Volunteer Opportunities

Compiled by Dave Montgomery

This article is intended to encourage Collingtonians to connect with opportunities for volunteering their time and effort. It allows connection with links to websites of agencies and organizations offering opportunities.

It starts with a few preliminaries. The anxious reader can skip to the list of web addresses (URLs). Clicking on a link that begins with http should take the reader to that website. If nothing in the list appears promising, it may be rewarding to read some “concluding thoughts” at the end.

Preliminaries

This work focuses on Prince George’s County, Maryland. Other governmental jurisdictions have centers or sources that allow an organized search for volunteers. For one, Montgomery County matches offers with needs through its center (that has paid staff to assist in a search). For it, visit http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/ In addition, “http://Volunteer.dc.gov” is the online District of Columbia-specific volunteer opportunity database and search engine. Further, Anne Arundel County has a Volunteer Center. Visit

https://www.aacvc.org/Become_a_Volunteer. All three may serve if interest is not limited to PG County; each is free.

Unfortunately, Prince George’s County seems not to have a similar one-stop source or center. A step in that direction is an office that can be reached by phone, namely, Office of Volunteer Services and Resource Development at 301-909-6364. The link to that site is the first entry in the following list. Its opportunities focus on agencies of the County. However, more complete discovery of opportunities in PG County requires a search through the many various possible agencies and organizations. This article helps in such a search.

Large organizations such as the county’s “Parks and Planning” provide assistance in connecting to jobs that exist on their respective websites. For example, opportunities within “Department of Parks and Planning” (MNCPPC) can be accessed at http://pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Volunteer_Opportunities.htm.

Success is also possible simply by visiting an agency’s website and looking for some connection to “Volunteering.”

Opportunities through Collington

Collington has a “Community Outreach Committee.” The committee spends a significant amount of effort in directing funds to needy recipients. Moreover, it sponsors volunteer efforts, i.e., “doing” not just paying. The volunteer category includes:

Knitting and crocheting… Hats and scarves wind up on homeless men at Christmas.

Sandwich making… About 100 sandwiches made at Collington each month are distributed by a local soup kitchen.

Mentoring… Residents go to Kettering Elementary School to mentor third graders.

Grandparents Reading Project… Several residents go to Cora Rice Elementary School to read to children.

Refugee Family… A family of three women is associated with Collington.

The Volunteer List for Prince George’s County

County Department of Social Services

https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/1687/Volunteer-Services

The small selected list prepared by the Washington Post 2/20/2017,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/prince-georges-county-volunteer-opportunities/2017/02/20/539a095a-f486-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html?utm_term=.77baac3d4256

County Animal Services Division (ASD)

https://princegeorgescountymd.gov/2190/Volunteer/

The Salvation Army in the National Capital Area.

http://salvationarmynca.org/

Prince George’s Child Resource Center, Inc.

https://www.childresource.org/volunteer/

SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County.

http://pgspca.org/get-involved/volunteer/

PGSPCA/ Prevention Society of Prince George’s County, Inc …

http://pgspca.org

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Prince George’s County

https://pgcasa.org

Community Crisis Services, Inc. Resources for individuals needing assistance on issues including suicide and abuse in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

http://communitycrisis.org

Volunteer – Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

https://www.pgcmls.info/volunteer-461

Prince George’s County – Maryland CASA : Court Appointed Special Advocate

http://marylandcasa.org/programs/prince-georges-county/

The Prince George’s County Family Justice Center

https://princegeorgescourts.org/363/Volunteer-Opportunities”

Prince Georgians Care

https://pgcares.com/organizations/

The Prince George’s County Historical Society Library

https://pghistory.org/library.php?st=Library

Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce.

https://pgcoc.org

Prince George’s County Historical Society

https://pghistory.org/main/about-us/

Catholic Charities

https://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/WelcomeHome/

Prince George’s Child Resource Center, Inc..

https://greatnonprofits.org/org/prince-georges-child-resource-center-inc

AAHGS – Prince Georges County, Afro American Historic and Genealogical Society

http://pgcm.aahgs.org

Habitat for Humanity

http://habitatmm.org/about+us

The Fuller Center for Housing

https://fullercenter.org/princegeorgescountymd/

Maryland Community Connection Volunteer; Prince George’s County Power Business

http://www.marylandcommunityconnection.org/?s=volunteer

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

https://ww1.pgcmls.info/contact-us-471

Hyattsville, MD Community Service

http://princegeorges.com/Community_Service

NAMI Prince George’s County strives to improve the lives of people affected by mental illness.

https://www.namipgc.org/#!

Psychiatric rehabilitation program and community support

http://fs-inc.org/services/programs/independence-program

Prince Georges Feral Friends, SPCA, Inc.

http://pgferals.org

UCAP: United Communities Against Poverty

http://ucappgc.org

MD: Prince George’s County – Boys & Girls Clubs

https://www.bgcgw.org/volunteer/

Prince George’s County – Maryland Women’s Business…

https://marylandwbc.org/get-involved/volunteer-your-expertise/

To volunteer at Hospice of the Chesapeake.

https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/contact-us/

Volunteers for the Prince George’s County Commission …

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDPGC/bulletins/d9f31f

Prince George’s County Muslim Council

https://https://pgcmcmd.nationbuilder.com/

Housing Initiative Partnership –

http://hiphomes.org/wp/

Citizenship Maryland

http://citizenshipmd.org

PGRC – Prince George’s Running Club Website

https://pgrc.org

Prince George’s Philharmonic

http://pgphilharmonic.org/

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Concluding thoughts

(1a) In addition, very specific jobs and backgrounds can call for direction into particular needs.

One major category is a need for lawyers. Many agencies ask for “pro bono” help. It may be assumed that lawyers are aware of the need. Too many requests appear for all to be in the above list, but two examples are given here:

Community Legal Services of Prince Georges County, Inc …Multi Service Center Interpreters.

http://clspgc.org/Volunteers

Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, Inc …

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-1481332

(1b) A plethora of requests for “emergency responder” volunteers appears in jurisdictions across the area, namely to fill positions in fire departments. “Fire and rescue” is a traditional slot for volunteers. Anyone interested in exploring needs as a volunteer might approach departments on a local basis.

(2) Similarly, if the interest is in a particular company or agency, e.g., a hospital, even if it is absent from the above list, a call to that place might uncover a volunteer need.

(3) Not for the initial search, “American Towns” lists opportunities from other sources. If other possibilities have failed, visit: https://americantowns.com/md. Select Bowie (or any other town), then enter “volunteer” in the box for “Find it fast.”

(4) More promising for a broad-brush search is “Volunteer Match.” The website requires attention on how to fill in the blanks, and it requires filling out a profile. Visit https://www.volunteermatch.org/about/

(5) AARP conducts a search for opportunities if the prospect enters “Interests” and the Distance in miles from a Zipcode to the volunteer opportunity. Visit the website

https://www.aarp.org/giving-back/?intcmp=DSO-HDR-VLNTEER-EWHERE