Volunteer

Volunteer opportunities, provided by Volunteer! United (formerly Volunteer! Baton Rouge), are outlined in this column every Sunday. To learn more about these opportunities, contact the listed agency directly.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge — [phone]: Volunteers are needed in the surgery waiting room from 8 a.m. to noon and noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, and in the endoscopy waiting room (fifth floor) from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday. Additional help is needed for patient surveys on hospital medical floors. For more information, call the above number.

MAKEUP/MANICURE PARTY, Volunteers of America — Greta Patterson, [phone], ext. 102, or [e-mail]: VOA is seeking help to host makeup/manicure parties held each month at its community home for adults with developmental disabilities. Volunteers teach the home’s women how to apply makeup or simply polish their nails. Extend the party by providing party items/refreshments such as cake, cookies, ice cream and beverages. Volunteers are needed to provide supplies. Dates and times are flexible. Help out individually or with a group. Minimum age requirement in a group situation is 15. If interested, contact Patterson.

SPLASH INTO SUMMER! The Arc of Baton Rouge — Molly Orr, [phone] or [e-mail]: The Arc is seeking volunteers to assist with Splash Into Summer!, a nonstructured recreational swim program for children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Each participant is paired with a volunteer that he or she will work with for the two-week program. Volunteers help their buddies get comfortable in the water and learn basic swim skills and water safety. Most of all, they will have fun. Volunteer training will be held Friday, July 6, and the program will run from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 9-20, at the LSU U-Rec swimming pool. All volunteers must know how to swim; CPR and first aid is not required but recommended. This is a great activity for high school and college students. Volunteers must be ages 15 and up. Registration deadline for volunteers is July 5. Contact Orr for more information.

LOOKING FOR FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES? HOPE Ministries — Lori Pilley, [phone], ext 34, or [e-mail]: HOPE is looking for volunteers to help out in client intake and food pantry areas from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and for food bank deliveries and pantry stocking from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays. This is a great opportunity to make a direct impact on the community for both individuals and groups. Volunteers are required to submit to a background check and provide their own transportation. Contact Pilley for more information.

OUR FATHER’S GARDEN, Church of the Holy Spirit — Father Ernie Saik, [phone] or [e-mail]: Our Father’s Garden is the principal mission of the Church of the Holy Spirit. The church office and the mission and ministry center are located on four acres, along with the garden, where parishioners and local volunteers raise vegetables and fruits, which are given to Southeast Ministries to help feed the hungry. Work in the garden is an ongoing daily event. Volunteers are needed to assist with planting plants, weeding beds and harvesting produce. Age requirement is junior high age or older. For more information, contact Saik.

FOSTER HOMES VOLUNTEER, APAWS (Ascension Parish Animal Welfare Society) — Jeanette Benedetto or Natalie Smith, [phone] or [e-mail]: APAWS is in need of foster homes. Because APAWS does not have a physical location, all of the animals are kept in foster homes until they are adopted. The group’s foster chairs work closely with foster volunteers to ensure that the animals receive the medical care and resources they need until they are placed in their forever home. Contact Benedetto or Smith for more information, or visit the website at http://www.apawspets.org and Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/apaws for updates and event announcements.