Volunteer Opportunities for Houston Teens
A charity that offers “the comforts of home and community” — including meals, accommodations, Jewish chaplaincy, child care, and transportation — to patients who come to the Texas Medical Center from around the world.
Deliver meals, create holiday food or crafts for patients, help care for children of patients or family members, sing holiday songs for patient families, and perform other helpful tasks. Please contact Aishel House for COVID-related updates.
A global non-profit that serves as “the leading force in forging closer ties between Asia and the West through arts, education, policy, and business.“
Help with ExploreAsia or Dances of Asia Summer Camps, or assist with AsiaFest (May). Please contact the Asia Society for COVID-related updates.
A non-profit organization that provides educational services to children and young adults with autism. Services include a year-round day school, a smaller day program for young adults, and three residential group homes.
Help with activities such as games, crafts, and celebrations; assist with special events; help spruce up grounds or facilities; or collect needed items. Please contact Avondale House for COVID-related updates.
A nonprofit that provides weekend meals to elementary school-aged children who are eligible for school lunch programs during the week, but are in danger of going hungry on weekends.
Volunteers may assemble bags of easy-to-prepare food, deliver the bags to the children’s schools, and/or donate pantry items. Please contact the organization for COVID-related updates.
A nonprofit “dedicated to restoring dignity and hope to abused and neglected children involved in Harris County Child Protective Services. BEAR provides basic necessities to the children in care, and support to the caseworkers of CPS.”
Help provide and/or organize donations of basic supplies, holiday gifts, or school supplies, or help with celebrations for youth who are graduating from CPS care. Please contact BEAR for COVID-related updates.
A nonprofit dedicated to bringing birthday parties to children in homeless shelters, group homes, & other disadvantaged situations in Harris and Galveston counties.
Help host birthday parties in Houston, LaPorte, Liverpool, and Texas City; collect gifts or other party supplies; assemble goody bags, make decorations. Please contact Birthday Joy for COVID-related updates.
A “bereavement center offering grief support services to children, ages 3 to 18, and their families who have experienced the death of a child or an adult in their immediate family, as well as programs for grieving adults.”
Help serve potluck meals that families provide, or bring and serve a meal; help supervise children in the playground. Please contact Bo’s Place for COVID-related updates.
A comprehensive crisis intervention and prevention center whose services include a 100-bed emergency shelter, transitional housing for women, permanent housing for adults with disabilities and children in their care, and many other programs.
Projects include collecting needed supplies, organizing the shelter food pantry, arranging activities for children, helping with mailings, and working on annual charity races and other events.
A safe place for children in crisis due to abuse, neglect, or the effects of HIV. Casa de Esperanza provides residential care, and coordinates medical and psychological services according to the needs of each child.
Collect basic needs or items for welcome packages; students may propose other projects.
A free, non-profit health clinic that “shares the love of Jesus Christ while providing whole-person — body, soul, spirit — healthcare to the low-income and uninsured population in our community.”
Projects could include computer work, child care, patient education materials, website updates, organization, and building maintenance. Please contact the clinic for COVID-related updates.
The most comprehensive resource for pediatric hearing loss in Texas, offering health services and “enabling children with hearing loss to reach their full potential by teaching them listening, speaking, and literacy skills.”
Help with Via Colori, the annual street painting festival that supports the Center. Via Colori usually takes place on a November weekend.
A baseball program for boys and girls with physical and mental challenges. The most fundamental goal of the Challenger Division is to give everyone a chance to play baseball and have a rewarding experience, regardless of limitations.
Buddies help their challenged partners by enabling them to play baseball. This might include pushing wheelchair-bound children around the bases or helping the players bat or field the ball. Please visit the Challenger website for COVID-related updates.
An adaptive program for those with a variety of medical, developmental, and intellectual challenges, where all can participate in sports, aided by Buddies, in an inclusive, safe, and protected environment.
Buddies help their challenged partners, enabling them to participate in football, basketball, or cheer. Other volunteers may help with check-in or with other tasks. Please visit the Challenger website for COVID-related updates.
A nonprofit that provides a professional, compassionate, and coordinated approach to the treatment of sexually abused children ages 0-17 and their families and to serve as an advocate for all children in our community.
Collect needed items such as backpacks and school supplies, toiletry bags, Halloween costumes, new books, birthday gifts for therapy clients, therapy graduation gifts, or gifts for the children’s holiday party in December. Volunteers may also help at special weekend events. Please contact the CAC for COVID-related updates.
A museum that delivers innovative learning opportunities for children birth through 12 years of age and serves more than 1 million children and families annually.
Discovery Squad volunteers help with exhibits and programs throughout the Museum. Commitment is a minimum of 75 hours per school year or per summer. Please contact the museum for COVID-related updates.
A multi-ethnic, comprehensive social service agency, working “to bridge East and West by enriching families with educational, cultural, and social service programs.”
Help with week-long summer day camps; must commit to at least 80 hours of service. Please contact the Center for COVID-related updates.
A nonprofit organization that serves “the poor, hungry, disabled, and otherwise needy while respecting their religious, ethnic, or cultural differences. “
Volunteers help CCSC provide food, clothing, school supplies, and Christmas gifts to its low-income clients. Please contact CCSC for COVID-related updates.
A children’s charity (formerly called Elves and More) dedicated to improving literacy in Grades K-3 by rewarding students with new bicycles for achieving better academic performance in the classroom.
Build bicycles in 3 or 4 hour shifts. (Training is provided.) CYCLE hopes to host a spring 2021 Bike Build.
A museum that provides “unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, art, music, stories, and lives of Czechs, Slovaks, and people of all cultures who left their country to seek liberty and democracy in America.”
Help with seasonal celebrations, stuffing envelopes and other office work, gardening, cataloging items, organizing and cleaning, and more. Please contact the museum for COVID-related updates.
A nonprofit agency that works to break the cycles of child abuse and neglect, integrating “prevention, foster care, adoption and post-adoption programs to improve the mental health and physical well-being of children who are at risk of entering or are in the State’s child welfare system.”
Collect and donate new items such as school supplies, holiday gifts, household items, toys, and clothing. The Center provides holiday wish lists and other information. Please contact the Center for COVID-related updates.
A program that “delivers dresses & hope to girls in need & at risk around the world,” including within the U.S. The program is run by Hope 4 Women International, a Christian organization based in Arizona.
Make simple cotton sundresses, hygiene kits, and/or sewing kits from instructions provided; the items are then delivered to needy girls in Central America, Africa, and elsewhere.
A nonprofit that works to “empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools to help women thrive in work and life.”
Help watch clients’ children (ages 4-11) during meetings, which take place about four times a month. Please contact the organization for COVID-related updates.
A week-long day camp for children ages 6-14 with disabilities and their siblings to attend together.
Volunteers work one on one with a camper and act as his or her buddy all week at camp, developing a strong bond. Please contact Easter Seals for COVID-related updates.
A week-long overnight camp for children ages 6-14 with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, at the barrier-free Camp for All. Each day campers participate in typical outdoor camp activities like rock climbing, fishing, paint ball, karaoke, swimming, and many more; all activities been adapted to fit the needs of each camper.
Each teen counselor spends a week at camp with a camper buddy. Please contact Easter Seals for COVID-related updates.
A Saturday morning camp for children ages 6-14 with disabilities and their siblings ages 6-10. It’s a time for kids to have fun while parents take a break.
Spend time one-on-one with a child, doing arts and crafts, playing games, or just having fun. Please contact Easter Seals for COVID-related updates.
An interfaith organization that collaborates to provide temporary assistance in the form of food, clothing, and other basic needs, with an emphasis on serving the working poor.
Organize, pack, and serve food at the food pantry; help at the clothing center; distribute school supplies; and many more options. Please contact the EAC for COVID-related updates.
The mission of the Friendship Circle is to create meaningful relationships between local teen volunteers and children with special needs.
Opportunities include helping at inclusive Jewish and social programs including bowling parties, challah baking, tennis outings, and Shabbat dinners; making regular visits to buddies with disabilities; and assisting with the annual Friendship Walk. Please contact the Friendship Circle for COVID-related updates.
