7th Annual Green & Clean Day

7th Annual Green & Clean Day

Friday, May 2

9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Lock 3

On the first Friday of May each year, Downtown Akron is overrun with volunteers clad in "safety green" shirts putting a deep clean on the Downtown footprint. During the Downtown Green & Clean event business employees and community members form teams and do projects around their own Downtown property or are assigned tasks within the district. Each team member receives a t-shirt, goodie bag and a lunch celebration.  

Green & Clean Day is a part of Keep Akron Beautiful's Clean Up Akron Week/Great American Cleanup™.

Morning or afternoon shifts are available. Form a team of colleagues and sign up today to help us keep our Downtown a destination for everyone. Registration will open soon! 

For more information please contact Kimberly Beckett at 330-374-7676 or  kbeckett@downtownakron.com.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Days of Service

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Days of Service projects:

Earth Day | Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Join park ecologists in restoring native habitat with an invasive plant removal project.

• ·   Invasive Plant Removal: Use hand tools (loppers and saws) to remove invasive shrubs, such as honeysuckle and autumn olive, and pile the cut vegetation. This project helps conserve biodiversity by creating space for native plants to thrive, thereby helping local wildlife. Invasive plant removal rates as a Moderate to Strenuous physical activity and requires the ability to hike 2 miles. Ages 10 and up with parent or guardian supervision.

RiverDay | Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Care for the Cuyahoga River watershed by restoring native floodplain habitat through invasive plant removal or planting native vegetation.

• ·   Invasive Plant Removal: Use hand tools (loppers and saws) to remove invasive shrubs, such as honeysuckle and autumn olive, and pile the cut vegetation. This project helps conserve biodiversity by creating space for native plants to thrive, thereby helping local wildlife. Invasive plant removal rates as a Moderate to Strenuous physical activity and requires the ability to hike 2 miles. Ages 10 and up with parent or guardian supervision.
• ·   Plant Native Vegetation: Plant native vegetation into the ground using shovels and small hand tools. Expect to traverse 1 - 2 miles over uneven terrain, lift and carry up to 5 pounds of native plant materials and seeds for this moderate level of physical activity. Ages 7 and up with parent or guardian supervision.

National Trails Day | Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Improve the park’s trails by joining a trail sweep or repair project.

• ·   Trail Sweep: Trail sweeps consist of picking up litter, trimming branches, clearing culverts, and reporting trail conditions. During a trail sweep, you will hike the full length of the trail. Ages 10 and up with parent or guardian supervision.
• ·   Trail Repair Project: Improve specific sections of a bridle trail through repair work that may include installing drainage systems, re-grading the trail, or performing other vital maintenance functions. Ages 10 and up with parent or guardian supervision.

How to sign up: Please email volunteer@forcvnp.org to sign up your group of up to 15 participants or call 330-657-2299. Projects are limited to a number of participants, so please register early so we can save your place. Check out to learn more about the park http://www.conservancyforcvnp.org

Glow in the Park Akron Street Team

The Glow in the Park 5K run is on Friday, May 2 at Portage Lakes State Park. They are looking for street team members who will spread the word about the event and can receive volunteer hours, internships, or even raise money for their club/group/team. To learn more check out https://www.facebook.com/glowintheparkrun.

If you have questions, please contact Simon Gaskill at (757) 303-8514 or simon@triviumracing.com

Hospice Support Volunteer

Hospice of the Western Reserve serves over 1,100 hospice and 900 palliative care patients throughout northern Ohio. Support volunteers do not have direct patient contact. There is a lot of behind the scenes help needed to accomplish this task. Support volunteers may help with recruiting new volunteers (posting class flyers in the community, staffing table at health, job, and community fairs and events, assisting with events to honor Veterans in the community, public speaking, assisting with fundraising (Walk to Remember in June, 5 Warehouse Sales a year- previewing items in people's homes), and more.

Support volunteers attend 4 hours of volunteer orientation. This takes place in the first four hours of any class series (see attached schedule) and a criminal background check will be done. In addition to the listed classes, there will be a class added in Akron in November 2014- Date, Time, and Location TBD. Visit our website at www.hospicewr.org/volunteer for more information and to fill out an online application.

Hospice and Palliative Care Volunteers

Volunteers 18 and over are needed to visit hospice and palliative care patients in their own homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities throughout northern Ohio. Teen volunteers may visit in nursing homes/assisted livings only. There are many types of volunteer opportunities- social visits, respite for caregivers, vigil presence, art/music activities, legacy work such as helping create a scrapbook of memories or videotaping or tape recording someone's story, light house work and assisting with cooking, hands on care volunteers assist with feeding and activities of daily living, check in calls to patients with heart or lung ailments, and more. Volunteers receive 16 hours of volunteer education so that they are well prepared to serve our patients and receive a two step tb test and criminal background check at agency expense. Classes are available throughout northern Ohio. Visit us at www.hospicewr.org/volunteer to learn more and fill out an online application. In addition to the attached schedule of classes, a set will be added in Akron in November. Date, time, location TDB.

Check out https://s3.amazonaws.com/form_uploads/8012582-57wxtr1-2014_20Mar_20to_20Dec_20Volunteer_20Education_20Schedule.pdf to view the calendar.

For questions please contact the Hospice of the Western Reserve

jibbett@hospicewr.org or at 216-255-9059

Monte Carlo Night Fundraiser

The largest fundraiser for Catholic Charities Community Services of Summit County is fast approaching. The Monte Carlo Night Fundraiser is March 15 from 5:30-11:30pm.  All proceeds raised benefit the Basic Needs Programs: Hot Meals, Food Pantry, and Emergency Assistance. ALL money raised stays in Summit County.

Volunteer to help the evening of the event! Many positions available throughout the evening, no prior experience needed!

To sign up, go to: 

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F4AA5AC29A2FF2-countdown

If you have questions please contact: 

Kelly Kaufman 
kkaufman@clevelandcatholiccharities.org 
330-762-2961 x232

Peace Corps

Peace Corps

Make a Difference and launch your career by learning about the personal and professional rewards of international outreach with service work through Peace Corps at this upcoming campus event at The University of Akron. You’ll discover the career advantages and higher education benefits that come with Peace Corps service. Come talk to a recruiter at the campus career fair 
<http://www.uakron.edu/career/current-students/career-fair.dot> 
and attend the afternoon info session.

Information Session about Peace Corps

Wednesday, March 5th

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Student Union, Room 323

Pre-register
<http://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/learn/meet/events/9929/> 
for this event. Walk-ins are welcome. Bring a friend!

More About Peace Corps

Make a difference in the lives of others and your own. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will help a community in need, gain valuable cross-cultural skills, and become a citizen of the world. Other benefits
<http://crm-dc.hrlives.com/crm/linkTracker.html?trackingId=ef0ee7dd-f3b2-4d9a-bdc9-73718e225594&linkId=53543> 
include full health and dental coverage in service, graduate school programs, and federal employment advantage.

Contact Annabel Khouri, Peace Corps Regional Recruiter, at 216.527.8170 or at 855.855.1961 for more information

*Apply Now<http://www.peacecorps.gov/apply> to be considered for upcoming programs.*

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank Volunteer Opportunities.

Product Recovery Volunteer

     The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is continually seeking individuals and groups of volunteers to work in their warehouse. Volunteer duties include sorting and packaging reclaimed food items that will be sent to partnering agencies.

Volunteers are need:

Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm

Wednesday Evenings 5:00-7:00pm

Saturday Mornings 9:30am-12:30pm

Warehouse Marketplace Volunteer

     The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is seeking regular volunteers to help our warehouse staff organize the marketplace (the marketplace is where our partner agencies pick up perishable food items).

Volunteer duties include:

Organize and Straighten marketplace items

Assist Member Agencies find the products they need

Assist in tracking poundage from the scale

Sweep and mop when needed

Display new products

Assist in the new marketplace cooler

Please note that volunteers are needed for two shifts: 8:00-11:30am and 12:00-2:30pm

Distribution Volunteer

     The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank's volunteer project is to help our member agencies inventory and load their food orders into their vehicles. Please note that two volunteers are need for each of the morning shifts (7-9am and 9-11am) and one volunteer is needed for the afternoon shift (12-2:30pm).

For more information and to sign up please visit:

http://www.akroncantonfoodbank.org/volunteer.aspx

20th Annual Akron Home & Flower Show

20^th Annual Akron Home & Flower Show

February 28-March 2, 2014

Friday & Saturday 10am-8pm

Sunday 10am-5pm

     The 20^th Annual Akron Home & Flower Show is Friday through Sunday, Feb 28- Mar 2, 2014 at the John S. Knight Center near the University of Akron.  We need 200 volunteers over the weekend at two hour shifts each to help with a variety of tasks, including greeting visitors, running the coat check area, stuffing show bags, assisting in the show office and taking short surveys with guests. 

Please contact Debbie McKinney at 330-338-3893 
or tyme2spare@aol.com if you are interested in helping.

You can also visit The Home Builders Association Serving Summit & Portage Counties at www.AkronHBA.com for details.

The Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump

The Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump is on February 22nd and we are in need of warm-hearted people willing to freeze their bodies to help kids fight cancer and keep families together when it matters most. Perhaps you aren't ready to take the plunge than the "Too Chicken To Jump" program is for you! Registration starts at 12:00PM and the jump begins at 2:00PM. Check out https://www.facebook.com/PortageLakesPolarBear for more information and their poster at http://ow.ly/tevcK