Where is a good place to volunteer?

I'm looking for something to add to my resume to help in the job hunt and a lot of people have told me volunteerism is a good one.

I went down to my local SPCA today to volunteer with the upkeep of the animals but they seem to have enough people for the moment. What are some other good ones that you all have given a shot?

My girl suggested the soup kitchen downtown and I'll look into that, but what are some others I should investigate?

1. Soup Kitchen

2. Homeless Shelter

3. Local CASA Hotline (Citizens Against Spousal Abuse)

4. Police Athletic League

5. Local Hospital

There are many more, but these guys always seem to be needing the most people.

You may be doing this for your resume', but I bet you are surprised how good it makes you feel.

Semper

reply to post by semperfortis


Oh for sure, I volunteered a summer at the psych ward at the local hospital and that was a great experience on a lot of levels. I'm looking to volunteer for the primary purpose of gaining experience to put on the resume but undoubtedly there are many other advantages.

The hospital was first place I checked to see if they would take me back, and they put me on a call list, but I think there'd been an influx of pre-med students that have filled most of the positions.

reply to post by ZombieOctopus


Special needs kids
You can volunteer to take them to parks to play sport or movies etc. And they love it!
I have been taking Down Syndrome kids horse riding for nearly 7 years now And was part of the big sister programme for a long time, my kid grew up! We stay in touch
The personal reward will out weigh the resume...Good luck!

From the little I know it's a real nightmare yet jumping through the bureaucracy loopholes (here in UK) to work with kids or other vulnerable/impressionable people - that's a major reason why I personally wont do it even though I really would love to :bnghd:

My mate was once (maybe still is, not seen him in ages) training to be a primay school teacher... He told me things like cos he was male he couldn't pick kids up, hold their hands even a guiding gesture that involved contact...

But his female counterparts could do all that :bnghd: A kid could trip and hurt right in front of him and he had to call over a female counterpart! how beter to kick a fella in the balls?!

But the rewards are there!....

Me I'm thinking about volunteering to maintain things like the country side paths / right's of way - that could be litter picking or path maintenance, anything really, but then again I do live right at the bottom of Dartmoor and I know the place fairly well - you got anything like that in your area?



[edit on 29/12/2009 by Now_Then]

I know that most hospitals can always use volunteers, it may just not be in the exact area that you want to work.

Try local area museums, zoos, and aquariums. If the SPCA is all filled up, also try your local Audubon Society or any wildlife protection areas nearby. Also try your Parks + Rec department, usually they can use people to maintain trails.