Needs From: Niagara University

Volunteer Tutors needed to assist children with reading, history and math. Please contact Mrs Triggs at 716-533-9753 for more information 

Position Title:  Volunteer Tutor

Service Position Summary:   Volunteer tutors serve in local schools in PreK through 3rd grade.  Volunteer tutors provide 1:1 or 1:2 tutoring in essential pre-reading and early reading skills. Additionally, tutors build positive relationships with their students that support, encourage and motivate social emotional growth.    

Commitment:   A minimum of four hours per week, over two days a week, for the entire school year, plus additional time for required training and team meetings.

Reports to:  Experience Corps Literacy Coach (ECLC)

Responsibilities:

Students

Training & Team

Administrative

Policies

Qualifications:

Benefits: 

Work with a team making strong social connections

Assisting the cook with food prep (cleaning, cutting, chopping and peeling food ingredients.)

Cook basic dishes like mac n cheese, chicken, etc.

We are seeking volunteers who are able to help make our fundraising events possible! All of our events work towards our mission of "strengthening communities by rebuilding lives." 

Event volunteer to help with:

Setting up chairs, tables, decor, etc.

Greeting guests at the door, handing out name tags or tickets

Saying goodbye to guests and handing out swag

Cleaning up after the event is over

We are seeking someone who is skilled with Facebook and Instagram to manage our social media and get our message out to our audience. If you imagine yourself as creative and enjoy graphic design and short-form writing, this is a great opportunity for you! 

This volunteer position/internship would be about 6-10hrs/week but is flexible.

We are looking for individuals with a passion for social justice and reentry who would like to participate in or lead our in-prison visitation support groups & community support groups. We have heard wonderful feedback from past participants/leaders telling us that the experience was memorable, meaningful, and worthwhile. It is a requirement of this role that all clients are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. 

We have the training, the schedule, and all the things you need ready for you!

All you need is a heart that wants to bring changes to our community by rebuilding lives.

Role of support group leader:

Because of the uniqueness of our programs, 6 months is the minimum commitment time. If interested,

In-prison groups locations:

Erie County:

Collin Correctional Facility

Middle Rd, Collins, NY 14034

Medium Security

Gowanda Correctional Facility

S Rd, Gowanda, NY 14070

Medium Security

Livingston County:

Groveland Correctional Facility

7000 Sonya Rd, Sonyea, NY 14556

Medium Security

Orleans County:

Albion Correctional Facility

3595 State School Road; Albion, New York

Medium Security-Women

Orleans Correctional Facility

3531 Gaines Basin Rd, Albion, NY 14411

Medium Security

Wyoming County:

Attica Correctional Facility

639 Exchange Street Rd, Attica, NY 14011

Maximum Security

Wyoming Correctional Facility

3203 Dunbar Rd, Attica, NY 14011

Medium Security

Community groups locations:

Erie County:

Hope House

660 Smith St, Buffalo NY 14210

Wednesday: 6-8:30 pm

Monroe County:

Church of the Ascension

1340 Lake Ave, Rochester NY 14613

Tuesday: 6:30-8:30 pm

About Us

Peaceprints of WNY is a 501c3 non-profit organization offering comprehensive reentry services to men and women involved in the criminal justice system. Our Reentry and Housing Programs are designed to offer provisions and guidance along each step of an individual’s transformation.

OUR MISSION

Strengthening Communities by Rebuilding Lives

OUR VISION

A just society in which all have equitable opportunity to live productive lives

OUR CORE VALUES

Compassion | Active desire to strengthen and empower individuals and their families

Courage | Ability and willingness to do the right thing in all we do

Commitment | A promise to promote peace and non-violence wherever we go

Community | Foster a sense of unity through shared respect for honesty, integrity and fairness.

If you love photography or just enjoy it casually, consider volunteering with us! We have plenty of opportunities for volunteers to take photos of our events, facilities, and clients so that we many share these with our audience on social media, via our newsletter or website! This position is a critical component of sharing our impact.

Required that you can provide own photography equipment for assignments.

Do you love to learn? Are you passionate about helping others? 

This is an opportunity to share what you've learned throughout your personal education journey to help others excel. We are looking for someone who is patient and understanding in working with others and who has a passion for social justice. 

The task itself will involve tutoring our clients as they endeavor to earn their high school equivalency diploma. This will look like reviewing a variety of topics, assisting with homework/studying, answering questions etc. 

The Matt Urban Center is a non-profit committed to revitalizing neighborhoods, serving families and changing lives. We are looking for responsible individuals to work with our Housing & Community Development team to assist in clarifying topics and discussions between staff and area residents through our application process to housing related programs. 

We are currently looking for interpretation of the following languages: Burmese

Times would be scheduled in advance at a set time that works for MUC staff, client and volunteer. 

Overview: At the Buffalo Museum of Science, we take pride in providing an environment that inspires
curiosity, self-directed learning, and fun for our guests of all ages. All staff are recruited, trained,
directed, and developed with this in mind. We believe that science is fun and that everyone can be a
scientist when they make observations and ask questions. Research shows that when you mix GREAT
SERVICE with GREAT PEOPLE, the result is LASTING MEMORIES for our guests.

Description: Docents are a vital part of the Buffalo Museum of Science. Docents assist and educate our
visitors on various topics. Docents for travel exhibits will work inside the exhibit the entire time of their
shift. These docents will answer questions about the exhibit to the best of their ability, troubleshoot
with exhibits as trained, and ensure visitors are following the Museum’s code of conduct.

Primary responsibilities:
• Complete required travel exhibit training
• Arrive on time for the event
• Greet guests with a smile
• Answer questions from guests
• Troubleshoot any items in the exhibit that visitors need help with

Skills/Experience:
• Science or educational background recommended but not necessary
• Comfortable speaking to strangers and able to engage with a variety of age groups
• Exudes an outgoing, creative, and pleasant attitude
• Strong public speaking skills

Physical Demands:
• Able to stand for at least three hours at a time

Age Requirements
• Must be 14 years or older to volunteer in this exhibit

Length of Commitment:
• Five-month minimum commitment due to the length of training
• Must be able to complete at least 1-2 shifts per week for the run of the exhibit

Overview: At the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, we believe science creates opportunities and shapes our world. We take pride in providing an environment that inspires curiosity, self-directed learning, and fun for our guests of all ages. We know when you mix GREAT SERVICE with GREAT PEOPLE, the result is LASTING MEMORIES for our guests. As the premier environmental education and recreation destination in the region, Tifft Nature Preserve offers high quality, engaging programs for audiences of all ages that highlight the living collection of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences and inspire the environmental stewards of today and tomorrow.

Description: Tour Guides are a vital part of Tifft Nature Preserve’s year-round mission. Tour Guides will lead educational tours of the Preserve’s trails to schools, groups, and families. In inclement weather or during workshops, Tour Guides may lead indoor hands-on activities.

Primary responsibilities:

● Commit to arriving on time and prepared for scheduled shifts.

● Effectively share personal enthusiasm for the natural world to groups of all ages.

● Demonstrate excellent verbal communication skills when working with a group.

● Open to continuously learning and effectively interpreting our WNY natural heritage.

● Follow tour agenda, activities, required content and vocabulary as outlined in training.

● Maintain a friendly, outgoing, and professional disposition with guests, staff, and volunteers.

● Complete training

Physical Demands:

● Able to lead groups on a variety of trail types and weather conditions for 1-2 hours.

● Able to communicate verbally, in-person with small and large groups.

● Ability to carry weight up to 5 pounds. Age Requirement:

* Must be 18 years of age. Length of Commitment:

* Three-month commitment due to length of training

* Complete at least two tours per month as program schedule allows


Mandatory training classes begin in September: 9/25 & 9/27/2023
Contact Kathy for interest at volunteer@sciencebuff.org

Our uniformed, trained cadre of tour guides (or docents) are the educators and storytellers aboard our ships afloat. They know the histories, battles, sailors, and personal anecdotes related to these ships. Initial and ongoing training is provided, and veterans and non veterans alike are welcome to join us. If you're interested in becoming a docent, we'd love to hear from you! 

RAHAMA, or Resources and Help Against Marital Abuse is a non-profit founded on Islamic principles dedicated to supporting women and children who are victims of domestic violence. We are looking for socially aware and culturally competent individuals as many of our clients are from the immigrant and refugee communities. 

Responsibilities include:

Due to the nature of our work, all volunteers are required to undergo a background and reference check. Trauma-Informed Training will be provided prior to beginning one's service.  Volunteers will be contacted on a case-by-case basis. This volunteer position is done remotely via phone calls or Zoom.  Please submit a short personal statement about how you would be a good fit for this volunteering opportunity to reema@rahama.org.

If interested please contact us at reema@rahama.org or call us at 716-777-3468.

RAHAMA, or Resources and Help Against Marital Abuse is a non-profit founded on Islamic principles dedicated to supporting women and children who are victims of domestic violence. We are looking for socially aware and culturally competent individuals as many of our clients are from the immigrant and refugee communities. 

RAHAMA is looking for someone to help pickup and deliver furniture. At times furniture is quite heavy and would require carrying them up the stairs. This would count as a community hours if you need them. This volunteer opportunity does not require much and we would need you to be available for at least 2 hours. 

Due to the nature of our work, all volunteers are required to undergo a background and reference check. Volunteers will be contacted on a case-by-case basis. Please submit a short personal statement about how you would be a good fit for this volunteering opportunity to reema@rahama.org.

Thank you, 

RAHAMA 

We are calling for all undergraduate students who are looking for easy service hours that will make a huge impact! If you are passionate about thrifting, donating, or organization, we have the position for you! We have a storage unit full of household items, kitchenware, clothing, and hygiene products that need constant organizing and delivery to our clients!

Volunteer duties will include: 

Volunteer Requirements:

We are seeking committed, outgoing and compassionate individuals to join our hospital volunteer team! Patient Experience Ambassadors are a vital support to our staff and our patients at Catholic Health! Make their day! Enhance each patient's hospital stay through friendly visitations, hospitality and other meaningful acts of kindness and interactions!

Job Duties
o Cull potential items for listing
o Prep culled items for listing
o Determine the value of an item and set selling prices
o Inventory items for listing
o Develop draft listings
o Package sold items

Details of Job
o Ebay volunteers will work out of the newly developed back office space to stage and inventory
items.
o Items for consideration will be pulled from the South ReStore floor and back staging area.
o Any supplies needed for the job will be provided. These include but are not limited to;
computers, account access, packaging materials, cell phone, camera, listing software.
o Volunteers will be required to sign a volunteer waiver annually, and will be required to sign in
before each shift. This can be done onsite, with the provided computer, ipad, or phone.
o Volunteers are encouraged to develop this position to best suit their interests.

Preferred Skills
o Willingness to learn the ebay listing system
o Basic computer skills

This volunteer role is meant to be a fun and engaging opportunity. The Deconstruction Manager, Angela Watson, is
looking to grow this initiative exponentially, promote Habitat Buffalo, and support Habitat’s mission.

Strengthening Communities by Rebuilding Lives

A just society in which all have equitable opportunity to live productive lives

Use your experience to make a positive difference in the lives of children as a Foster Grandparent — and join a community of people like you who are focused on doing good.

The Foster Grandparent Program matches older adults with children in classrooms throughout Niagara County. Foster Grandparents provide love, attention, and assistance to children with special needs.

Volunteers who qualify receive:
• A small, tax-free stipend
• Reimbursement for mileage/bus fare
• Supplemental accident/liability insurance and meals while on duty

Call today to get involved! 716-285-8224 x 228

Share Today. Shape Tomorrow. Watch this video to learn more about being a Foster Grandparent!

Habitat Buffalo is looking for an office volunteer to help with day-to-day office operations. The main directive for the Office Volunteer is to greet visitors at our front desk and field incoming phone calls. Additional typical duties may include filing, packing and addressing envelopes, or occasional work in our online database. The Office Volunteer will have a front desk to work at in Habitat Buffalo's office located on South Park Ave. We are looking for someone who is comfortable talking on the phone and working on the computer, and can take direction and ask questions when needed. Volunteers should be friendly, patient and detail oriented. Salesforce and Microsoft office experience, or willingness to learn, is a plus. 

The Development & Event Planning committee will have direct responsibility over International Child Advancement's (ICA) event planning and development activities.

Responsibilities:

* Work closely with ICA's Executive Director to develop the organization's yearly development and event planning strategy

* Develop a project plan for each event and oversee all planning implementation aspects ensuring all goals are met

* Research and book venues, vendors, performers and speakers

* Collaborate with ICA's HR Director to recruit volunteers for each event

* Conduct research and develop list of prospective grant opportunities, foundations, corporate sponsors & donors

* Submit quarterly reports to the Executive Director on the progress of fund development activities

* Help educate all ICA volunteers about the resources needed to realize the organization’s plans and fulfill its mission

Qualifications:

* Minimum 2 years' experience in management, project management, sales and/or event planning

* Strong time-management and organizational skills

* Strong relationship-building skills with prior proven success are required

* Ability to effectively interact and form partnerships with donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, other organizations, internal and external stakeholders

* Excellent written & oral communication skills and presentation skills

* Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based environment (remote and in-person)

* Personal integrity, friendliness, patience, professionalism, flexibility and enthusiasm

Time commitment: Approximately 1-2 hours per week (will depend on number of committee members).

**2022 Events**

* Sasmita Batik Fashion Show: July 8, 2022 (ICA will partner & provide support to local small business Sasmita Batik Indonesia)

* ICA Appreciation Luncheon: July 16, 2022

* 4th Annual Back to School Drive: August 13, 2022

* Holiday Toy & Food Drive: December 3 - 17th

The Social Innovation committee (non-board) will provide virtual oversight to all educational and vocational training related activities that take place at GUAOA Orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Committee members will manage tasks related to educational sponsorship, child pairing for the organization, and the growth of our vocational training programs.

Responsibilities: 

Education:

Develop an education program strategy that will detail a more streamlined strategy from a data, communications (with sponsors) and pairing perspective (ensuring at least 70 orphans are paired with a sponsor for 2023-2024 school year)

- Grades Data: Document each child’s grade per trimester - track graduation and failure rates

- Communication with Sponsors: Email sponsors the report cards every trimester/year-end

- Pairings: Identify and conduct outreach to potential educational sponsors ahead of the new school year

Vocational Training:

Develop an oversight strategy that will lay out what information we will need from the orphanage and at what cadence in order to effectively monitor the programs and their progress.

- Reporting: Obtain quarterly reports from the orphanage detailing number of children enrolled, progress, and completion rates.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Virtual Administrative Assistant will provide administrative and clerical support to assist with effective operations of the organization. This role requires the ability to exercise discretion and take independent initiative. This role utilizes online communication channels such as e-mail, Mailchimp, phone and text to deliver information to donors, partners and volunteer staff.

Duties and Responsibilities

Skills and Specifications

• Proficient in computer applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc… 

• Ability to work well with others and to complete work with minimal supervision

• Excellent communication skills – written and verbal

• Exceptional organizing and planning skills

• Ability to understand, and execute complex written and verbal instructions

• Able to maintain customer confidentiality

• Able to react effectively and calmly in emergencies

• Able to deliver excellent customer service, externally and internally

• Ability to meet close deadlines

Come and volunteer at one of two ReStore locations for Habitat Buffalo!

 This is for the South ReStore at 1675 South Park Ave.

Duties include:

Cleaning donated items

Unloading donated items from truck

Helping customers

Cleaning

Working the cash register

Come and volunteer at one of two ReStore locations for Habitat Buffalo!

This is for the North ReStore at 501 Amherst St

Duties include:

Cleaning donated items

Unloading donated items from truck

Helping customers

Cleaning

Working the cash register

Perform day to day tasks on an active build site.

Learn how to do a number of construction and home repair-oriented projects.

Help build homes for our families and the community.

Special Events Volunteers help the museum during specific events. Volunteers of all ages, skill levels, and abilities are encouraged to volunteer. Hours vary and are focused on specific events. They assist at various events including as Halloween Spooktacular, Lantern Tours, Santa on the Carousel, Birthday parties and other events. Tasks can include: operating rides, managing games, taking pictures, set up, clean up, conducting raffles, directing parking and more. The schedule is very flexible and 

Join our maintenance crew today! We offer free coffee every Monday and Friday. We are looking for volunteers with all ranges of skills to help keep the museum safe. Help the museum with upkeep and maintenance activities, including carpentry and painting. Upkeep includes our amusement rides, our histroic building, and exhibits. Mondays and Fridays 9AM-2PM.

Looking for a knowledgeable volunteer for the museum collections. Should have a background in archival and library principles, but will train as required. This individual will be cataloging donations into the collection, assisting with the arrangement and descriptions of collections, while also helping with YouTube videos as necessary.

Media of the collections includes both 2D and 3D artifacts. This person would be interested in following the mission of the Buffalo Naval Park, familiar with MS Office products, and be able to tolerate moderate physical demands including lifting and shifting boxes, climbing up and down stairs\ladders with tight spaces and be able to lift up to 25 lbs.

If you've visited the park, you've no doubt seen the beautiful flowers and immaculately maintained grounds enjoyed by so many. Our team of garden and grounds volunteers have made the areas surrounding the memorials and monuments places of beauty and reflection. If you enjoy gardening and wish to be a part of this dedicated team, please let us know - we'd love to have you join us!

Greeting guest as they enter and making them feel welcome, maintaining the products neatly and organized. Help with the sale of products and admission tickets. Assist with ticketing items and stocking. Seasonal position – April 1 – mid-November. Hours of operation 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.  We are flexible based on your availability.

The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park is seeking volunteers to assist with events. There are various opportunities available depending on availability and level of interest. Volunteers on the events committee can take a leadership role in planning and executing one or more event(s) that may include attending planning meetings, reaching out to potential partners, and assisting with aspects of the event from inception to execution. There are also opportunities for volunteers to assist on the day(s) of the event that can include greeting visitors, registration, and facilitating activities.

Looking for volunteers to assist with our Overnight Encampment program.  The Buffalo Naval Park hosts campers on weekends as they spend the night aboard the USS Little Rock.  The campers are typically made up of scouts.  Our Overnight Encampment allows the camper to experience life aboard a Navy vessel.  Volunteers would assist with serving dinner/breakfast, leading campers to programming, assisting in an educational activity, and light maintenance and cleaning duties.  The program runs 4:00 pm Saturday through 10:00 am Sunday with dates throughout the Spring and Fall.  You will also have the option to spend the night onboard the USS Little Rock. 

A volunteer Pilates/yoga instructors are needed to teach yoga and/or Pilates. This volunteer would help clients use movement and fitness to alleviate stress, negative body issues and trauma. This opportunity would be one to two times per week between 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

We are also looking for a volunteer life/motivational coach to work with our clients during the week from 9-12 p.m.

Once you submit your volunteer REQUEST thru VolunteerWNY, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you about scheduling a shift. All volunteers must complete an application BEFORE being added to the volunteer schedule. PLEASE do not just show up without speaking to our Volunteer Coordinator. We want to ensure everyone has a GREAT volunteer experience, and need to prepare for your arrival.

Residents at Vive go through long, difficult journeys to finally end up claiming asylum in Buffalo. When they arrive they need to learn a new language, how to make it around a new city, take care of their physical and mental health, enroll kids in school, and lots of other complicated things. It's hard enough learning these things on your own when you a move to a new place. Imagine doing it in a new country while you are still learning the language!

Duties:

Accompaniment Volunteers will meet residents at the shelter and walk or ride the bus with them as they make their way to locations across Buffalo and then back to Vive. On Wednesdays we have a weekly Vive clinic that many residents attend. It is very busy and we cannot give everyone the individual attention they may need so Accompaniment Volunteers could stay with people as they wait. You can be that calming steady person that stands with them as they figure out we are truly the City of Good Neighbors!

Who you'll work with:

Volunteers work with Social Work and Family Program staff along with residents staying at Vive.

People with the following skills/experience would be great here:

No need for previous experience in social work or the medical field. Interest in sharing cultures with people different from you. Conversational fluency in a language other than English is great but not required at all.

VIVE Kitchen Volunteer

VIVE has a significant need for volunteers to assist in meal prep and service in our kitchen at Vive Shelter for Lunch and Dinner.

Duties:

Food is healing! Residents at Vive go through long, difficult journeys to finally end up claiming asylum in Buffalo. When they arrive they need a moment to recharge, find safety, while being both figuratively & literally fed. Our kitchen volunteers ensure we share culturally relevant nourishment with the families staying at the shelter. Volunteers work with a resident-led team who help guide hospitality for their peers. Duties include working with a team of multi-lingual, multi-national residents to help prepare and serve meals.

Who you'll work with:

Vive's Kitchen Managers and Hospitality Team along with residents staying at Vive.

Minimum time commitment:

Once a week on an ongoing basis is ideal. 1-2 times a month works too! We serve 3 meals a day every day 365 days a year so there's always help to give.

Requirements (other than COVID vaccination):

Comfortable taking direction from the kitchen managers for safe meal prep. Masks worn at all times inside facility. Volunteers must be over the age of 18.

People with the following skills/experience would be great here:

Passionate about cooking. No need for previous experience cooking for large groups. Interest in sharing cultures with people different from you. Conversational fluency in a language other than English is great but not required.

Schedule:

Volunteers are needed for dinner shift from 3:00-6:30 pm every evening

For further information, contact: mary.reichelderfer@jrchc.org and please FILL OUT THE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION AT https://www.jrchc.org/ volunteer/

While there  are seasonal opportunities to recruit funds and event material, we would consider this position ongoing in the hopes that contacts and connections are created and the fundraiser can work throughout the year to maintain a collection of support material.

This individual should be bold and charismatic, enjoy working with people and in a variety of ways. Seeking corporate sponsorship support is a position where you will recruit and deliver payments by and from a business to K.I.A nonprofit to further the our  mission of supporting veterans and their loved ones. K.I.A proudly recognizes sponsorship with an acknowledgment that the business has supported the nonprofit's activities, programs, or special event.

Reading changes lives. From issues of social justice to gaining employment to keeping your family healthy in a pandemic, the ability to read is a game changer. Yet, so many in our community struggle with basic reading skills. Many have silently gone through life without being able to read and write above a basic level, impacting their ability to find a good job, get promoted, or help their children with schoolwork. Others are learning English as a second language, finding new hope as new citizens in the U.S.

Our volunteer tutors work with adult students in person for two hours, one day a week. No teaching experience required! All you need is the desire to learn and work with an adult learning. Volunteers participate in training that is a mix of in-person sessions and an online workshop.

Tutors are matched with students based on their schedule availability and meet at any public place, most usually a library, that works for both the tutor and the student.

There are several micro grants that would are in need of applying for. Gaining funding will make sure that we can increase the amount of black and brown youth that can take part in our coding certification after school club and provide the resources that our students need to succeed. We have a list of grants that we would like to apply for and would love someone who has a passion for youth to assist us in this next funding journey.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper protects and restores our water and surrounding ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. We need your help keeping litter and plastic pollution out of our waterways! Learn more here: https://bnwaterkeeper.org/cleanup/

Spring Sweep: This is for volunteers who would like to join an organized cleanup lead by Waterkeeper Site Captains on April 22rd from 10AM-12PM. Volunteers can choose from a list of locations across Western New York. Volunteers must register on our website to choose a location to join. Registration opens in March, space is limited so sign up soon!

Sign up here: https://bnwaterkeeper.org/cleanup/

Solo Sweep: This is for volunteers who want to cleanup on their own or with a small group of friends or family. Volunteers can cleanup where they want, with their own supplies, when it works for their schedule. Report your efforts by collecting data on the trash you cleanup! Collecting data helps us track the plastic pollution in Western New York and advocate for solutions by using the Clean Swell Application. 

Learn how to complete a safe Solo Sweep here: http://www.bnwaterkeeper.org/solo-sweep

Non-Profit Board Member - Ten Thousand Villages Buffalo, a fair trade non-profit retailer is recruiting new board members as our organization begins its 40th year in WNY. Board members attend monthly meetings and work on various projects in support of the organization and the fair trade mission. Some key areas are fundraising, marketing, strategy, and finance. This is an exciting opportunity as we plan on growing our impact on the fair trade mission and revamping our retail store’s operations.

Resurrection Life Food Pantry is in need of an ASL interpreter that can facilitate communication between the deaf community that we serve on Thursdays from 10-12. The pantry serves over 1,000 families each month with approximately 30 individuals being deaf. 

This volunteer would work alongside our team at a regular food distribution and be available as a translator when deaf clients arrive.

Please call directly 716-608-3400

Every Wednesday and Thursday from 5-7 p.m. volunteers are needed to assist children with music and arts. We are currently looking for a volunteer piano teacher to join us for this program!

Once you submit your volunteer REQUEST thru VolunteerWNY, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you about scheduling a shift. All volunteers must complete an application BEFORE being added to the volunteer schedule. PLEASE do not just show up without speaking to our Volunteer Coordinator. We want to ensure everyone has a GREAT volunteer experience, and need to prepare for your arrival.

Every Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. volunteers are needed to help bag groceries, sort and organize donations, and help make follow up calls to clients.

Once you submit your volunteer REQUEST thru VolunteerWNY, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you about scheduling a shift. All volunteers must complete an application BEFORE being added to the volunteer schedule. PLEASE do not just show up without speaking to our Volunteer Coordinator. We want to ensure everyone has a GREAT volunteer experience, and need to prepare for your arrival.

We need help with preparing our meals.  You would be assisting our cook.  Duties would be, but not limited to chopping vegetables, preparing soups, packaging the meals, etc.

We need drivers Monday through Friday. You can choose any day or multiple days.  It takes about an hour from the time you pick up the meals deliver them and return to drop off the delivery bags. We also need on-call volunteers who can fill in when one of our drivers cannot make it. 

We need volunteers to help deliver meals Monday-Friday. It only takes about 1 hour and you can choose how what day or days you are available.

We also need kitchen helpers.  This would be from 8-11am. 

St. Stephens Bethlehem is looking for volunteers to work in our food pantry on Tuesdays. The pantry is open from 10am-7pm and various shifts are available. Please contact us to help our neighbors in need experiencing food insecurity.

Event planning committee volunteers are important to the Kidney Foundation. Our committee members bring up new ideas, help us to think through logistics, and reach out to other organizations and people.

You don't need special qualifications or connections to join an event committee. The most important thing is that you want to help.

Until further notice, all committee meetings are being held remotely by video conference or phone conference. Meetings are generally held on weeknight evenings or at another time convenient for the most members of a specific committee.

We currently have committees helping to plan upcoming public events:

The Walk for Kidney Health 

The Gift of Life Celebration

Buffalo is the "City of Good Neighbors",  and currently our neighbors need us. Our community members become snowed in, their vehicles buried, our streets unplowed. Many of these individuals are unable to shovel or clear paths. These neighbors have work, doctors visits, or grocery trips, but are unable to leave their homes and are in need of assistance.

The Buffalo Snow Brigade is a volunteer campaign working to solve this issue, by assisting our snowed in neighbors with some much needed shoveling. This campaign is mobilizing volunteers to offer assistance to those residents who are unable to clear snow from their residences. 

This volunteer opportunity is for remote dispatching our volunteers. 

A Dispatcher pairs a snow removal request with a willing volunteer, and arranges a time for that volunteer to visit and remove the snow from our neighbor in need.

To be frank, the Snow Brigade should not exist. While we are more than happy to be able to build solidarity networks through mutual aid, mutual aid like this exists because the system is failing.  If you’d like to get involved with our organizing efforts to push the city to fund municipal snow removal, please email us at buffalosnowbrigade@gmail.com

Buffalo is the "City of Good Neighbors",  and currently our neighbors need us. Our community members become snowed in, their vehicles buried, our streets unplowed. Many of these individuals are unable to shovel or clear paths. These neighbors have work, doctors visits, or grocery trips, but are unable to leave their homes and are in need of assistance.

The Buffalo Snow Brigade is a volunteer campaign working to solve this issue, by assisting our snowed in neighbors with some much needed shoveling. This campaign is mobilizing volunteers to offer assistance to those residents who are unable to clear snow from their residences. 

This volunteer opportunity is for physical labor and snow removal.

A Snow Removal volunteer will be paired with a request for snow removal based on volunteers availability.  volunteers will indicate best dates or times, and a dispatcher will reach out with snow removal opportunities for the volunteer to go shovel or plow as needed.

To be frank, the Snow Brigade should not exist. While we are more than happy to be able to build solidarity networks through mutual aid, mutual aid like this exists because the system is failing.  If you’d like to get involved with our organizing efforts to push the city to fund municipal snow removal, please email us at buffalosnowbrigade@gmail.com

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES > Ushers facilitate a smooth, safe and enjoyable experience for theater-goers. > Front-of-house duties include preparing the venue, being an information resource, managing traffic flow, enforcing client and theater policy, seating guests efficiently, maintaining safety and discretion, and executing post-show break down.

The Food Justice Tour will provide accessible resources to the communities experiencing
health disparities. The tour has been formulated after extensive research carried out using the
primary data available about the Western New York region that has been at the receiving end
of health and wealth disparities which are further worsened by lack of funding and policies to
address these problems, which the tour will cater through a collaborative, culturally sensitive,
data-driven approach to addressing Social Determinants of Health (S.D.O.H.) in underserved
groups, with a focus on the BIPOC community. Additionally, it will organize a food market,
cooking demonstrations, health screenings, and information about community resources
(mental health, social supports, workforce opportunities.)  The first event will be October 29th 12 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Northland Workforce Training Center 683 Northland Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14211.

volunteers will assist in the following:

Volunteer in our after-school program to provide academic support, create crafts and projects, and play athletic games with children. 

Various location in Amherst and Williamsville

The Kidney Foundation of WNY offers a free community kidney health screenings throughout our service area. We are currently seeking medical professionals to volunteer with tasks such including blood pressure readings and BMI calculation, as well as non-medical volunteers for registration. Call 716-529-4393 or email jmorlock@kfwny.org for additional information about volunteering.

During the course of this year and into the next year we will be partnering with organizations to host a public health tour centered on providing free to low cost resources to areas identified to have significant health disparities. Our programming will utilize a collaborative, culturally sensitive, data-based approach in order to thwart Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in underserved groups with specific strategies for the BIPOC community. Are programming will anchor the community providing but not limited to, Our Justice Market, Cooking demonstrations, Health Screenings, Community resource information (mental health, social supports, workforce opportunities.)

We are looking for volunteers to assist in management, helping vendors when needed, providing help for individuals or families to carry supplies to their vehicles if needs and to assist with the community art project if needed. The first event will be Saturday October 29th at the Delavan-Grider Community Center 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Beginning in October, volunteers are needed for our After School program Monday thru Friday from 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. Volunteers will help with homework, arts and crafts projects, sports/games, etc.  

Once you submit your volunteer REQUEST thru VolunteerWNY, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you about scheduling a shift. All volunteers must complete an application BEFORE being added to the volunteer schedule. PLEASE do not just show up without speaking to our Volunteer Coordinator. We want to ensure everyone has a GREAT volunteer experience, and need to prepare for your arrival.

1-2 volunteers are needed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9-1 p.m. to pack food bags for clients at our Buffalo Temple Corps. 

Once you submit your volunteer REQUEST thru VolunteerWNY, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you about scheduling a shift. All volunteers must complete an application BEFORE being added to the volunteer schedule. PLEASE do not just show up without speaking to our Volunteer Coordinator. We want to ensure everyone has a GREAT volunteer experience, and need to prepare for your arrival.

As a volunteer in this service position, you will partner with the Mission’s truck driver to pick up donations from community donors, partners and vendors. This volunteer will partner with staff to load and unload the Mission truck, interact with community donors and complete necessary paperwork to record deliveries. You must be able to lift 75 pounds. This position is a Monday through Friday position from 8am to 4pm
VOLUNTEER NOW! >

Keeping our Great Lakes beaches clean starts with you! Adopt-a-Beach cleanups are a fun, free, easy way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes. It’s easy to jump right into the Adopt-a-Beach community. Join a cleanup today!  

The Alliance for the Great Lakes is a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the Great Lakes region to protect our most precious resource: the fresh, clean, and natural waters of the Great Lakes. We are active in advocacy, volunteering, education, and research.  

Each year, through the Adopt-a-Beach program, thousands of volunteers work to keep the Great Lakes shorelines healthy by removing litter from our beaches and collecting important data. 

We hope you’ll join us this season as we work to reach our goal of 500,000 pounds of litter removed from Great Lakes shorelines! 

Join the Adopt-a-Beach movement today! You can take part in two ways: 

We hope to see you on the beach this season! 

Position Description: The Young Adult Leader plays a critical role in the overall mission of St. Paul’s House. They are responsible for the implementation of the vision, strategy, and practical elements of many programs supporting youth, the elderly, and the homeless. Our goal is to foster growth in their relationship with God and equip them with tools to mature in their faith.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

Position Requirements: 

FoodWeb’s Sandwich Army is a volunteer-driven effort to alleviate food insecurity during the pandemic through sandwich drives every Saturday!

Register Drop-Off Hub
Use your home as a donation drop-off hub for a specified time period on a Saturday. Volunteers will pledge donations for drop-off at your residence. After the time period, the lunches are to be transported to St. Luke's Mission for Mercy.

Pledge Donation
Volunteers make bagged sandwich lunches consisting of a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a snack. The lunches are to be dropped-off at designated "drop-off hubs".

Twice a month our teams deliver food to 5 low income senior facilities in Cheektowaga NY.  Volunteers meet at the food pantry and as a team travel to one of the five locations to distribute food. Food is delivered to the sites using our 20' box truck however volunteers are responsible to get to and from the site to distribute food.

Volunteer hours range between 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm on the 2nd & 4th Thursday evening each month. 

Great opportunity for families to serve together!

Must be 16 or older or accompanied by an adult

Benefits to Joining:

What Do You Commit To?

Does this sound like a good opportunity for you?

Wild Spirit Education is seeking volunteer educators to help us teach about nature to groups across Western NY. You will be trained in the various programs that we teach but a love for nature is essential.

We seek individuals with a knowledge of the natural world and a desire to teach. Teaching background is a plus but not necessary. We will train you.

You must be flexible with our scheduling as we do programs during the day and in the evening. You must be dependable! Reliable transportation is necessary. You will be required to drive to the program location.

Wild Spirit is looking for a dedicated volunteer to assist with our social media. The volunteer must have a love for the environment, basic knowledge of nature and a be able to devote a few hours per week to this opportunity.

A knowledge of Facebook Business Suite is a must as is a knowledge of Twitter and Instagram.

The volunteer will be asked to post at least 2 or more posts on each of our 3 social media outlets. If the volunteer wishes to add us to more social media outlets, that is a plus but would require more time to post.

Wild Spirit is looking for dedicated volunteers to help educate people aboput the wonders of nature. We will train you.

Some knowledge about nature is recommended. Reliable transportation is a must as we do programs all across Western NY for all age groups.

Our programs are at all times of day and evening.

With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our agency's in-person volunteer opportunities are on hold due to the need for social distancing and temporary closure of some sites. However, the needs of our clients are greater than ever. 

One great way to continue volunteering with our agency and supporting our clients is to host a donation drive! Get together with your coworkers, friends or family and collect items to donate to our food pantries, personal essentials pantry, homeless outreach team, or tenants living in our permanent supportive housing! 

A list of ongoing in-kind donation needs can be found on our website at urbanctr.org/donate-to-muc/

Please contact Sarah Maurer, Development Director, at smaurer@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 x232 to learn more. 

Student Opportunities

Internships

Internships are primarily educational experiences with an emphasis on learning academic or career-related skills. All students must be at least 16 years old. While at the DDSO, interns will be directly supervised by an accountable professional in their field of study.  Possible fields of study include, but are not limited to, Occupational Therapy, Recreation Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychology, Nutrition Services, IT, Health Information Management, Human Services, and Exceptional Education.

According to 679.3 Principles of Compliance for Clinical Internships (Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, Physical Therapy, Psychology, Dietetics and Nutrition, Social Work, Nursing, and Medicine).

Service-Learning

Service-Learning occurs when a class or group works with a community partner, such as the WNYDDSO, on a plan to implement different programs or initiatives related to a specific course. The professors and students may provide opportunities to support the WNYDDSO in employee wellness, adaptive recreational activities, advertising, dance, deictic in-services, problem-solving, education, and much more while fostering civic engagement.

Shadowing/Site Visits

High School and College must be 16 years old to complete site visits or shadow a discipline or related career field professional at the WNYDDSO. This will assist in career awareness and opportunities working at the agency. A site visit may be provided to anyone who has a good reason  to seek information about the services through a present realistic and informative experience. All students and “site visitors” will complete the Site Visit Form during their experience. (See Site Visit Standard of Practice and Site Visit Form)

Onboarding Procedures

Recruitment

WNYDDSO Volunteer Services uses a variety of different methods to recruit Interns. You may find us reaching out to potential students via VolunteerWNY website, through longstanding college affiliations, specific College internet sites, in print publications, and by word of mouth. We also encourage you to let your friends and family know about our internship and volunteering opportunities.

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County supports volunteer income tax preparation (VITA) through a network of partners in Erie County and Western New York. Under the auspices of the Internal Revenue Service, volunteers complete income taxes for low and moderate income individuals and families. This saves them the cost of preparation fees, and helps them claim resources such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Care Tax Credit. Free training is provided so that you are certified in how to prepare and review the tax returns. Remote online volunteering is available. While the busiest season is the traditional tax preparation time of January through mid April, volunteers are needed all year around to prepare returns that are not aligned with the traditional timetable. Individuals are needed both to prepare the taxes, and to help by making sure all documentation is in place. Here is a four-minute video so you can hear from VITA volunteers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niC26DOA3qg&feature=youtu.be

Soccer for Success is currently looking for youth Coach-Mentors!

Soccer for Success is the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s after-school youth development program that is proven to help kids establish healthy habits and develop critical life skills. Soccer for Success is offered free to participants in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Lackawanna by the Independent Health Foundation. Our curriculum focuses on: healthy living, mentorship, and community engagement.

Want to help your neighbor stay in their community? 

Hearts and Hands is a nonprofit organization that matches caring, reliable volunteers with older community members who have essential needs, like transportation, to ensure they can continue living independently.

As a Hearts and Hands volunteer you can help a neighbor get where they need to go. Whether it’s to go to the doctors, grocery shopping, or even to the YMCA you can make a difference and even make a new friend. Some volunteers bring a neighbor to their destination on the way, and others stay with them for their appointment.

We Make Volunteering Easy!

It’s easy to get started, just attend a training with your local office (or through Zoom), submit your background check, and about two weeks after that you can start your meaningful experience with Hearts and Hands.

Make a difference and volunteer today!

For more information about our organization or opportunities to volunteer, visit our website at volunteerhnh.org. 

Pioneer seeks a volunteer admin to assist our Microsoft system.

Bus Trainers work directly 1:1 with a newly-arrived refugee client to help them learn how to take public transportation in Buffalo and how to get from an assigned point A to point B. 

Lots of fun and a chance to get to know a new neighbor! Day, evening, or weekend hours possible. 

Orientation and background check required. 

Test

Tasks may involve lifting and moving boxes, heavy artifacts, power washing foundation or other maintenance chores at site. Assist with planting, weeding, watering and other tasks to restore historic gardens.

Tasks may involve lifting and moving boxes, heavy artifacts, power washing foundation or other maintenance chores at site. Assist with planting, weeding, watering and other tasks to restore historic gardens.

Danceability, Inc., a non-profit dance studio for children and adults with special needs is looking for social media support to assist with management of social media channels. Opportunity can fulfill community service hours.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Requirements/Skills Needed:

Training & Supervision:

Time Commitment & Availability:

Please email your resume to danceabilityinthecommunity@gmail.com if you are interested and include your social media experience.

Danceability is an individualized dance, fitness and movement program serving the special needs community. Our studio is led by qualified staff and dedicated volunteers who create a nurturing environment that empowers our students to flourish and grow while promoting a healthy lifestyle… and we have a little fun along the way.

Danceability, Inc., a non-profit dance studio for children and adults with special needs is looking for a volunteer graphic designer to assist with the creation of marketing materials, recital program and more. Opportunity can fulfill community service hours.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Requirements/Skills Needed:

Training & Supervision:

Time Commitment & Availability:

Please email resume to danceabilityinthecommunity@gmail.com if you are interested and be prepared to submit two work samples upon request.

Danceability is an individualized dance, fitness and movement program serving the special needs community. Our studio is led by qualified staff and dedicated volunteers who create a nurturing environment that empowers our students to flourish and grow while promoting a healthy lifestyle… and we have a little fun along the way.

Victory Sports is in need of a volunteer to help in two main areas of our operations.  Mainly this person will be responsible for all the logistics of incoming and outgoing sports equipment donations, including; inventory, stocking warehouse, cleaning, organizing, etc.  The other part of this role will consist of coordinating and working with all volunteers that sign up to come help our in the warehouse.  

We need volunteers to help us out at our Mobile food pantry on the first Wednesday of each month.

If you are available any time between 8 am and noon, especially if you feel comfortable lifting heavy boxes of food, we could really use your help!

We also have pantry distributions every Thursday of each month from 10 to noon. We could use some help with those as well. 

Victory Sports is a non-profit that provides sports equipment to those in need of free or low-cost items to make sure ALL children have the chance to participate and experience all the benefits of playing sports.

We have recently moved our donation and sorting warehouse to the Eastern Hills Mall in Williamsville. We are also opening an equipment outlet to the public for retail sales on 2 days a week - Wednesday's from 3-6 and Friday's 11-2 - for which we require some extra hands and smiles. 

We are in need of at least one, preferably two, volunteers to come to our outlet at the mall during opening hours (see above) to help us greet customers and help them find what they are looking for.

Your tasks would include:

Store hours will be Wednesday 3pm-6pm and Friday 11am-2pm. If you want to help on both days; great! If you can only help for a couple of hours on one of the two days, that is fine. 

We would like volunteers to commit to at least 4 weeks (preferably longer) so you can become familiar with our operations. 

It would be useful if you have some basic understanding of sports equipment such as what item is for what sport and size/age/gender etc. but this shouldn't put you off contacting us if you are not an expert.

Please contact us for more information. The outlet opens on June 2nd so we want people ASAP from that first session and will be an ongoing requirement for however long you are able to help us. 

The #Mystory program is dedicated to educating people about the lives and hardships of immigrants and refugees. By sharing their stories, we are able to reduce stigma and help others become more open-minded about the immigrant/refugee process. This creates a sense of unity and belonging among people, especially if they do not share the same culture, background, or belief. That is our goal: to unite people with a story.

To become a volunteer, they must be in the 12-20 year old age range. They must be passionate about multicultural issues, responsible, and willing to spend time on this program. 

This is a one year program and it is divided into two semesters. In the first semester, an individual will undergo "mental health ambassador training". Through this, they will be able to gain knowledge and to give insight into certain mental health topics through a series of 5-11 training sessions. After the first semester, they will have the option to either, create their own project with the help of a mentor, or join the #MyStory program. If they choose to pursue the #MyStory program, they will become an interviewer. They will then speak to an immigrant we will connect them with. They will collect their story and, enlisting the help of our photographer, they will collect photographs that encompass that individual's story.

An individual may either enter their own project in the Youth Achievement Challenge, or they may enter their contribution in the #MyStory project. Either way, the winners of this competition will receive a partial college scholarship.

As a volunteer, they will get a Mental Health Ambassador certificate from Bridges from Borders, an opportunity to win a partial college scholarship, volunteer hours, professional references valuable for college applications, public speaking / leadership experience, and opportunities to participate and/or initiate community-wide programs. 

If you are interested in this, please go to https://bridgesfromborders.org/mental-health-ambassador-program to sign up as a mental health ambassador.

The Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission is made up of a dedicated group of volunteers who work on committees to make sure that we continue to flourish. Most committees meet once a month or once every other month. If you have passion for the corridor and would like to work on a committee, please email info@michiganstreetbuffalo.org for more information!

​

Executive Committee*

Planning Committee*

Events Committee​

Economic Revitalization Committee

Fundraising Committee

Marketing Committee

Education Committee

Historic Preservation Committee

Governance Committee

Finance Committee 

​

*The executive and planning committees only accepts internal nominations from our existing committee and board members. If you are interested in being on the planning or executive committees, please join another committee first. 

When guests arrive at Grace, all we expect them to have is the clothes on their back. That's why we strive to provide every other comfort of home when our guests come to Buffalo for medical care. You can be a part of our promise to ease the burden of our guests by signing up to be a food preparation volunteer.

Based on your availability, you'll be asked to come in and cook a meal for our guests, which will be served that night or frozen. While we have food available to cook, this is a perfect opportunity for teams who want to give back to our patients and caregivers in need. Your organization would receive a tax break for the food you donate and you'll spend an incredible day with your team cooking a meal that will nourish our guests. 

Our only requirement is that you're someone who cares deeply for the patients and caregivers Grace House serves. You may be lucky enough to meet some of our guests and hear their stories while you're here. We need you to have an open and caring heart to help us in our mission to support patients and caregivers with a haven and place of respite while seeking medical care in Buffalo.

If you meet this requirement, please contact Gianna Totaro, at gianna@graceguesthouse.org or call 716-829-7240 ext. 3.

Thank you for your interest. We hope to hear from you soon.

When guests arrive at Grace, all we expect them to have is the clothes on their back. That's why we strive to provide every other comfort of home when our guests come to Buffalo for medical care. You can be a part of our promise to ease the burden of our guests by signing up to be a Shuttle Van Driver volunteer.

Based on your availability, you'll be called to help our guests get to where they need to go. Most of the time, that means transporting them to one of Buffalo's hospitals. But it could mean a trip to the pharmacy or grocery store. You only have to arrive at Grace House and will drive our own van to the locations.

Who you are:

If you meet this requirement, please contact Gianna Totaro, at gianna@graceguesthouse.org or call 716-829-7240 ext. 3.

 Thank you for your interest. We hope to hear from you soon.

Volunteer Store Coordinators are responsible for overseeing both the care and adoptions of cats at satellite Ten Lives Club adoption locations. These volunteers are responsible for either personally transporting new cats to the adoption location, or coordinating other volunteers to do so; coordinating transport for any cats needing to be returned to the main Ten Lives Club shelter as needed; coordinating cleaning volunteers to ensure daily care of the cats; conducting adoption interviews and completing all necessary adoption paperwork; managing a Facebook page specific to your location, with adoptable cats featured; answering general questions about Ten Lives Club and representing the organization’s mission. Some cleaning and basic cat care may also be required at times.

This role is ideal for anybody looking to play a integral role in the lives of rescued cats looking for their forever homes!

Volunteer Store Coordinators are responsible for overseeing both the care and adoptions of cats at satellite Ten Lives Club adoption locations. These volunteers are responsible for either personally transporting new cats to the adoption location, or coordinating other volunteers to do so; coordinating transport for any cats needing to be returned to the main Ten Lives Club shelter as needed; coordinating cleaning volunteers to ensure daily care of the cats; conducting adoption interviews and completing all necessary adoption paperwork; managing a Facebook page specific to your location, with adoptable cats featured; answering general questions about Ten Lives Club and representing the organization’s mission. Some cleaning and basic cat care may also be required at times.

This role is ideal for anybody looking to play a integral role in the lives of rescued cats looking for their forever homes!

Volunteers (in July and August) will assist in building wooden stage and Gazebo walk-way. Please respond to this opportunity and Miss Triggs will contact you directly.