Click the drop down below for a list of current volunteer opportunities!
Women United - Child Care Volunteers
Contact: Moriah at mmorgan@uwstory.org or fill out the form below and select Women United
Do you like working with children? Sign up to play with and provide care for a group of children, infants through elementary school age while their mothers attend financial education workshops. Volunteers will assist children with basic care needs and provide play supervision. Toys and materials provided.
Ames Public Library
Ongoing
Contact: Amy Divine at amyedivine@gmail.com or Sarah Bohlke at sbohlke@amespubliclibrary.org
INSPIRE is a volunteer based, free tutoring program using the Barton Reading and Spelling System. The Barton System is a systematic and explicit way to teach reading and spelling designed specifically for kids with dyslexia. The Barton system is designed so almost anyone can easily be trained in the curriculum and begin tutoring right away. We do not expect our tutors to be experts, but simply people who enjoy working with kids and who are willing to do the training. You would need to pass a tutor screening that can be done online and takes about 10 minutes. Then, it would require a commitment of at least two one-hour sessions per week with the student that must all take place at the Ames Public Library, as well as a few hours of online training at home before each unit. A one year commitment is preferred. Contact Amy for more information.
MICA Food Pantry
Ongoing
Contact: 515-956-3333 or Abra Dougherty at abra.dougherty@micaonline.org
MICA needs an array of volunteers to help stock, sort, and more at their pantry located at 125 S 3rd Street in Ames. Call or email Abra for more details!
Readers in Story County
Spring 2023
Contact: https://www.raising-readers.org/volunteers/fall-volunteer-opportunities/
Raising Readers in Story County is looking for tutors who will assist in promoting literacy skills for Story Pals and Reading Buddies this spring.
StoryPals is an innovative program for four and five-year olds, which uses the evidence-based dialogic reading method. In dialogic reading, trained volunteers model reading books with questioning strategies and assist students into becoming the storytellers.
- 1-2 hour sessions occuring in the morning
- Sessions begin the week of February 13, 2023 and run through the week of April 17 (not meeting the week of March 13 for Spring Break)
- Various sites in Ames, Nevada, and Zearing
- Tutors must be 14 years old or older and pass a background check
- Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFyLMghriPCZYGqD-azie-4aaorXdwA9WehFQsz14CUhuhCQ/viewform
Reading Buddies provides FREE tutoring for children who are in first, second, and third grades in fall of 2022. Tutors will meet one-on-one with students for personalized reading sessions to help each child with their literacy skills.
- Late afternoon or early evening sessions
- Sessions begin the week of February 13, 2023 and run through the week of April 17 (not meeting the week of March 13 for Spring Break)
- Various sites in Ames and Nevada
- Tutors must be 14 years old or older and pass a background check
- Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetDIL_edqjQZbvU5giAPDa-8sL0A4yGAAnoCoLntWyKWrI3A/viewform
The Salvation Army Food Pantry
Ongoing
Contact: 515-233-3567 or Kathy Pinkerton at kathy.pinkerton@usc.salvationarmy.org
The Salvation Army needs an array of volunteers to help stock, sort, and more at their pantry located at 703 E Lincoln Way in Ames. Call or email Cari for more details!
YSS
Ongoing
Contact: 515-233-3141 or email Feelicia at fwatkins@yss.org
BECOME A MENTOR | Make a Difference
As a mentor, you are friend, role model, self-esteem builder and advocate! APPLY TODAY Visit: www.yss.org/mentoring
YSS Mentoring Offers:
+ SCHOOL-BASED (Mentors 15+) Serves K-8th grade | 9 month commitment for 30-60 minutes per week
+ COMMUNITY-BASED (Mentors 18+) Serves ages 6-17 in Boone & Story Counties | 12 month commitment for a minimum of 4 hours per month
Becoming a Mentor is Simple:
+ STEP 1 Submit an application
+ STEP 2 Complete and pass background check & references
Every year, UWSC coordinates a county-wide volunteer event in conjunction with our campaign kickoff, which is held the Friday after Labor Day. The effort is designed to bring awareness to the agencies and programs in Story County that work diligently year-round to improve our community, as well as encourage the spirit of volunteerism and the important role we all play in making Story County a better place for all. UWSC partners volunteers with agencies around the community to fulfill projects that will help improve programming. Visit our Day of Caring site for more info!