Needs From: United Way of Will County

Hi! we need help to walk, play with and clean up after our pups in the evenings

It's the annual DuPage Township Thanksgiving meal delivery to our senior residents.

We need volunteers to help deliver 400 meals to seniors' doors in three separate sites: Greenleaf Apt. and McKenzie Falls in Bolingbrook; and Romeoville Gardens in Romeoville

Each meal consists of a frozen turkey breast, a box of ready to prepare sides and a fresh pumpkin pie. 

We have been doing this for years and we have a great system in place, we just need volunteers to deliver the items to their doors. 

Make a Difference in Your Community—Right from Home!

Are you passionate about your local community and want to help others discover how to give back? We're looking for seeking enthusiastic volunteers to help us update and enrich local pages on Ways to Connect, our national directory of volunteer sites.

Ways to Connect is a crowdsourced platform designed to boost traffic and engagement to local volunteer websites—like this one! With just a bit of online research and your enthusiasm, you can help neighbors easily find volunteer opportunity platforms, service clubs, mutual aid groups, and more—making it simpler than ever for everyone to make an impact locally.

What You'll Do:

Conduct quick, simple online research to identify active service clubs, mutual aid groups, and upcoming volunteer events in your community.

Enhance your community's page on Ways to Connect by ensuring the information is current, accurate, and inviting for potential volunteers.

Optional: Promote your community’s page on social media to help friends and family find a path to service.

Why Volunteer with Inspiring Service?

Easy and flexible: Volunteer remotely at your convenience.

Immediate community impact: Help your neighbors discover meaningful ways to contribute.

Small commitment: Volunteer for as little as 2 hours, or as much as you'd like.

Growth opportunities: Volunteers can explore deeper involvement through our Ambassador program.

Ready to help your community thrive? Join us today and make volunteering more accessible for everyone.

https://willcountycac.org/wishlist/

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow established the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center as a non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable organization in 1995 to provide critical services to children who are victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse, and their non-offending family members. We accept cash, check, or credit card donations to help fund the day-to-day operations. Below is a wish list of in-kind items (must be new and unopened) that donors may provide. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Client & Family Needs

Service & Program Needs

Seasonal Donation Ideas

Sertoma Speech and Hearing Center is a nonprofit organization, a 501(c)(3), dedicated to speech and hearing health care. Since opening our first clinic in 1978, all our patients have received professional care regardless of their ability to pay. From newborns to senior adults, our patients receive the finest diagnostic services, treatment, counseling, rehabilitation, and one-on-one personal care.

Our mission is simple: Connect to, communicate with, and care for one another by providing superior assessment and treatment to anyone who experiences hearing, speech and language disorders so they can Drive the Power of Communication in their lives.

Our ability to fulfill this mission is only made possible because of the generous financial support of all our stakeholders-Sertoma clubs, foundations, businesses, United Way chapters, individuals and you-who invest in us every year. We are in need of Board of Directors to help us keep the mission going.

As the highest leadership body of the organization the board is responsible for • supporting the mission and purposes of the organization • evaluating the performance of the executive director • assisting the Executive Director with strategic and organizational planning • ensuring strong fiduciary oversight and financial management • fundraising and resource development • approving and monitoring Sertoma Speech and Hearing Centers’ programs and services • enhancing Sertoma Speech and Hearing Centers' public image • assessing its own performance as the governing body of Sertoma Speech and Hearing Centers.

Each board member is expected to • know the organization’s mission, policies, programs, and needs • faithfully read and understand the organization’s financial statements • serve as active advocates and ambassadors for the organization and fully engage in identifying and securing the financial resources and partnerships necessary for Sertoma Speech and Hearing Centers to advance its mission • leverage connections, networks, and resources to develop collective action to fully achieve Sertoma Speech and Hearing Centers' mission • give a meaningful personal financial donation • help identify personal connections that can benefit the organization’s fundraising • prepare for, attend, and conscientiously participate in 6 board meetings per year via Zoom/Teams • participate fully in one or more committees.

Please visit www.gacsprograms.org/donategoods/

Do you like helping seniors get the nutrition they need? Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to help at their Cafe, located at Park Tower Senior Apartments at 247 Caterpillar Drive in Joliet.

Volunteers are needed on Mondays and/or Fridays from 11am until 1pm.

If you like helping people and want to enrich the lives of seniors in your community, please contact Jennifer at JCharapata@cnnssa.org.

Thank you!

Can you help seniors in your community? 

Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers who can help us help our seniors throughout Will County.

Volunteer Meal Delivery drivers are needed Monday thru Friday to pick up meals at one of 8 sites we have in Will County and deliver those meals to seniors within that township. Pick-up times are generally between 9am and 10am and it takes about 2 hours to complete a delivery route. Locations include Bolingbrook, Lockport, Frankfort, Joliet (2 locations in Joliet), New Lenox. Monee and Wilmington. Volunteer are reimbursed for mileage incurred while on the route. 

For more information, please email Volunteer@cnnssa.org or call Jennifer at 815-263-7587.

Thank you!

It's like objective mystery shopping and for a good cause!

Testers help us investigate housing discrimination, are paid per test, and work on an as-needed basis.

Testers will pose as a person interested in renting or buying an apartment/home. Followed up by writing an objective narrative of their interaction with the housing provider.

This is a hybrid volunteer opportunity, with in-person and virtual assignments given to those who test with us. All in-person testing is done safely and with pandemic protocols in place (ex: wearing a mask).

All volunteers must attend our virtual, 1.5 hour training before they can begin testing with us. Trainings are held every second Wednesday of the month from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CST.

If you are interested, click the 'I Want to Help' button or email kaitlyn@southsuburban.net

Looking for items to create Healthy Hygiene Bags to promote healthy hygiene habits with families in need.

Items Needed:

Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana are embracing shelter in place and that means Girl Scout activities are taking place at home and through virtual experiences.

If you have a talent to share and can create a simple video then we have volunteer opportunities for you!

Visit our website here to see our current needs and to sign up: http://bttr.im/lkcd8

Volunteers assist with evaluating, sorting, labeling, and packing items such as canned foods, toiletries, cereal, produce, etc. With this help, we are able to distribute the product to our network partners.  Click on the link below to view or current volunteer opportunities. 

https://solvehungertoday.civicore.com/NIFB/index.php?section=volOpportunities&action=calendar

We are seeking a volunteer / intern to work as a Communication Marketing Assistant to increase the creation, maintenance, and expansion of our social media presence.  This is an unpaid position.  

Qualified candidates will:

The Communication Marketing Assistant will be expected to regularly monitor all social media platforms, create and maintain a regular publishing schedule, and work toward increasing the social media presence of JMDMF.

Do you have a couple of hours each month to spare to help make a difference in a child's life?

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentoring agency that matches at-risk youth with a positive adult mentor that they get to spend one on one time with a couple of times each month for just a couple hours doing things that they both enjoy for example....going to the park,  baking cookies, enjoying pizza together, or even playing a sport. 

Be a big today, you can make the difference!!

Meals on Wheels needs your help. Volunteer meal delivery drivers needed for Meals on Wheels in Joliet.  Meals are only delivered on weekday mornings and a route takes 90 to 2 hours to complete.  Volunteers select which day(s) of the week they would like to volunteer.

Meals on Wheels needs your help.  Volunteer meal delivery drivers needed for Meals on Wheels in Frankfort.  Meals are only delivered on weekday mornings and a route takes 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete. Volunteer selects day(s) of the week they would like to volunteer.

Meals on Wheels needs your help.  Volunteer meal delivery drivers needed for Meals on Wheels in Monee.  Meals are only delivered on weekday mornings and a route takes 90 to 2 hours to complete.  Volunteers select which day(s) of the week they would like to volunteer.

Meals on Wheels needs your help.  Volunteer meal delivery drivers needed for Meals on Wheels in Lockport. Meals are only delivered on weekday mornings and a route takes 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete.  Volunteer select day(s) of the week they would like to volunteer.   

Volunteer in our kitchen at the Joliet Meals on Wheels site

Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) - Proyecto de Ayuda para Trabajadores del Campo y Jardineros - is looking for individuals from Will County interested in serving on its Board of Directors. Please find the Board Rules and Responsibilities below. Please note that for the board meetings you can participate by conference call. We have board members from various counties around northern Illinois, who participate remotely without traveling to Chicago. Additionally, our Executive Director, who travels around Illinois, will be able to meet periodically in your area for check-ins. 

The mission of the Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) -Proyecto de Ayuda para Trabajadores del Campo y Jardineros- in Will County is to improve working conditions for low-income landscapers, snow plowing workers, packinghouse workers, cannery workers, restaurant workers, farmworkers, nursery workers, greenhouse workers, meat and poultry workers and their households. FLAP is the only non-profit organization in Will county and the Midwest, and one of just a handful in the United States, that makes sure Latino low-income workers are treated with dignity, and guaranteed their legal rights. While FLAP serves all classifications of workers, it focuses on low-income laborers and their families. 

If you or someone you know may be interested, please contact FLAP at asossa@flapillinois.org.

Learn more about the board: 

Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members


Board Member Roles:


1.Ensure effective executive leadership


2. Protect and increase financial resources
·

 3. Set programmatic and organizational priorities


4. Provide strong board participation and leadership
•

Specific Board Member Responsibilities:


The Salvation Army of Joliet & Will County is looking for volunteers to assist with our mobile food pantry. Our pantry runs on Mondays from 12pm to 3pm. We are looking for support for setup (10am to 12pm), distribution (12pm to 3pm) and clean up (3pm to 3:30pm).

Setup involves collecting and moving equipment and items to be distributed out to our parking for the distribution.

Distribution involves placing the pre-boxed/packaged items in the vehicles without any contact with the recipient. Volunteers will be assigned a station for the distribution.

Clean up involves picking up around your station and returning any undistributed items and equipment into the building. 

Masks and gloves will be provided if needed. Masks must be worn inside the building and during our food pantry. A volunteer health statement needs to be signed upon entering the building and a touchless temperature check will be done. Light, moderate and heavy lifting will occur during our food pantry.

You are welcome to volunteer for any of the designated shifts or stay the entire time.

You can contact Linda Trevino @ 815-726-4834 or linda.trevino@usc.salvationarmy.org for more information or to sign up. 

We operate with a large volunteer staff and gladly welcome new volunteers to help us serve our clients, fill bags in the food pantry, read to children in the Children's Reading Room, work in the Clothing Boutique, assist with general office work, help with computer tasks or stock shelves. At times, we also need volunteers to help with special events.

Even as we all practice social distancing, Girl Scouts is still a place where girls can feel supported and share honest conversations about what they’re feeling. Knowing that they have a mentor and someone that supports them can help. In addition, there are tens of thousands of other troops in this sisterhood that are also figuring things out can be comforting to many girls. Have fun working with a minimum of one other adult to lead a small group of girls in planning, carrying out and evaluating activities in ways that help them develop values, foster a sense of worth, relate to others, and contribute to their community. Flexible time commitment based on your availability and schedule.

Disability Resource Center is currently seeking additional Board Members to support the continued growth of our organization.  Prospective board members should be a resident in Will County or Grundy County, preferably with a disability.  Board experience is not required, but members must be interested in our mission.  We meet every third Wednesday of the month.

Mission Statement

As people with disabilities and their advocates, the Disability Resource Center strives for equality and empowerment of persons with disabilities in the Will and Grundy areas.

If you are interested, please contact Missy Martin, Executive Director at 815-729-0162 or missy@drcjoliet.org.

We operate with a large volunteer staff and gladly welcome new volunteers to help us serve our clients, fill bags in the food pantry, read to children in the Children's Reading Room, work in the Clothing Boutique, assist with general office work, help with computer tasks or stock shelves. At times, we also need volunteers to help with special events.

Peace Village is looking for someone with strong financial acumen to join our not-for-profit board of directors. The Board meets approximately 6 times per year on a Wednesday evening.  Must have a strong passion for senior citizens and the mission of Peace Village.  For more information about what is required, please contact Roger Ellens at rellens@peacevillage.org 

Peace Village is seeking someone who can lead a 45 min chair exercise class for senior citizens weekly on Sunday afternoons.

In need of someone to lead tai chi (chair) for senior citizens weekly or a few times per month during the day.

Our residents love music, so we are looking for talented individuals of any age (can be individual or a group) to play for our Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care residents!  Any instruments or group combination is welcome.  A piano is available for on-site use. 

We are looking for someone who can lead our resident choir (older adults 70+) for 2-3 concerts per year with 2-3 rehearsals per concert.  We do have some materials available, but we are looking for someone who would be able to access materials in large print.  The residents particularly love holiday and patriotic music.  We are also looking for a piano player who can accompany the choir, preferably someone who is able to transpose music into different keys in order to accommodate the varying needs of our residents. 

We are flexible on days of the week, but the group would need to meet during the day.  

Happy Holidays to you all!

As we are nearing the Christmas season, we are in need of as many volunteers as we can get to help us make our Independent Senior Living facility here at Solstice Senior Living in Joliet as festive as possible for Christmas time!

We are in need of happy, helpful, loving volunteers to help put together our Giant Christmas Tree and other decorations inside of the building.

We will "begin" our decorating on Friday, November 23rd at 12pm.

If you are interested, then please give us a call at (815)744-4488 and ask for Albert for more details!
If you can not make it on Friday because you are still celebrating...no problem...just give us a call and let us know what day will work best for you to come out and help make this a Merry Christmas Time for the residents!

Would you like to help a girl change the world?

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award a Girl Scout can earn. Girls undertake large-scale projects on issues they care about and that effect their local, national or international community. The projects typically happen over the course of a year and involve identifying an issue, investigating its impact, getting help, planning, presenting, taking action and educating. 

Our Gold Award Committee members ensure that girls have the tools and support they need to complete these steps and earn this distinct honor. Committee members can help with interviews, serve as mentors, help plan the annual Gold Award ceremony, attend annual committee meetings, and more. This is an ideal position for individuals interested in mentoring, interviewing and advising high school age girls. 

REQUIREMENTS

One of the best ways for girls to learn about new ideas is to hear it straight from someone who really knows their stuff!  Would you consider yourself a subject matter expert on a topic or have a talent/hobby you want to share? Do you want to inspire tomorrow's go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders?

We have created a speakers bureau and are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to share their knowledge, skills and experiences at troop meetings, events and more. You get to choose your time commitment, how far you are willing to travel, group size and age levels.  For more information, visit our website here:  http://bttr.im/0u0ez

Boys & Girls Club of Joliet is seeking volunteers to assist youth members with daily homework assignments. Grades K-8. Tutoring from 3:00-4:30  Monday- Friday, September - May. (No Tutoring experience required) Background authorization required. Volunteers can come as often as 5 days a week, or as little as once a quarter.

This is a great opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of at risk youth in the area!  

Meals on Wheels is responsible for delivering nutritionally balanced meals to individuals aged 60 and older. Volunteers are the very backbone of the Meals on Wheels program. Our Volunteers not only provide a meal, but much needed human contact and friendship to home bound seniors.

Volunteers Drivers are needed. This is an opportunity to spend an hour once a day, week, month, or year delivering meals to seniors in Will County. It is a quick and easy way to give back to your community! Volunteer shifts are typically start at 10:30/11:00 and take an hour.

Seeking volunteer to help Senior clients with gathering documents and information to prepare for administrative cases. Some travel will be required

Exterior and Interior window washing needed at our Essington Office.  Supplies needed for project but will purchase if unable to donate.

Light landscaping is needed at four of our CILA homes in Will County.  Weed pulling, raking, bush trimming and general edging of sidewalk and pathways needed.

Shady Oaks Camp is in need of grounds cleanup (raking leaves, acorns, etc) from now until the first frost. Volunteers are welcome any time during the week and some weekends. We have 35 acres of oak trees and the leaves need to be removed before winter. We are also need of people to help with grass cutting, gutter cleaning, and other outside jobs. In case of inclement weather inside cleaning can be done. 

Shady Oaks Camp is looking for an individual or company to assist with camp maintenance. Our maintenance man is retiring and we need assistance with general repairs, snow removal, and lawn and equipment maintenance. 

Shady Oaks Camp is looking for an individual (or an agency) to fill the role as our camp Treasurer/Accountant. Treasurer is a board position and will require applicant to sit on board of directors (1 meeting a month, usually sundays).  Some of the treasurer's responsibilities include paying bills and filing taxes, organizing summer payroll, and managing accounts.  

Shady Oaks Camp is in search of an individual or firm to assist with marketing our program and working with our board on developing goals (both long and short term) for our organization. Students or interns are always welcome!

Girl Scouts seek First Aid/CPR instructors, currently holding either American Red Cross or American Heart Association to train Girl Scout volunteers in First Aid and CPR.  Girl Scouts use the ECSI format (Emergency Care and Safety Institute) so we would ask interested volunteers to take "crossover" training at Girl Scout expense.  

Are you willing and do you have the time to help train Will County area Girl Scout volunteers?

Will County Justice Access Corps (WillCoJAC) is an innovative program at the downtown courthouse in Joliet that enhances access to justice for the growing number of self-represented litigants (SRLs) by empowering and training student interns and volunteers to assist them as they navigate the court system on their own. People coming to court without a lawyer often do not know where to go, what to ask for or who to see for documents. They may be confused, intimidated and scared. WillCoJAC members serve as guides to help make the courts more welcoming and less intimidating.

WillCoJAC assistance allows SRLs to accomplish the purpose of their visit more effectively. Members receive thorough training, which includes a review of the various activities in the courthouse, available resources and most importantly, the difference between legal information and legal advice.

Responsibilities include:

For more information and to apply, please contact Will County Justice Access Corps Coordinator and Law Librarian Jeane Fillipitch via email at jfillipitch@willcountyillinois.com or by calling 815-774-7887 M-F between the hours of 8:30-4:30.

Exterior and Interior window washing needed at two of our CILA homes in Will County.  Supplies needed for project but will purchase if unable to donate.

The Will County Community Health Center is looking for volunteers to help patients access their emails or enrolling them in patient portal.  We have access to computers onsite but often patients are unsure how to enroll in their patient portal.  The patient portal offers: 

¨ Communicate a non-urgent message to your provider

¨ Request appointments online

¨ Check your lab and test results

¨ Have 24 hour access to your personal health information

 If you have some knowledge of computers, we could use your help.  Volunteers will be trained on how to access the patient portal as well.

The Reach Out and Read program initiated at the Health Center strengthens the link between literacy and a healthy childhood. The Program consists of modeling reading by volunteers in the waiting room, anticipatory guidance for parents from pediatric clinicians who are trained in the importance of literacy, and in strategies to promote books and reading, and finally giving each child a developmentally and culturally appropriate book to take home at each check-up

 The goal is for each child to have 10 new books to call their own by the time they are school age. Volunteers to read to the children in the waiting room are needed to ensure the success of this endeavor. If you are looking for a worthwhile way to give back to your community and show a child the pleasure of reading and looking at books together we need YOU!

At The Will County Community Health Center along with the need for volunteers to read to our patients, we also need donations of books for the children to utilize while waiting to see a provider.  Any donations are greatly appreciated

Trinity Services recently opened a gently-worn clothing store in New Lenox for the people it serves. Volunteers are needed to help sort, size, and display the clothing for sale.

Join one of Trinity Services' fundraising committees to plan our dinner dance and auction (September), Concert Gala (November), golf outing (third Thursday in May), and Trinity Triumph 5K Run/Walk (end of June). Committees meet once a month for a few months prior to the event – only for an hour around at 6:00 p.m. to be respectful of our volunteers’ time. We have a great group of people and it’s always a lot of fun working with them. It’s also a great way for you to expand your network.

Teach a small group of people how to play cards or board games and perhaps start a weekly or monthly game night.

Teach a person or small group to cook, crochet, or make something via Pinterest or an upcycle craft group. Or, teach someone we serve to play the guitar, harmonica, etc.

Minor mending such as repairing hems, replacing zippers, or taking in waistbands on the clothes of the people we serve.

We're looking for a few great volunteers to help in the most recent addition to our Aging & Disability Services Programming -- the Ombudsman Program! Training for the first group of volunteers will happen April 5-7th. Join us and become an advocate for people living in long term care.

Are you 55 or older and interested in visiting with a senior who is homebound? These are strictly friendly, social visits -- no homecare duties are involved. Volunteers who meet income guidelines will receive a tax-free hourly stipend and mileage reimbursement.