Volunteer Opportunities at Local Agencies

The Volunteer Committee of the Women's Fund has collected information on agencies and institutions serving women and girls that seek volunteers year-round. For additional information or to get involved, please contact these organizations directly at the telephone number or e-mail address listed.

Location	Agency	Volunteer Needs	Contact	Telephone	E-mail	Web site
Albany	American Red Cross of Northeastern New York	Disaster response and planning; teaching courses; receptionists; general office work; data entry; event planning; building maintenance; staffing blood drives; fundraising; provide telephone reassurance to elderly; nursing home ombudsman.	Gary Striar	518-458-8111 x3015	striar@redcrossneny.org	www.redcrossneny.org
Albany	Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region	One-to-one mentoring with children in Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, and Rensselaer counties. Volunteers also serve on their Board of Directors and assist with special events (fundraisers).	Jenn Hyde	518-862-1250 x11	jenn@bbbscr.org	www.bbbscr.org
Albany	CareerLinks	Newsletter mailings; short-term computer training; presenting on employer expectations; provide internship opportunities; one-on-one tutoring; act as mentors for young women and young men.	Marsha Lazarus	518-465-4337 x11	mlazarus@careerlinksinc.org
Albany	Daughters of Sarah Senior Community	Run the gift shop; friendly visitor; assist residents with transportation to beauty shop, barber, and activities; read to residents, take residents for walks outside.	Shannon Lawler	518-724-3290	lawlers@daughtersofsarah.org	www.daughtersofsarah.org
Albany	Family and Children's Service of the Capital Region, Inc.	Volunteers work on their crisis helpline at Samaritans Suicide Prevention Center, compassionately listening to and talking with callers who may be depressed, lonely, going through a crisis or feeling suicidal. Volunteers are also needed with other skills: marketing, fundraising; racially/ethnically diverse board members are also needed to serve on their board.	Jill Ordonez	518-462-6531 x126	jordonez@fcscapitalregion.org	www.fcscapitalregion.org
Albany	HATAS (Homeless and Travelers Aid Society	Public relations; fundraising; special events (committees and details); soliciting in-kind donations and sponsorships; Table Captains for events; clerical duties; office cleaning; maintenance projects; ambassadors (inviting people to tour HATAS and 'friendraising' - introducing people to HATAS). They would also like help to finding funding to start a mentoring program; once that mentoring program is developed, they would consequently need mentors who can speak about personal finance and budgeting, getting a job, relationships, healthy habits, etc.	Natasha Pernicka	518-463-2124	npernicka@hatas.org	www.timesunion.com/communities/hta
Albany	St. Anne Institute	Donating gifts or money for holidays, birthdays, and projects (including tickets for movies and shows, books, sports equipment, games, etc.); Corporate "DID" (Done in a Day) projects are available for groups. Also need volunteers to present programs/trainings with students and/or staff.	Patricia V. Leonard	518-437-6567		www.stanneinstitute.org
Albany	The League of Women Voters	Voter registration, public relations, data entry, bulk mailing, education, advocacy; also need help with the Student Inside Albany conference and Leader Spark youth leadership training.	Kristen Hansen		kris@lwvny.org	www.lwvny.org
Albany and Schenectady Counties	Literacy Volunteers-Mohawk/Hudson, Inc.	Tutoring of adults in basic literacy and English as a second language; office assistance; help with fund raising events.	Liz Allen		eallen@lvamohawkhudson.org	www.lvamohawkhudson.org
Duanesburg	Duanesburg Area Community Center	Assist with youth, adult and senior programs, including senior arts programs, fitness and socialization, youth after-school programs, teen activities and dances. Help is also needed with special events, such as school plays and fitness events, the Duanesburg food pantry and local community fundraisers, such as the Duanesburg 5K dash.	Patrick Ciraulo	518-356-6400	pciraulo@dacc.info	www.dacc.info
Latham	Gilda's Club	Administrative assistant; IT, data entry; fund raisers/special projects; gardening/outdoor clean up; facilities maintenance. Volunteers need to be sensitive to the needs of cancer patients and their families, and respectful of confidentiality.	Mims Bendall	518-782-9833		www.gccrny.org
Latham	Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York	Teach economic and business programs to students grades K-12; bowl-a-thon volunteers.	Carol Dyer	518-783-4336		www.janeny.org
Menands	Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society	Clerical, cat and dog care, pet adoptions on-site and off-site; fundraising and special events; marketing and public relations (including graphic design); community outreach.	Deidre Bruce	518-434-8128 x206	dbruce@mohawkhumanesociety.org	www.mohawkhumanesociety.org
Niskayuna	Dominican Retreat and Conference Center	Office work, cleaning, bulk mailing, gardening, dining room setup and serving.	Sr. Susan M. Zemgulis	518-393-4169	suezop@hotmail.com	www.dslcny.org
Saratoga	Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County	24-hour hotline volunteers (they provide training); office assistance; fund raising; community awareness projects.	Maggie Fronk	518-583-0280	dvrc@crisny.org	www.cliftonpark.org/domesticviolencerape
Schenectady	Bethesda House	Food service; sorting clothing; assisting guests with phone calls; receptionist; nurse; office filing.	Tom Morley	518-374-7873, ext. 104	tmmbethesda@nycap.rr.com
Schenectady	Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady	Help is needed at all levels, from youth development/mentoring to fundraising, one-on-one tutoring, board service and help with special events. Short- and long-term projects are available.	Thomas B. Cianetla	518-374-4714	thomas0305@juno.com	www.bgcschenectady.org
Schenectady	The Center for Community Justice	Volunteer mediators; CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for abused/neglected children; supervised visitation (volunteers monitor visits between children and non-custodial parents); volunteers with financial and fundraising backgrounds are needed for the Board of Directors.	Laura Zeliger	518-346-1281	lzeliger@thecenterforcommunityjustice.org	www.thecenterforcommunityjustice.org
Schenectady	C.O.C.O.A. House, Inc.	Tutoring (providing academic assistance and homework help in grades 2-6); snack preparation; receptionist; committee members; fundraising (including grant writing); administrative help; volunteers with skills/knowledge of children to help with programming.	Christina Diamente	518-377-4977	christina@cocoahouse.org	www.cocoahouse.org
Schenectady	Hamilton Hill Arts Center	Assist with children in after-school programs; bulk mailing; gift shop help; planning committees for events; chaperone events; make phone calls for fund raising; librarian; newsletter production; plan gallery events; they also need volunteers skilled in communications, retail, computers/desktop publishing and teaching.	Miki Conn	518-346-1262	artsathhac@aol.com	www.hamiltonhillartscenter.org
Schenectady	Hometown Health Center	Copying; pulling and filing charts; answering phones; housekeeping. They need a receptionist who can work 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. answering phones, greeting customers, etc.	Marie Roche	518-688-3435	mroche@hometownhealthcenters.org	www.hometownhealthcenters.org
Schenectady	SAFE, INC. of Schenectady	Help at-risk youth primarily with existing educational and/or social groups (including on such topics as budgeting and banking, cooking, GED practice sessions, etc.); provide a healthy friendship with youth.	Maureen Johnson	518-374-5178
Scotia	Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum	Board and committee members; assembling of activity kits used by museum teachers (they use 50,000+ kits each year); clerical work; fund raising; grant writing; development of new programs; volunteers who can help develop and implement a marketing plan; computer help, including with basic IT needs.	Diana Bennett	518-346-1764	dbennett@thetravelingmuseum.org	www.travelingmuseum.org
Troy, Albany	The Sage Colleges	They use professional women volunteers in the fields of engineering, mathematics and computer science to speak with high school and middle school girls about their professions. Volunteers have also presented workshops on relevant topics.	Tina Mancuso	518-292-1755	mancut@sage.edu	www.sage.edu/rsc/gems
Varies	Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Schenectady County	Master gardeners; 4-H Club members; volunteer program for youth development; board members and program advisors; literacy programs; developing environmental stewards programs throughout the region that will match inter-generational teams throughout Albany, Saratoga, Rensselaer and Schenectady.	Russ Martin		rmm43@cornell.edu	counties.cce.cornell.edu/schenectady
Varies	Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York	Group leaders for troops that meet weekly or bi-weekly; assist with mailings, office reception, gift shop sales. Volunteers who can share expertise with girls, such as on financial education or different career paths -- Girl Scouts have many badges that girls could use help with.	Marianne Blanchard	518-374-3345 x29	marianne.blanchard@mpgsc.org	www.gsneny.org
Varies	Senior Services of Albany	Visit or grocery shop for a homebound senior in your community once a week for an hour or help deliver Meals on Wheels; one-time opportunities for groups are also available.  Volunteers are needed for SmartWorks, a program that matches retirees with non-profits seeking skilled volunteers for high-level projects (one-year commitment).	Bethany Meade	518-432-0813	bmeade@seniorservicesofalbany.com	www.seniorservicesofalbany.com
Varies	The Cinderella Project of the Capital Region	Collect donations at our dress drives, collect donations from local businesses, work at our annual Boutique Days (when we distribute gowns); a volunteer form is available on their web site, www.cinderellaproject.net.	Michele Kuhns		cinderellaproject@nycap.rr.com	www.cinderellaproject.net

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