Looking for a cool place to volunteer, but having a hard time deciding where? The Washington City Paper had readers poll to find out where the best places to volunteer in 2011 are. Here were the results:

1. AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly - Provides free legal and social work services to those in need. According to their website, volunteers can be retired people, undergraduate students, law students, retired attorneys and attorneys between jobs or careers

2. Potomac Conservancy - A land trust dedicated to preserving the scenic and natural Potomac River. Volunteer opportunities include hands-on outdoor activities, river center guides, administrative volunteers, photographers and videographers.

3. Food & Friends - Provides meals, groceries and nutrition counseling to people living with life-challenging illnesses such as AIDS and cancer. Volunteer areas of interest: deliver meals & friendship, slide & dice, administrative help, special events, group volunteers, Thanksgiving week and day, etc.

Happy volunteering!

myImpact.org needs two new associates to replace us after this summer is over! (And to keep Chris Golden company) We have both loved our time at myImpact.org, but now it’s time to get jobs… we hope. So, we are on the hunt for fellow social media lovers who can also help myImpact.org prepare itself for the official launching in 2012.

(Thien-Y and I on our way to volunteer at Bright Beginnings)

If you’re interested in one of the two associate positions (and possess dazzling wit), please see the descriptions and application process here:

Communications/Partnership Associate

Communications/Development Associate

Read More

All of us interns (and our bosses) on our office building floor hope we contributed to some Bright Beginnings for homeless children in DC yesterday.

We have been planning a service project since the beginning of the summer and all agreed we wanted to work with children. Bright Beginnings seemed like the perfect choice. Interns and supervisors from myImpact.org (obviously!) NCoC, Points of Light and Mobilize.org spent five hours playing with children, cleanings toys, helping with lunch, setting up for nap time and numerous other duties.

(One of the myImpact interns, Thien-Y, hard at work on the slide, as well as others from the non-profits on our floor)

(“Cleaning” playground equipment.)

The children were the best part of the experience! They were climbing all over us, touching our hair, holding our hands and genuinely making us feel more welcome than I typically do at family gatherings. They were all so energetic and happy, it was hard to imagine them as not having a stable home. It was very rewarding to be a part of their lives - even if it was just for the day.

(Just a couple of the great kids we had the opportunity to play with)

The staff and volunteers at Bright Beginnings were very accommodating and helpful. I would definitely recommend this organization if you are considering a group volunteer outing! The experience was very rewarding, and it’s nice to know we helped make the day a little easier for the children at Bright Beginnings.

Bright Beginnings is a child and family development center that offers a “bright start” for homeless infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. It serves children whose families are living in crisis shelters or transitional housing. The program prepares these children for kindergarten and stabilizes their families, according to the Bright Beginnings website.

Google Plus is yet another form of social media that we are being roped into. Looks cool, but has anyone figured out how it’s going to be “the new Facebook?” There doesn’t seem to be too much you can do yet, aside from doing status updates and posting photo albums.

Meanwhile, Rich Harris of ZD Net offers up some pros and cons of it.

This GIF pretty much sums up our confusion.

We love to see volunteers in action!

heartmob:

These guys are awesome!

edatrix:

Chris and I volunteered at Miriam’s Kitchen this morning with LivingSocial.

We had to get up at 4:30 in order to be there at 6 to serve breakfast and I poured what seemed like a million cups of hot coffee and Tang, but it was a great experience.  Miriam’s Kitchen is an awesome local organization that serves homemade meals and provides quality support services to DC’s homeless.  I will be going back again!

Over its 12-year history, LIFT has helped more than 40,000 individuals and families on a path out of poverty, according to the LIFT communities website. LIFT’s program year comes to a close tomorrow, and the organization has served 9,000 clients this year - 30% more than last year.

According to a LIFT e-newletter, they have also increased their presence in all of their regions with new office openings and expansions and have received support from MTV, Boston’s mayor, Ben Harper and many others!

LIFT is a growing movement to combat poverty and expand opportunity for all people in the United States. LIFT currently runs centers staffed by trained volunteers in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, to serve low-income individuals and families.

LIFT clients and volunteers work one-on-one to find jobs, secure safe and stable housing, make ends meet through public benefits and tax credits, and obtain quality referrals for services like childcare and healthcare. Simultaneously, the LIFT experience pushes volunteers to grapple with our country’s most challenging issues related to poverty, race, inequality, and policy. Since LIFT’s founding, over 6,000 volunteers have served more than 40,000 individuals and families.

Live in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Boston or Washington, DC? Then click here to become a LIFT volunteer!

Full-time Red Jackets were recently highlighted by NBC4 for their service at schools in Southeast DC.

Watch full video.

City Year members, known by their red jackets, who served full-time during the school year as tutors, mentors and role models to the students at Winston Education Campus were recognized for the difference the program makes in schools.

City Year has about 140 members in DC public schools. According to the NBC news briefing, Members get a scholarship for their service after a full year with the organization. The goal of the organization is to serve in the five high schools with the highest student drop out rates and proceed with the elementary and middle schools that feed into them.

“We are trying to help with that extra support and making them feel confident enough that they can continue on,” said 22 year-old Tyrone Lofton, a former student at Winston Education Campus.

According to the organization’s website, City Year, Washington, DC, unites young people, ages 17 to 24, for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world.  As tutors, mentors and role models, these young leaders make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods across DC.

Members work in DC schools, after-school programs and neighborhoods to be a positive influence on youth and address the issues in their communities.

Join the City Year Corps and make a difference in the DC community!

By: Mateo Garcia

Volunteering has always been a passion of mine. I enjoy giving back to my community - whether it is at school, at home or abroad. One place where I enjoy working is at my local American Red Cross chapter where I have been volunteering for three years now. I like it here so much that I am now interning with them. 

My first assignment is to expand our clothing collection program to collect bags of unused clothing. We do this through clothing drives, partnering with local businesses, and placement of bins throughout the area. The Red Cross has teamed up with a clothes-collecting business called We Collect Clothes “For a Cause.” Every bag of clothing obtained is sold to thrift stores or clothing recycling companies. Then, the Red Cross receives a portion of the money. Those funds enable us to run health and safety programs, community outreach events and upgrade current services.

For more information about donating your clothes, visit the site for We Collect Clothes.

Mateo Garcia will also be blogging for myImpact this summer. He just finished his first year of college at George Washington University (shout-out to all the Colonials out there!) where he is majoring in international affairs, and no, not the kind with the Straus Khan affair. Currently, he is at home in New Jersey where he is interning at the American Red Cross chapter and virtually for myImpact.

For now, enjoy these beautiful summer days and keep logging in those service hours!

Looking for ways to participate this Saturday for National Day of Service and Remembrance?  Here are some activities around Washington, DC. Don’t forget to sign up at www.myimpact.org to track and share your impact!

[Source]

Serve Outdoors on the National Mall (Families welcome)

Where: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
1850 West Basin Dr. SW
(corner of Ohio and West Basin Drives SW)
Washington, DC 20024

When: 09/11/2010 8:30 AM-1:00 PM EST

What: Service projects include landscaping and beautification projects at the FDR Memorial for adults and older youth and environmental education activities for children.

Click here to register. 60 slots left!

Invasive Plant Removal (Arlington, VA)

Where: 1200 North George Mason Drive
Arlington, VA 22205

When: 09/11/2010 9:00 AM-12:00 PM EST

What: The Americorps Four Mile Run Restoration team is hosting an invasive plant removal event in honor of the September 11 national day of service at Lacy Woods Park. We work in partnership with the Arlington County parks department to remove invasive plants from our parks in ecologically sensitive areas.  Volunteers can expect a work out so please bring plenty of water. Volunteers will NEED to bring closed toed shoes, long pants and long sleeves.

Click here to register. 30 slots left!

Restoring the Historic Woodlawn Cemetery

Where: Near the Benning Rd Metro Station, across the street from 4708 Benning Road, SE, Washington, DC. Parking is available.

When: 8:30am-12:30pm on Saturday, September 11th

What: Volunteers will divide into teams of 4 to cut through unwanted brush and weeds. Volunteers will also erect a flagpole at the top of the hill and remove weeds/debris from around headstones.

Contact Billy Fettweis [volunteer@greaterdccares.org] with questions. Click here to register!

Beautification of Sharpe Health School [Columbia Heights]

Where: Sharpe Health School, 4300 13th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011

When: Saturday, September 11, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

What: Dreams for Kids is partnering with Greater DC Cares to complete a beautification project at Sharpe Health School, a special needs school in Columbia Heights/Upshur. The project will unite Dreams for Kids’ network of youth service leaders (Dream Leaders) with Dreams for Kids’ network of partner organizations, corporate sponsors, disability advocates and existing volunteers.

With a group of over 100 volunteers, we will help with landscaping, painting indoor murals and outdoor games, and constructing benches around the school grounds, all to help make this school year special for all of Sharpe Health’s students.

For more information about the event of how to get involved, please contact Suzi Hiza at skh988@gmail.com or call Dreams for Kids at 202.518.5719.

via Serve DC

• Join City Year with the clean-up, painting, rebuilding Marie Reed Community Center, creating transitional housing kits and care packages to be donated to the Armed Forces Retirement Center and Creative Center for Non-Violence. Location: Marie Reed Community Learning Center - 2200 Champlain St NW, Washington, DC 20009. Contact Stefanie Vestal via email [svestal@cityyear.org] or by phone [202-247-7033] for details.
• Join People Animals Love to contribute to their Vets and Pets service project. You can also create cards and personal packages to send to those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Location: Armed Forces Retirement Home - 3700 N Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20011. Contact Fran McCrae [fran@peopleanimalslove.org or 202-966-2171] for details/questions.

Know of any more volunteer opportunities? Let us know at info@myimpact.org!