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Volunteer Opportunities for Houston Teens

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Inside the Loop

AMAZING PLACE

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

Visit with participants and join them in activities and outings, or participate in the STARS summer internship program. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16

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AVDA (AID TO VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE)

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

Assist with office tasks or special events, or help translate for clients.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

14.  Volunteers must be in – or about to enter – high school.

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BAKER RIPLEY HOUSTON TURKEY TROT

What Is It?

A Thanksgiving Day foot race for about 15,000 runners; the event supports BakerRipley, the largest community development organization in Texas.

Help Needed:

Hundreds of volunteers are needed to help with packet pickup, race day setup, water stations, serving food, and more. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

15

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BARC

What Is It?

A city agency that cares for and helps find homes for thousands of animals each year, and provides many other services.

Help Needed:

Needs include animal care, help with adoption and other events, foster pantry organization, facility beautification, and administrative help.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

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.

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BAYOU CITY ART FESTIVAL

What Is It?

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 Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

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.

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THE BEACON

What Is It?

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.”

Help Needed:

Volunteer activities include helping prepare and serve meals, laundering and folding clothes, and greeting clients.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

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.

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BEST BUDDIES TEXAS

What Is It?

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.”

Help Needed:

Assist with the Friendship Walk & 5K fundraiser in April, or help with event planning in the office. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

14 to help at the Friendship Walk, and 16 to help in the office.

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BOOKS FOR DEVELOPMENT

What Is It?

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 Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16

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BRIGHTER BITES

What Is It?

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 Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16, with a valid ID.  Younger children may assist if a parent or guardian is volunteering as well.

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BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

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.

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CASA DE ESPERANZA DE LOS NIÑOS

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

Collect basic needs or items for welcome packages; students may propose other projects.  

Minimum Age to Volunteer

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.

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THE CENTER FOR HEARING AND SPEECH - VIA COLORI

What Is It?

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 Needed:

Help with Via Colori, the annual street painting festival that supports the Center. Via Colori usually takes place on a November weekend.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16

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THE CENTER FOR PURSUIT

What Is It?

A nonprofit organization that provides “residential, vocational, and day services that promote individual choice, personal growth, and independence for persons with developmental disabilities.”

Help Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

15 to volunteer independently.  Any volunteer younger than 15 years old must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/teacher.

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CHALLENGER BASEBALL – WEST UNIVERSITY LITTLE LEAGUE

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Volunteers must be in 6th-12th grades.

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CHALLENGER FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, & CHEER

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Volunteers must be in high school.

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THE CHILDREN'S ASSESSMENT CENTER

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Volunteers of all ages are invited to help by collecting needed items.

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CHILDREN’S MUSEUM HOUSTON

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

Students aged 14 -17 may participate.

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CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER (CCSC)

What Is It?

A nonprofit organization that serves “the poor, hungry, disabled, and otherwise needy while respecting their religious, ethnic, or cultural differences. “

Help Needed:

Volunteers help CCSC provide food, clothing, school supplies, and Christmas gifts to its low-income clients.  Please contact CCSC for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

11-15 year olds may volunteer for some activities with an adult.  Volunteers must be in high school to volunteer independently.

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COLLEGE MEMORIAL PARK CEMETERY ASSOCIATION

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

All ages may help, but children must be accompanied – and well supervised by – an adult.  All volunteers must submit a volunteer waiver.

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CYCLE HOUSTON

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

Build bicycles in 3 or 4 hour shifts.  (Training is provided.) 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

5.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.

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CZECH CENTER MUSEUM HOUSTON

What Is It?

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 Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

13.  If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must sign your volunteer application.

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DEPELCHIN CHILDREN’S CENTER

What Is It?

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.”

Help Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None, to collect/donate needed items. (Volunteers must be at least 18 to help with the children at the Center.)

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DESCENDANTS OF OLIVEWOOD, INC.

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

Tasks include mowing grass, clearing weeds and brush, and planting flowers.  Please contact the organization for COVID-related updates.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None.  All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult.

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DRESS FOR SUCCESS HOUSTON

What Is It?

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 Needed:

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.

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16. Parent waivers are required for volunteers under 18. 

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EASTER SEALS GREATER HOUSTON – FAMILY DAY OUT

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16

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EMERGENCY AID COALITION

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

16.  Younger children may volunteer with an adult; exact age depends on their ability to follow instructions.

 

 

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FISHER HOUSE – MICHAEL E. DeBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER

What Is It?

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.

Help Needed:

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. 

Minimum Age to Volunteer

None, but volunteers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

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