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Volunteer Opportunities The Volunteer Pool of Highland Park has divided service options into nine categories of need: Art, Education, Community, Health, Homeless, Nature, Seniors, Special Needs, and Youth. Some agencies are listed under more than one category. Most of the opportunities listed on this web site are in Highland Park and the surrounding communities. You will find some listings for programs and organizations that are further away. This happens when the particular program or service in not offered by an agency in the local area. Art: Under this category you will find opportunities to work in the community doing projects that relate to the arts. You may find yourself working with any number of different populations and this category often leads to many unusual opportunities. Education: Here you will find opportunities to serve Highland Park through its schools. You may be in the classroom or working behind the scenes, tutoring, or helping with a special event. There are even requests for help with projects in administration. Community: If you are interested in getting involved in local government or commerce, you may find a good match here. Health: This category covers both mental and physical health issues. There are many support opportunities that can be very fulfilling. Other possibilities include helping in hospitals, distributing literature, and fundraising. Homeless and Hardship: This group includes not only the “homeless,” but also people who are displaces from their homes through economic hardship or risk of personal abuse. In this category you will also find opportunities to help people who have shelter, but lack basic essentials for daily life, such as food and adequate clothing. Nature: This category covers both animals and the environment. There are many opportunities for education in this category as well as some hands on service projects that can really impact the community. Seniors: Here you will find traditional nursing home volunteer opportunities as well as requests for visiting those who are homebound, delivering meals, working at the Senior Center, and more. Special Needs: Individuals and groups of all ages and ranges of physical and cognitive disabilities are served under this category. There are opportunities to serve in structured programs that are as varied and as interesting as the individuals they serve. Youth: All issues dealing with youth, family, and general wellness are addressed under this category. You will find opportunities to tutor, mentor, and serve in a number of inspiring ways. Steps To A Successful Volunteer Experience:
Institute for Therapy Through the Arts 2008 Dempster, Evanston, IL 60202 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 Various opportunities in art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, and family therapy.
The Firehouse Youth Center High School volunteers are needed for weekly one-on-one tutoring after school for middle school students. High School volunteers are needed to work with students in the Study Room, Monday through Thursday after school Volunteer youth are needed to be Kid Couriers each Friday, along with staff from the Youth and Senior Services to either grocery shop for home bound and older adults or run errands for them. Shopping is the first and third Fridays of the month and errand running is on alternate Fridays at 3:15 p.m.Highland Park / Highwood Home Child Care Association Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 Mission Statement: Our mission is to ensure that the infants and toddlers of working families have access to care and education in our community.
Need volunteers to come into homes and do art projects, story times or anything educational that would give the children new stimulation. They also need donations of professional literature to use in their lending library and donations of toys and books to share with home child care locations. OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring The OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring program places volunteers in the schools to tutor students in North Shore School District 112 during the school day. Tutors work one-on-one with the same student for the entire school year, assisting the child in reading, writing and language skills. Due to the time commitment required, the program is not for people who take extended vacations during the winter months. OASIS also coordinates volunteers for an Internet Mentoring Program, which involves sending a weekly email to a 5th grade student. This opportunity requires only 15 minutes of time per week and is ideal for email-savvy volunteers who have access to a computer. Participants may be snowbirds or homebound. OASIS, a national non-profit organization for people 50 years old and over, is dedicated to education, wellness and volunteerism. The OASIS tutoring program has thousands of participants each year volunteering in 25 cities across the United States. Career Resource Center (CRC) 40 E. Old Mill Road, #105, Lake Forest, IL 60045 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 Special Event Coordinator: Career Resource Center is celebrating its 20th year of assisting adults seeking new employment. We are planning a special event to celebrate this anniversary. Our planning committee is looking for creative individuals with event planning experience to help orchestrate this special occasion. Technical Writer: Your talent at transmitting knowledge of accessing and using software would be extraordinarily helpful in training volunteers and employees on our database. Our goal is to produce a guide on the how-to of using CRC’s access database. Project based/Flexible Hours. Client Services/Reception: As the first contact for all visitors, you will interact with a diverse group of talented professionals, providing that "human touch" that earns us high marks from our clients. Your duties will include greeting visitors and clients, giving tours, answering the telephone, scheduling appointments and performing a few light office tasks. By offering a kind word or a smile, you can boost the morale of job seekers as they come through our door. In addition to helping others, you have the opportunity to form lasting friendships with other volunteers. One half-day per week; Monday 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Tuesday 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm, or Thursday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm; Floater to fill in as needed. Network Facilitator: Enjoy conversing with individuals from a wide spectrum of disciplines? You can have an impact on a job seeker’s quest for new employment by facilitating a group of 15-25 job seekers. The ability to elicit an animated exchange of information between participants is key. Tuesday evening 7-9 pm, or various times during the week, 4-6 times a year. City Commission The City of Highland Park is always in need of the talents and abilities of passionate citizens who are willing to devote their time to serve on City Boards and Commissions. Residents interested in applying for a City Board or Commission volunteer position should complete a New Commissioner Application and send it, along with a letter and their resume, to the Mayor of Highland Park.
Highland Park Public Library The Highland Park Library is seeking volunteers to work with our friendly staff on a variety of tasks. Hours are flexible.
If you are detail-oriented, well organized and enjoy customer service, this is the volunteer opportunity for you!
Highland Park Senior Center The Highland Park Senior Center is open Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM. Volunteers needed to be a shuttle car driver. The main Senior Center parking is located a block from the Center. The shuttle car driver will be responsible for driving people from the parking lot to the Center and back again using a city supplied vehicle. Volunteers are needed Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays—in the morning and afternoon. Volunteers needed to help people knit or crochet. They meet once a week for two hours. Volunteers needed to help with newsletter six times a year. They will help attach mailing labels and prepare it for mailing. Volunteers needed to help with reception. They will greet visitors, direct telephone inquiries and assist with mailings. Time commitment will be two hours a week. Available times are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2:30 – 5 pm; and Wednesdays & Fridays from 12:30 – 2:30 pm. Volunteers needed in the Telephone Reassurance Program. Volunteers make a daily telephone check on someone who lives alone or would like the comfort of knowing that someone will make a daily check on them. Volunteers will call their individual every morning by 10:00 a.m. Time commitment is about 15 minutes a day. Volunteers needed to help with the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Volunteers will help people file Medicare and Medicare supplement health insurance claims. Serve as a health insurance advocate for seniors and help educate people on Medicare supplement and Prescription Drug policy options. The State of Illinois provides a week long training course for SHIP volunteers. Volunteers are needed to assist with tax filing. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) benefits those who file basic tax returns and assists those with special needs, including persons with disabilities, non-English speaking persons and older taxpayers.Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs Mission Statement: Our mission is to foster a housing market open to people of all ages and income levels, Volunteer opportunities: Fair Housing Tester/Home Seeker will communicate with Landlords, Realtors etc. to maintain a fair housing
Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. Prairie State Legal Services is the civil legal aid program for Lake County. They provide free legal help to low-income, disabled, and elderly persons with problems such as evictions, foreclosures, domestic violence, disability claims, Medicaid denials, and consumer issues. They are looking for retired and practicing attorneys and paralegals who are able to volunteer on a regular basis. Those who devote two or three days per week work out best as they function as regular staff members and handle their own caseloads. They are also looking for a volunteer librarian to work a few hours a month. Other needs include volunteers to help with filling, handling mail, and fundraising.
Volunteers who speak Spanish. Polish, or Russian are especially helpful. Volunteer Court Watch Program Mission Statement: To educate and inform students and adults about the hazzards of drinking and driving through educational programs. To assist victims during their court process with support and in some cases financial assistance. Volunteers are needed to be trained to monitor the Skokie Court House misdeameanor court room. Each week the volunteer will be assigned to a court room where they will sit and gather information on completed DUI cases. This is a study being done for IDOT on the sentencing of DUI offenders. Training with be done at the court house. Men and women over 21 are needed. On going Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays mornings. American Cancer Society 100 Tri-State International, #125, Lincolnshire, IL 60069 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.
The American Cancer Society offers many interesting opportunites for volunteers. They use volunteer cosmetoligists for a program called “Look Good… Feel Better” during which those undergoing cancer treatment are treated to free sessions to learn how to cope with skin changes and hair loss using cosmetics and skin care products donated by the cosmetic industry. They are always looking for drivers to help with a program called “Road to Recovery.” Here volunteers drive cancer patients to treatment giving them support when family members are working or otherwise unavailable for transportation. The American Cancer Society also looks for cancer survivors to talk with and mentor those just beginning treatment. In addition to these ongoing programs, the American Cancer Society has special events that may be of interest to volunteers.
The American Cancer Society is also always looking for volunteers to help staff booths and hand out information at area health fairs and to help with office work in the Lincolnshire office. Better Existence with HIV (BEHIV) BEHIV provides information, support, resources, and hope to those living with HIV, and to their loved ones. Our professional and caring staff provides comprehensive and confidential services and educational programs. Our Prevention department provides information about HIV disease, transmission, prevention, and free anonymous testing. The services we offer help maintain the health and dignity of our clients and also help to educate others. BEHIV serves Northern Chicago and Northern Cook County with offices in Evanston and the Chicago neighborhood of Rogers Park. Since its inception, BEHIV has been an agency that relies on volunteers for survival. In a city as large as Chicago, BEHIV has remained a small grassroots agency that is closely connected with the surrounding community. Our volunteers are crucial to this involvement, assisting in all areas in the agency. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, we are able to provide the best care to our clients and focus on successfully fulfilling our mission. Help is needed in all areas of the agency. Whether the task is small (for example, answering phones or stuffing envelopes) or large (like helping a client move or caring for an ill client’s pet), it is equally important. Often it is the task that seems to be the smallest that helps us out the most. North Shore University Healthsystem Hospice North Shore University Healthsystem Hospice’s Award Winning Volunteer Program offers a number of volunteer opportunites for compassionate people. You may assist terminally-ill patients and their families with companionship, relief for caregivers, running errands, transportation, and office tasks. The Hospice program provides training for their volunteers and asks for a commitment of 3 – 4 hours each week. Need volunteers to bake sweets and drop them off at the office. They will then be delivered to our patients. The Josselyn Center Volunteer opportunities:
Mental Health Association of the North Shore The Mental Health Association of the North Shore works to education youth and adults about mental health and social-emotional learning and help dispel the stigma around seeking help. They can use volunteers to help with mailings and other office work as well as staff booths and displays at community events. The Mental Health Association of the North Shore is also interested in speakers to topics relating to their organization. Career Resource Center (CRC) 40 E. Old Mill Road, #105, Lake Forest, IL 60045 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 The Career Resource Center provides professional assistance to individuals in employment transition. CRC energizes and empowers clients by offering education, training, and mentoring in a supportive environment.
Client Relations Representative – For this volunteer opportunity, all you need is a welcoming smile and a genuine interest in people. As the first contact for all visitors, you will interact with a diverse group of talented professionals, providing the “human touch.” You will also answer the phone, schedule appointments, and perform a few office tasks. Client Relations Representatives volunteer one half day a week either in the morning or the afternoon or on Tuesday evenings. Database Specialist – CRC is looking for help managing their relational Access database of clients, donors, volunteers, and employers. You’ll need experience to fill this volunteer position. Can you build reports? Conduct queries? Troubleshoot? Hours are flexible, approximately 3 hours twice a month. This is a great opportunity to enhance your resume while helping others. CRC is also interested in working with a volunteer who has experience in grant writing and fundraising. CRC provides clients with several presentations and workshops each month. Dynamic volunteer speakers and presenters on topics related to employment, personal development, emotional growth, and job search are welcome. Moraine Township Moraine Township offers a wide variety of general assistance including a food pantry and clothing closet. Volunteers are needed to help sort and organize food and clothing donations every week.
Park District of Highland Park / Natural Areas 1801 Sunset Road, Highland Park, IL 60035 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 The Park District of Highland Park has several volunteer opportunites in connection to it’s Natural Areas. These are opportunites for individuals, families, and groups to work hands on in prairie and woodland areas. Projects are typically the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month from 9 – noon and the 3rd Saturday of the month from 10 – noon. The Park District is also looking to specially train interested adults to work on a project as Plants of Concern Monitors. A Refuge for Saving the Wildlife, Inc. Refuge for Saving the Wildlife is a not-for-profit parrot rescue, rehabilitation, education, adoption, and no-kill shelter facility. Activities include education of the public about parrots, rescue of abandoned/neglected/abused parrots, rehabilitation of parrots, and sanctuary for parrots. They also do raptor rehabilitation and related education. Volunteers are needed in the following areas: Architect, refuge help, newsletter, CPA, pet taxi, carpenter, plumber, builder, and general contractor. Items needed: Flat sheets, paper towels, 24”x30” lined freezer/butcher paper, HP paper and printer cartridges, Xerox dry ink, stamps, #10 envelopes. Brandel Care Center / Axelon Manor at Covenant Village of Northbrook 2155 Pfingston Road, Northbrook, IL 60062 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 An accredited not-for-profit continuing care retirement community, Covenant Village of Northbrook has provided a variety of services to area seniors for more than forty years. The distinguishing characteristic of a continuing care residential community is a commitment to lifetime care. Covenant Village of Northbrook is one of a network of 15 communities administered by Covenant Retirement Communities, Inc. on behalf of the Board of Benevolence of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Through this affiliation, Covenant Village continues a more than 118-year tradition of meeting the retirement needs of seniors as a ministry, not merely as a job or business. Covenant Village provides a retirement lifestyle that is in harmony with Christian tradition, no matter what your religious affiliation or heritage. Residents are offered a choice of social, cultural, and spiritual activities, both on and off campus, consistent with our mission of assisting them to achieve their maximum physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Volunteers are needed to sort and distribute mail, transport residents to therapy and beauty shop, do manicures, provide escort to doctor’s appointments, visiting, reading, musical programs, pet therapy, adopted grandparent program, and more. Highland Park Senior Center Volunteers needed to be a shuttle car driver. The main Senior Center parking is located a block from the Center. The shuttle car driver will be responsible for driving people from the parking lot to the Center and back again using a city supplied vehicle. Volunteers needed to assist people on a one-to-one basis in the computer resource room. Volunteers will help people learn to use the internet, word processing programs and other computer skills. Volunteers needed to help people knit or crochet. They meet once a week for two hours. Volunteers needed to help with newsletter six times a year. They will help attach mailing labels and prepare it for mailing. Volunteers needed to help with reception. They will greet visitors, direct telephone inquiries and assist with mailings. Time commitment will be two hours a week. Volunteers needed in the Telephone Reassurance Program. Volunteers make a daily telephone check on someone who lives alone or would like the comfort of knowing that someone will make a daily check on them. Volunteers will call their individual every morning by 10:00 a.m. Time commitment is about 15 minutes a day. Volunteers needed to help with the Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Volunteers will help people file Medicare and Medicare supplement health insurance claims. Serve as a health insurance advocate for seniors and help educate people on Medicare supplement and Prescription Drug policy options. The State of Illinois provides a week long training course for SHIP volunteers. Volunteers are needed to assist with tax filing. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) benefits those who file basic tax returns and assists those with special needs, including persons with disabilities, non-English speaking persons and older taxpayers.
Moraine Township Moraine Township offers a wide variety of general assistance including a food pantry, clothing closet, and assessors office. Volunteers are needed to help sort and organize food and clothing donations every week. There are also opportunities to deliver food baskets to seniors and to drive seniors to appointments. Adult Community Transition Program (ACT) 1910 First Street, #307, Highland Park, IL 60035 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 The Adult Community Transitions Program focuses it’s efforts on supporting young adults with developmental disabilities in their efforts to be independent and to contribute meaningfully to their community. ACT offers participants experiences that enhance social relationships, personal growth, self-sufficiency, employment, and volunteer opportunities. ACT is looking for volunteers to speak to participants about life skills and employment. They are also interested in volunteers that can offer tours, demonstrations, or teach tasks.
Another need is for volunteer opportunites for ACT participants. Many are interested in making a difference in the community. Participants have a variety of skill levels and would be accompanied by staff when necessary. Perhaps you would like to provide an opportunity for a volunteer or even for employment. The Josselyn Center Volunteer opportunities:
Lambs Farm Lambs Farm offers a full range of residential, vocational, social, and recreational services to adults with mild to moderate developmental disabilities. Lambs Farm is looking for volunteers to provide administrative help, gardening, work in the thrift shop of the restaurant, or help with special events. American Indian Center, Inc. (AIC) 1630 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL 60640 Contact: Volunteer Pool of Highland Park 847-433-2190 The American Indian Center serves at the main community center for Native Americans in the Chicago area. The organization strives to address community needs educationally, culturally, and economically, and the overall well-being of community members. The AIC hosts many activities throughout the year including the annual Chicago Powwow in November. AIC offers volunteer opportunites year round in it’s after school program, maintenance, food pantry, and administrative offices. They also need volunteers to help with the annual Powwow and other special events. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lake County. Family Service Family Service seeks to be the leader in providing effective, responsive and innovative programs of human services. Family service assists individuals, families and communities in positively adapting to the ever-changing landscape of today's society. It is committed to the people it serves, to advancement of the field of practice and to proactive identification and response to changing societal needs. Volunteers needed for: Bilingual tutoring of children and teens; leading a recreational activity or teaching a bilingual educational workshop at Nuestro Center; serving as a board member on one of four boards; joining an ad hoc committee for special events, such as our annual board meeting or fundraising benefit; providing time-limited, task-specific administrative support, such as filling in for secretarial staff on vacation, serving as a computer programmer, grant writer, archivist, agency photographer or newsletter reporter. In the summers, Nuestro Verano summer camp always needs assistance in chaperoning field trips around the Chicagoland area. We are in the early stages of assembling an 80Th Anniversary Committee to plan and celebrate events during 2010…lots of creative room! We have a number of Board Members whose terms are expiring. We’re most in need of volunteers with sales and marketing backgrounds. The Firehouse Youth Center High School volunteers are needed for weekly one-on-one tutoring after school for middle school students. High School volunteers are needed to work with students in the Study Room, Monday through Thursday from 3:30 – 6pm. Volunteer youth are needed to be Kid Couriers each Friday, along with staff from the Youth and Senior Services to either grocery shop for home bound and older adults or run errands for them. Shopping is the first and third Fridays of the month and errand running is on alternate Fridays at 3:15 p.m. Highland Park Scholastic Chess The Highland Park scholastic chess program currently serves more than 180 students from all eleven schools in District 112. The program relies heavily on volunteers. The program is described at www.hpchess.org, Although only a year old, the district program has already enjoyed considerable success in competition. Volunteers, screened by our advisory committee and the district, are used in two programs. Some serve as coaches and administrators in after-school programs, which meet at four District 112 elementary schools: Indian Trail, Lincoln, Sherwood, and Wayne Thomas. Administrators do not need to be chess players. We are also seeking volunteers to serve in our Mentors Program, in which adult chess-players in the community coach students in the adult’s homes in the evenings or on weekends. These sessions normally run approximately an hour, and parents usually attend. A curriculum and teaching tips are supplied. Students range from beginners to advanced.
Highland Park / Highwood Home Child Care Association Need volunteers to come into homes and do art projects, story times or anything educational that would give the children new stimulation. They also need donations of professional literature to use in their lending library and donations of toys and books to share with home child care locations.
OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring The OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring program places volunteers in the schools to tutor students in North Shore School District 112 during the school day. Tutors work one-on-one with the same student for the entire school year, assisting the child in reading, writing and language skills. Due to the time commitment required, the program is not for people who take extended vacations during the winter months. OASIS also coordinates volunteers for an Internet Mentoring Program, which involves sending a weekly email to a 5th grade student. This opportunity requires only 15 minutes of time per week and is ideal for email-savvy volunteers who have access to a computer. Participants may be snowbirds or homebound. OASIS, a national non-profit organization for people 50 years old and over, is dedicated to education, wellness and volunteerism. The OASIS tutoring program has thousands of participants each year volunteering in 25 cities across the United States.
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