Volunteer

Click the drop down below for a list of current volunteer opportunities!

Women United - Child Care Volunteers

Contact: Moriah at mmorgan@uwstory.org or fill out the form below and select Women United

Do you like working with children? Sign up to play with and provide care for a group of children, infants through elementary school age while their mothers attend financial education workshops. Volunteers will assist children with basic care needs and provide play supervision. Toys and materials provided. 

Ames Public Library

Ongoing

Contact: Amy Divine at amyedivine@gmail.com or Sarah Bohlke at sbohlke@amespubliclibrary.org

INSPIRE is a volunteer based, free tutoring program using the Barton Reading and Spelling System.  The Barton System is a systematic and explicit way to teach reading and spelling designed specifically for kids with dyslexia. The Barton system is designed so almost anyone can easily be trained in the curriculum and begin tutoring right away.  We do not expect our tutors to be experts, but simply people who enjoy working with kids and who are willing to do the training.  You would need to pass a tutor screening that can be done online and takes about 10 minutes.  Then, it would require a commitment of at least two one-hour sessions per week with the student that must all take place at the Ames Public Library, as well as a few hours of online training at home before each unit. A one year commitment is preferred. Contact Amy for more information.

 

MICA Food Pantry

Ongoing

Contact: Jodie Linse at jodie.linse@micaonline.org

MICA needs an array of volunteers to help stock, sort, and more at their pantry located at 230 SE 16th Street in Ames. Room for 1-2 volunteers at a time. Email Jodie for more details!

 

Raising Readers in Story County

Spring 2024

Contact: Hanna Bell at hannabell@raising-readers.org

Story Pals

Story Pals is a program that focuses on helping children who are identified as struggling with language skills in school. This program creates an atmosphere to help create the best learning environment for children, putting them in one one-on-one situations to help them learn through the dialogic reading method. Volunteers are expected to closely follow lesson guides during their sessions with students and promote environments of creativity, fun, and safety. All volunteers are expected to attend sessions twice a week for eight weeks. Morning and afternoon sessions are available. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaozOO67KnGKE5DrzrHznmJmZfF5lef4te6o5hmIugtEcigQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Reading Buddies

Reading Buddies provides free literacy sessions for children who are in first, second, and third grades. Volunteers will meet with students for personalized reading sessions to help each child with their literacy skills. These 45-minute sessions are held twice a week in the afternoon and supervised by RRSC team leads. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScP_iFG7BTh0cVr6MiqDySbbNuIchoGEbPbw6bp5LaY98mpdg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Small Talk

Volunteers assist with childcare during Small Talk sessions, which allows parents to be engaged in educational sessions. These hour-long sessions allow parents to participate in group learning and activities that will help them facilitate language development at home with their children. Small Talk sessions occur on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00 PM at our North Grand Mall locations. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4CAFAB2CABF9C07-46882813-small#/

 

 

The Salvation Army Food Pantry

Ongoing

Contact: 515-233-3567 or Kathy Pinkerton at kathy.pinkerton@usc.salvationarmy.org

The Salvation Army needs an array of volunteers to help stock, sort, and more at their pantry located at 703 E Lincoln Way in Ames. Call or email Cari for more details!

 

YSS

Ongoing

Contact: 515-233-3141

BECOME A MENTOR  |  Make a Difference

As a mentor, you are friend, role model, self-esteem builder and advocate! APPLY TODAY Visit: www.yss.org/mentoring 

YSS Mentoring Offers: 

+ SCHOOL-BASED (Mentors 15+) Serves K-8th grade | 9 month commitment for 30-60 minutes per week

+ COMMUNITY-BASED (Mentors 18+) Serves ages 6-17 in Boone & Story Counties | 12 month commitment for a minimum of 4 hours per month

Becoming a Mentor is Simple:

+ STEP 1 Submit an application

+ STEP 2 Complete and pass background check & references

 

Every year, UWSC coordinates a county-wide volunteer event in conjunction with our campaign kickoff, which is held the Friday after Labor Day. The effort is designed to bring awareness to the agencies and programs in Story County that work diligently year-round to improve our community, as well as encourage the spirit of volunteerism and the important role we all play in making Story County a better place for all. UWSC partners volunteers with agencies around the community to fulfill projects that will help improve programming. Visit our Day of Caring site for more info!

If you are interested in volunteering for the United Way, please indicate your interest below.