Volunteer Opportunities for Houston Teens
A day program that provides fellowship, memory care, and wellness for adults with mild to moderate memory loss, and support to their families and the community.
Visit with participants and join them in activities and outings, or participate in the STARS summer internship program.
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A non-profit that works to end family violence by advocating for the safety and self-determination of victims, promoting accountability for abusers, and fostering a community response to abuse.
Assist with office tasks or special events, or help translate for clients.
14. Volunteers must be in – or about to enter – high school.
A Thanksgiving Day foot race for about 15,000 runners; the event supports BakerRipley, the largest community development organization in Texas.
Hundreds of volunteers are needed to help with packet pickup, race day setup, water stations, serving food, and more.
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A city agency that cares for and helps find homes for thousands of animals each year, and provides many other services.
Needs include animal care, help with adoption and other events, foster pantry organization, facility beautification, and administrative help.
13. Volunteers aged 13-15 must volunteer with a parent or guardian at all times. 16 and 17 year olds can volunteer on their own after attending orientation with a parent or guardian. No minor can volunteer with or handle adult dogs.
Each year the nonprofit Art Colony Association produces the Bayou City Art Festival Downtown (fall) and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park (spring) to raise money to support local nonprofit organizations.
Help at the Children’s Creative Zone or Information Booth, take tickets, greet guests, check in volunteers, provide refreshments to artists and volunteers, or take photos. Please visit the Festival website for COVID-related updates.
13. Volunteers under age 18 must have written permission and release of liability signed by parent or guardian and must be properly supervised during the entire shift: one adult, age 21 and over for every five minors ages 13 – 17 and/or one adult per one minor under the age of 15.
A nonprofit that provides services — meals, showers, laundry service, case management, medical and psychiatric care, pro bono legal services, and pastoral care — that “help restore dignity, self-respect, and hope to Houston’s poor and homeless.”
Volunteer activities include helping prepare and serve meals, laundering and folding clothes, and greeting clients.
16 to volunteer independently. Young adults ages 13-15 may volunteer with an adult guardian. Due to safety concerns and liability reasons, no children under the age of 13 are permitted to volunteer.
A nonprofit “dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for friendships, employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Assist with the Friendship Walk & 5K fundraiser in April, or help with event planning in the office.
14 to help at the Friendship Walk, and 16 to help in the office.
A nonprofit that works with teams of volunteers to gather donated books, sort them, and box them for transport. These recycled books are donated to underdeveloped countries around the world to help them create and maintain local libraries.
Help sort and package books in the warehouse, or collect books, especially those in subjects such as health and medicine, social science, and applied science. Currently volunteer groups are limited to ten people. Please contact BFD for COVID-related updates.
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A nonprofit that delivers fresh produce and nutrition education to underserved communities where access to grocery stores stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables is sorely limited.
Help unload and bag the fresh fruits and vegetables that are sent home with families each week, help distribute food, and other tasks. Please contact Brighter Bites for COVID-related updates.
16, with a valid ID. Younger children may assist if a parent or guardian is volunteering as well.
A non-profit organization that is revitalizing and transforming Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. Work includes addition of major destinations, landscaping, water features, and pedestrian bridges in Buffalo Bayou Park.
Groups or individuals can help with gardening, invasive species removal, trash pickup, trail work, special events such as KBR Kids Day, or administrative tasks. Please contact BBP for COVID-related updates.
Volunteers ages 9-17 years are welcome with a chaperone 21 years of age or older. There must be one adult per ten youth present.
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.
In general, volunteers must be 18 to participate in hands-on activities with the children, but volunteers of all ages may collect items. The agency may also consider one-time group projects with volunteers under 18.
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.
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A nonprofit organization that provides “residential, vocational, and day services that promote individual choice, personal growth, and independence for persons with developmental disabilities.”
Assist with campus beautification projects, engage with clients, collect needed items, and/or package gingersnaps and other baked goods for sale. Please contact the Center for COVID-related updates.
15 to volunteer independently. Any volunteer younger than 15 years old must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/teacher.
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.
Volunteers must be in 6th-12th grades.
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.
Volunteers must be in high school.
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.
Volunteers of all ages are invited to help by collecting needed items.
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.
Students aged 14 -17 may participate.
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.
11-15 year olds may volunteer for some activities with an adult. Volunteers must be in high school to volunteer independently.
An historic five-acre cemetery that was founded in 1896 and served as the burial site for Houston’s freed slaves who lived in the historic Fourth Ward. The cemetery was neglected for many years.
Restoration began in 2007 and is ongoing. Volunteers are needed to help with work such as mowing, trimming weeds, and cleaning up litter. Please contact the Association for COVID-related updates.
All ages may help, but children must be accompanied – and well supervised by – an adult. All volunteers must submit a volunteer waiver.
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.)
5. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
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.
13. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must sign your volunteer application.
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.
None, to collect/donate needed items. (Volunteers must be at least 18 to help with the children at the Center.)
A nonprofit organization that is working to clean, beautify, and revitalize the 6-acre Olivewood Cemetery, Houston’s first incorporated African American cemetery, which had suffered decades of neglect.
Tasks include mowing grass, clearing weeds and brush, and planting flowers. Please contact the organization for COVID-related updates.
None. All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult.
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.
16. Parent waivers are required for volunteers under 18.
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.
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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.
16. Younger children may volunteer with an adult; exact age depends on their ability to follow instructions.
The Houston Fisher House provides a “home away from home” for families and patients receiving medical care within MEDVAMC. It is available free of charge to families of Veterans being treated for long-term illnesses.
Provide meals or snacks, decorate for various holidays and bring holiday treats, collect needed items, help enhance the landscaping, and other projects. Please check with Fisher House for COVID-related updates.
None, but volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
