Guest post by Dannon Eubanks, Volunteer Odyssey Director of Community Engagement
Because of the ever-present and ever-growing need for more volunteers, Volunteer Odyssey is launching a Summer of Service campaign.
this is the first somewhat-normal summer we’ve had in years.
The pandemic has not spared anyone from hardship, both emotionally and financially—and that absolutely rings true for our local nonprofits who work to feed, house, mentor, love on, and advocate for our neighbors.
For the next three months, we are focusing on three different areas to make it an impactful summer of service:
- Arts & Education,
- Environment & Conservation
- Hunger & Homelessness
We encourage you to find an area you’re passionate about working in or try something new! Whether you volunteer one time or every week, your help is needed, your time is valuable, and your impact is important.
July’s focus for your summer of service is Arts & Education!
Here are six of our nonprofit partners working diligently to meet community needs through their Arts and Education programming:
They encourage community members to explore their creativity and engage with nature through integrated indoor/outdoor creative programs and activities. Volunteers are needed to help with their events, to act as a docent for open gallery hours, and other tasks, too!
The Carpenter Art Garden is working towards this end by creating meaningful and impactful after-school programming that nurtures the talents of neighborhood children. Volunteers are needed to assist in their fruit and vegetable gardens, to bike with their after-school program, and other mission-critical activities.
Every night they host a concert or event, the Overton Park Shell strives to offer a diverse experience that draws in music-lovers of all kinds. Volunteers are needed to monitor a number of tasks and areas, such as the donation bucket brigade, their merchandise table, the puppy-friendly area, and more.
GPAC presents world-renowned performing artists in a variety of genres, year-round educational activities for all ages, rotating visual art exhibits and a variety of community events. Volunteers are needed to assist with their shows—to greet, direct, and assist guests.
Their main volunteer needs are with their Y on the Fly experience which delivers food, education, books, games, physical activity, swim safety lessons, and enrichment activities that are designed to encourage learning and inspire imagination. The program contains a mobile unit that is designed to deliver programs and services to youth in neighborhoods throughout our communities that currently are unable to take full advantage of YMCA programs and services.
WYXR strives to share and preserve music of all genres and eras curated by local music lovers, with a tilt toward the legacy and current scene of Memphis music. With your help, they can continue to report on matters of local concern with thorough yet straightforward news and cultural programming, and educate about various topics featuring points of view from an array of ethnic and socioeconomic segments of the community.
Want a peak at the nonprofits that will be featured over the next two months?
Think Wolf River Conservancy, Friends for Life, Shelby Farms Park, V&E Greenline, Dorothy Day House, and many more.
Ready to get started?
Click here to begin your Summer of Service!
