Christian Wette, a volunteer with Foster Grandparent Program, helps a student with flash cards. (Photo credit: Dennis Brodsky / VolunteerMatch)

This holiday season, there's more need than ever to volunteer, and with VolunteerMatch as your guide, finding the right outlet for your skills and interests is simply a click away.

Just enter your ZIP code or town at http://www.VolunteerMatch.org to search for opportunities in your community. Whether you can contribute a little or a lot, your time, energy and resources will help those less fortunate enjoy the spirit of the season. Moreover, you’ll find that your own holiday becomes a lot more meaningful by making it an opportunity to give back.

To remind everyone that volunteering is fun, fulfilling - and free - we've put together an amusing list of 12 ways you can get involved this holiday season:

• 12 Drummers Drumming - The Easter Seals Project Explore in Valhalla, NY is looking for a volunteer music teacher to lead a weekly music activity for children with special needs.


• 11 Pipers Piping "“ Noah's Ark Animal Welfare Association in Ledgewood, NJ needs skilled plumbers for general repairs and advice.


• 10 Lords a Leaping - SCI Dorchester in Dorchester, MA needs a volunteer fitness instructor with a sports background to assist in weekly activity classes.


• 9 Ladies Dancing - The Marion County Mustangs in Ocala, FL are looking for youth cheer/dance coaches to help the squad cheer on local sports teams.


• 8 Maids a Milking - Hidden Villa Organic Farm and Wilderness Preserve in Los Altos Hills, CA needs volunteers to teach environmental education and give tours of the farm.


• 7 Swans a Swimming - The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach, NC needs certified dive volunteers to assist with routine cleaning and maintenance of exhibits.


• 6 Geese a Laying - Dorothy Day House of Berkeley in Berkeley, CA needs a breakfast prep cook to serve eggs, cereal and fruit to drop-in guests at People’s Park.


• 5 Golden Rings - Nauticus in Norfolk, VA, needs volunteers to dress up as pirates and pass out information, eye patches and gold coins at events and festivals.


• 4 Calling Birds "“ The Wings of Love Bird Haven in Red Oak, TX is looking for volunteers to aid with food preparation, cleaning, and one-on-one time with the birds.


• 3 French Hens "“ Palo Alto Philharmonic Association in Palo Alto, CA needs a French Horn player for its all-volunteer community orchestra.


• 2 Turtle Doves "“ RSVP of Volusia County in DeBary, FL seeks senior volunteers for their coastal, manatee and turtle conservation programs.

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree - The Long Branch Environmental Education Center in Leicester, NC needs intern landscapers with an interest in agriculture, permaculture, edible landscape and - yes, pear trees - to help its nurseries.

To get involved with these and many other opportunities, visit www.VolunteerMatch.org.

About VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch is a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities by helping great people and great causes to connect. Its award-winning online service, www.volunteermatch.org, makes it easy to find a way to make a difference by location, expertise, or availability. VolunteerMatch provides many of the nation's most recognized businesses, campuses and organizations with Web-based solutions to facilitate and track volunteer engagement at local and national levels. As the #1 ranking for "volunteer" on Google and Yahoo!, the VolunteerMatch network regularly welcomes more than 180,000 visitors each week and has become the preferred volunteer recruiting service for tens of thousands of participating nonprofits across the country.

VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch believes everyone should have the chance to make a difference. As the Web's largest volunteer engagement network, serving over 122,000 participating nonprofits, 100 network partners, and 13 million annual visitors, VolunteerMatch offers unique, award-winning solutions for individuals, nonprofits and companies to make this vision a reality. Since its launch in 1998, VolunteerMatch has helped the social sector attract more than $13 billion worth of volunteer services. Learn more about VolunteerMatch at VolunteerMatch.org, and follow @VolunteerMatch.

 

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