With the school year ending and the warm breezes of summer upon us, this is the perfect time to consider volunteering.

As the seasons change, so does the complexion of the hundreds of volunteer opportunities in the community. For instance, it’s only during the summer months that one can volunteer to be a mascot or a play-by-play announcer for the Sheboygan A’s. 

It’s only between June and October that you can give of your time at SCIO’s Farmer’s Market information tent in Sheboygan and Plymouth. Nourish is also in need of volunteers to assist with their tent at the Farmer’s Market as well.

Beginning June 22, the Sheboygan Area School District’s Summer Nourishment program will get underway. This program provides breakfast and lunch to 650 area children annually.  They are still in need of many volunteers to help them serve meals at their sites. The Boys and Girls Club is organizing these volunteers.

The American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life is coming up July 17 – 18. That event is not possible without the help of many volunteers and they are still seeking more caring individuals to assist.

On July 29 the Sheboygan County Housing Coalition will once again take on the biannual Point in Time Homeless Count.  It takes a large crew of volunteers, who are partnered with staff, to spread out and canvas the county looking for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Volunteers will help count persons residing on the streets, in campgrounds, under bridges or similar places.   

You can’t live in Sheboygan and not know about Brat Days! The Sheboygan Jaycees are still in need of volunteers to help at the food/soda stands, beer stands and wrist band areas.

We can’t forget about Mental Health America’s need for volunteers to help them staff their booth at the Sheboygan County Fair later this summer either. They are looking for people to volunteer in pairs to help youth and adults play small games for prizes.

These are just some of the great ways you can have an impact this summer. All of these opportunities and so many more can be found on our website at www.uwofsc.org/volunteer. From there you can click on “Volunteer Opportunities” and look through the plethora of needs to find one that is perfect for you.  For kids out of school, all opportunities listed indicate the minimum age that can volunteer, so be sure to seek those opportunities out.

Don’t get too comfortable with the United Way Volunteer Center website though, because on June 15 we are going to make it even easier to volunteer. Our website will be undergoing an upgrade and will have a completely different and simplified look to it. Navigation of the site will be greatly improved but the best part is…we will have a mobile application. Yes, beginning on June 15, you will be able to respond to volunteer needs right through your phone!  More on that coming soon.

Here at United Way of Sheboygan County, we envision a community where everyone has a quality education that leads to a good job, enough income to support a family through retirement and good health. These are the building blocks of a successful life.  Not only do we invest in many programs in the community that effectively and efficiently address education, income and health; through the Volunteer Center we seek to invest human power into the community as well.  There is not one nonprofit organization that can achieve its mission without the help of volunteers. 

You really do make a difference when you give of yourself.  Give it a try. www.uwofsc.org/volunteer