www.uwofsc.org/volunteer.  Yes – that’s all it takes to be connected to hundreds of volunteer opportunities in Sheboygan County. Search the opportunities, find the right one for you and click the yellow button that says “Respond to Need.” It’s that easy.

A friend of mine inspired me to talk about the ease of volunteering. I was giving a presentation about the United Way and the Volunteer Center a few days ago. During the presentation I had the United Way website pulled up on the projector and made a point to show everyone just how easy it is to volunteer. Of course I also went on to highlight some of the awesome opportunities available to articulate the diversity of the needs. After the group broke my friend, who was in the audience that day, came up to me and said “I had no clue it was that easy. You should really let more people know how easy it is and also tell them what cool opportunities are out there.” He was 100% correct. Thank you Steve!

There is an amazing collection of diverse ways to share your skills, talents and time. Truly, there is something for everyone to grab onto, because the breadth of needs range from helping the elderly and disabled to mentoring children, to volunteering for events to longer-term clerical work and on and on. To prove my point here’s a sampling:

Flag football coaches need at Boys and Girls Club

Concession stand workers needed during the Sheboygan A’s season

Medical professionals at The Salvation Army Red Shield Free Clinic

Emergency Department Liaison at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center

Caring seniors to tutor children at Foster Grandparents

Event Coordinator at Rebuilding Together – Sheboygan

Fitness Instructor for the Sheboygan Housing Authority

Memory Matters volunteers at The Gathering Place

Musician for Good Friday Services at Pine Haven

Dietary Services (kitchen) volunteers at Sharon S. Richardson Hospice

Friendly Visitor volunteers at Serenity Hospice

Brat Days volunteers at the Sheboygan Jaycees

Cashiers at Bethesda Thrift Shop

Lunch Buddies for Big Brothers Big Sisters

Retail & Warehouse volunteers at Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Shelf straightening at Mead Public Library

Receptionist at Senior Activity Center

Web developer at Horizons4Girls

Museum Docent at Above & Beyond Children’s Museum

Volunteer Ambassador at St. Nicholas Hospital

Board Treasurer at Family Connections

Education Programs Facilitator at Sheboygan County Historical Museum

And there are PLENTY more at www.uwofsc.org/volunteer and many more to come, especially from organizations involved with food distribution, summer events, seasonal schedules and of course our park system.  

Here’s some breaking news: To make things even easier, later this spring we will be updating our website and incorporating a mobile app – imagine enjoying a walk on a beautiful day and having the ability to volunteer during that walk. The only way that gets better is if you get a friend to volunteer too! It’s just that easy.

April 12 – 18 is National Volunteer Week. To honor the week, we have partnered with the University of WI- Sheboygan and the LTC Culinary Institute to bring the community its first Volunteer Fair. Join us on Thursday, April 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Commons Area at UW- Sheboygan. Twenty-six local nonprofits will be there, waiting to meet you and let you know that your skills and talents are needed. This is a great way to get involved if you have been thinking of volunteering. You will be able to learn quite a bit about a diverse group of organizations and choose one or more that fit your passions.  If you show up between 11:00 and 2:00 you can enjoy tastes of the fabulous food that the students of the LTC Culinary Institute prepared to celebrate the event and also honor National Volunteer Week.  Make it a point to stop on by! This event is free and open to all. More details can be found at www.uwofsc.org/events.