By Betsy Seidel
For the Grays Harbor News Group
Have you ever wanted to volunteer your time and talents but didn’t know where to go? You are lucky because now you can do “one stop shopping” this Saturday, Oct.19, to see representatives from 32 local non-profit organizations that depend on volunteers.
The 20th Annual Volunteer Opportunities Fair will be at the Hoquiam Elks at 624 K Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can talk with these representatives who will give you pamphlets that explain how to volunteer with their organizations. Feel free to ask questions! At that time you can sign up to volunteer with them, or you can just take home the information and contact them later.
“This is a great way for students who need community service hours to graduate or for adults who are looking for fun and interesting ways to give back to their community to find different volunteering options,” said Betsy Seidel, Fair Coordinator. “Whether you like working with adults, children, animals or inanimate objects, these organizations’ representatives would love to talk with you on Saturday. You can choose how much time you give — daily, weekly, monthly or even once a year. When you volunteer, you gain so much more than you give.”
Pat Anderson of Grays Harbor Radio and Dave Haviland of Jodesha Broadcasting will be recording sound bites live and also for future airing on National Make a Difference Day. They will interview the representatives, so if you can’t make it to the Hoquiam Elks on Saturday, be sure to listen to those radio stations to learn more about the 32 non-profit organizations.
Several folks have made this fair possible. A big thank you goes to the Hoquiam Elks for donating the space, tables and chairs. Grays Harbor Radio, Jodesha Broadcasting, and The Daily World for helping promote the fair; Angela Endres for creating the posters and Courtney Mills from Rayonier making signs for new participants. Aleah Clevenger and Brooke Haskey of Wishkah High School will be great helpers with setting up the room and helping the representatives get to their radio interviews. Stafford Creek Corrections Center’s Inside/Out Group and Branwyn Mansford printed the Volunteer Opportunities in Grays Harbor brochures which will be available during the fair. Inside the brochure you’ll find 111 local organizations with their contact information and needs for volunteers. It’s a handy guide to keep year-round.
Non-profit organizations scheduled to be at the Volunteer Opportunities Fair:
Aberdeen and Hoquiam Senior Nutrition
Aberdeen Police Department V.I.P.’s
ARC of Grays Harbor
Cancer Resource Center
Canine Reading Buddies
Catholic Community Services Feed the Hungry
Catholic Community Services Volunteer Services
Child Evangelism Fellowship
Connections “A Center for Healthy Families”
Driftwood Players
Family Promise
Friends of the Hoquiam Library
Grays Harbor Democrats
Grays Harbor Neighborhood Watch Programs
Grays Harbor Republican Party
Habitat for Humanity
Harbor Association of Volunteers for Animals
Harbor Include
Harbors Home Health and Hospice
Heart and Hands Pregnancy Care Center
Hoquiam Elks
Hoquiam Police Department Crime Watch
Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
National Alliance for Mental Illness
North Beach PAWS
Olympic Area Agency on Aging
PAWS of Grays Harbor
Pacific Care Center
Retired Senior Volunteer Program
The Polson Museum
The Salvation Army
YMCA of Grays Harbor
In addition to learning about volunteering, you can enter a raffle for an afghan made by Harbors Home Health and Hospice. There will be dogs from Canine Reading Buddies of Grays Harbor and kittens from PAWS of Grays Harbor, Harbor Association of Volunteers for Animals, and North Beach PAWS. Books to buy will be available from the Friends of the Hoquiam Library. Also, the Hoquiam Elks will be selling yummy cheeseburger baskets for only $8.
If you have any questions about the Volunteer Opportunities Fair, contact Betsy Seidel at 360-533-5968 or betsycamel@gmail.com. See you at the Hoquiam Elks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.