructor with the American 
Red Cross - Illini Prairie Chapter

Health and Safety instructors train people in this community 
to save lives in an emergency. Volunteers can teach a wide 
array of life-saving health a safety topics, ranging from CPR 
& First Aid, to lifeguarding and baby-sitting skills. 
Interested individuals must undergo 19 hours of training and 
a 2 hour pre-test. The times are flexible and are between 
four and nine hours each. Usually courses are held at the Red 
Cross Office in Urbana, but can be arranged on-location. 
Together, we can save a life. Contact: Susan Connelly at 344-
2800 or by email at redcross at soltec.net.


7. Work as an Information Desk Assistant at Spurlock Museum

Information Desk Assistants greet, orient, and provide 
information to Museum visitors at the Information Desk and on 
the phone. They provide information, answer questions, share 
reactions, and listen to concerns. They also keep attendance 
figures on a database. Weekly coverage is needed Tuesdays 1-
5, Wednesdays 1-5, and Fridays 1-5. Contact Beth Watkins at 
(217) 265-5485.

8. CUVolunteer

Visit our website to find more volunteer opportunities: 
www.cuvolunteer.org. This site offers the most comprehensive 
list of volunteer opportunities in Champaign county.

See you at the Volunteer Fair!  

--Staci Provezis
Office of Volunteer Programs

Phone#:  333-7424
E-mail:  ovp at uiuc.edu
Office:  277 Illini Union (in the RSO complex)
Website: www.union.uiuc.edu/ovp