VOLUNTEER CONNECTION THE NETWORK VOLUNTEER CENTER MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

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1 Serving the City of Las Cruces for over 40 years! VOLUNTEER CONNECTION THE NETWORK VOLUNTEER CENTER MONTHLY NEWSLETTER August, 2016 Volunteer Appreciation Ice Cream Social and Dance!! Volunteers are always ready to serve. AND they re always ready to have fun too! That s why we want to honor our volunteers by devoting our monthly dance at Munson to our volunteers! And the cherry on top is that we ll be having our Ice Cream Social in conjunction with our dance. On Thursday, August 18th, come to the Munson Center from 2:00-4:00 pm and enjoy some relief from the hot weather outside and get some ice cream with all the fixins! Also, all volunteers will get into the dance for free! For those that aren t volunteers, you ll still be able to attend the dance for the normal $3.00 entrance fee, but you ll also be able to visit with the volunteer coordinator, enjoy some ice cream along with other refreshments, and lean about the Network Volunteer Center in the process. In This Issue Volunteer Appreciation Call to Volunteer Victim s Assistance Unit & Food Distribution Volunteer Opportunities Nutrition Education Munson Garden News We appreciate all our volunteers do for the City of Las Cruces. Please come and join our volunteers as we have fun, cut a rug, and share in food and fellowship! Volunteers are encouraged to wear their Volunteer T-shirts and/or name badges. Don t have a volunteer T-shirt, contact the volunteer office at ! Volunteer Appreciation Dance and Ice Cream Social, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2-4 pm 1

2 Call to Action: CIRT Volunteers, Victim s Assistance Unit The Las Cruces Victims Assistance Unit was initiated in in 1993 through a Victims of Crime Act Grant, and eventually was integrated into the Las Cruces Police Department. It provides an array of services for victims of crime including crisis intervention, guidance through the justice system, and referrals to community services. The CIRT (Crisis Intervention Response Team) began in 1999 and utilizes volunteers who have extensive training on how to assist crime victims and navigate the justice system to serve as on-call volunteers during weekend hours, responding to victims in crisis whenever they occur. CIRT volunteers also will attend occasional community meetings and other outreach events. This is not your typical placement with the city, but very rewarding and great for anyone looking to go into the criminal justice field, retirees from criminal justice or social work fields, or anyone wanting to make a difference. The new CIRT training will be taking place in September; we re looking to recruit the volunteers in time for this training! CIRT Volunteers must be 18 years old or older, have a valid New Mexico Driver s License and proof of insurance, have a reliable vehicle, live within or very close to the city limits, be able to pass a criminal background check, and attend and complete a mandatory 40-hour training. Call to Action: Food Distribution Sites at our Senior Centers Beginning on August 24th, City of Las Cruces Senior Programs will be partnering with Casa de Peregrinos and Roadrunner Food Bank to provide food distribution sites at all five of our senior/community centers. The food distribution project will start at Munson Senior Center in August, and gradually add a senior center each subsequent month until all five centers will be distributing food for needy seniors and families. We are very excited to begin this partnership. It will require, however, many volunteers to make it happen! Volunteers are needed for set-up/tear-down, check-in interviews, food line volunteers, and helping with carry out. In total, we will need anywhere from volunteers per food distribution site each month. Groups and individuals are welcome. Contact Ryan Steinmetz at or via at rsteinmetz@las-cruces.com. 2

3 The Network Volunteer Center VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AUGUST 2016 We have lots of places who have been waiting for a volunteer like you! Contact Ryan Steinmetz at rsteinmetz@las-cruces.org or to schedule a time to discuss volunteer possibilities and to sign up for a volunteer orientation. Codes Enforcement Senior Programs is developing a partnership with Codes Enforcement and is looking for groups of volunteers interested in helping with yard maintenance projects to help seniors in need. There are a lot of seniors waiting on this list so this is a Priority Need! Community Development Department The Community Development Department at City Hall is needs volunteers every day from 8-5 serving as a volunteer greeter and receptionist; looking to fill this need ASAP! Human Resources Department A volunteer receptionist is needed on Thursday, July 7th in the afternoon from 2:00-3:30 helping to cover the front desk. Juvenile Citation Program Office Volunteers and tutors/mentors are needed for this important program working with youth in our community. Las Cruces Police Department The Victim s Assistance Unit will be recruiting for a new group of CIRT volunteers (Crisis Intervention Response Team). The new training of volunteers will take place this fall (most likely in September). Volunteers will receive extensive training to help respond to victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes. Many volunteers are needed to help support this program. This is a great volunteer opportunity for those who want to have a profound impact on people in need. It is a challenging placement and is a great professional development opportunity for those wishing to enter careers in law enforcement or social work or retirees with experience in these fields. Museums All Museums There is a huge need for greeters, tour guides, docents, and receptionists for these museums, and on weekends in particular. Museum volunteers are also especially needed for the afternoon hours. Museum of Art Volunteers are especially needed on Saturdays. Railroad Museum Volunteers are especially needed every other Saturday from 12-2, and every Thursday, Americans 4 Arts Study Volunteer Volunteers are needed to help collect arts information for Las Cruces and Doña Ana County. This is a priority need. Senior Programs: General Front Desk Assistant We are in need of front desk assistants to aide the receptionists in providing quality customer service for the seniors of Munson Center Greeters Volunteers are needed to help welcome our guests at the Munson Center to various programming activities held in the building. Tasks include checking in on groups to see if they need anything, tracking participation in various activities, and garnering feedback for Senior Programs Eastside Café Senior Programs is looking to start an Eastside Café selling coffee and pastries in the mornings, much like the Keyboard Café at Munson. Volunteers are needed M-F, from 8am-10am and would be setting up the café and helping to sell items. Spanish Translator Our Senior Programs Office Assistant, Lisa Padron, is looking for volunteers who will help in 3 the Spanish Translation of articles that will be going in to our monthly messenger. Help us make our Messenger more accessible for all of our community members!

4 Volunteer Opportunities August 2016 Continued Senior Programs: Nutrition and Meals Meals on Wheels Respite Driver Help deliver much-needed meals to our senior population. We are in need of a crew of volunteers willing to drive their own vehicles to help with mini-routes that will deliver food to our seniors. (Mileage reimbursement now available). Food 4 Paws Program This program helps to provide dog and cat food and other pet amenities to our Meals-on-Wheels recipients. Drivers priority needed. Papen & Munson Center Volunteers are needed to help at the centers serving meals and helping with clean-up of tables, especially Thursday and Friday. Food Distribution Sites Beginning August 24, Las Cruces Senior Programs will begin conducting monthly food distribution sites for needy families, starting with Munson Center and then adding a distribution site each month until all five centers provide food assistance. The Network Volunteer Center is trying to recruit volunteers for this endeavor. Many volunteers are needed to help with set-up/teardown, check-in interviews, helping on the food line itself, and helping to carry out food bags/baskets for seniors. We are looking for around volunteers per site each month. Groups welcomed. Priority Need Weed and Seed Program and After-School Programs Working with Youth Tutor/Activity Support Working on tutoring and other programming with area youth through Weed and Seed, especially needed for summer hours. Mentor Working one-on-one with a youth matched with you through the Weed and Seed program Office Assistant Volunteers are needed to help run the front desk, organize youth registrations and answer incoming phone calls Community Volunteer Needs Mesilla Valley Community of Hope The Mesilla Valley Community of Hope serves homeless individuals in our community. Volunteers are needed to help serve area homeless individuals and families by serving at the front desk and connecting people to needed services. Roadrunner Food Bank Volunteers are needed to help out in the Las Cruces Roadrunner Food Bank office with either administrative tasks or, on occasion, sorting of food coming from area food drives. Also volunteers are needed for area food distribution sites that are managed by Roadrunner Food Bank. Gospel Rescue Mission Volunteers are needed to help sort and organize clothing at the Gospel Rescue Mission clothing room. Clients of Gospel Rescue Mission as well as others in the community can have access to gently used clothing for general use or for job interviews and back-to-school purposes. 4

5 Conversations on Maintaining Good Nutrition at all Senior Centers Come join our Network Volunteer, Uma Borkar, who has a Master s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, in a series of workshops on Healthy Food Choices, Shopping Tips, and a fun Cooking Demonstration. Participants will walk away from this presentation with several recipes that they can make at home! The presentations will take place in August in two of our centers: FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 12:00 12:30 MUNSON CENTER meeting room 1 TUESDAY AUGUST 30, 12:00 12:30 BENAVIDEZ CENTER game room Presentations at the remaining centers will occur in September Uma Borkar received her Master s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Saint Louis University. Munson Center Community Garden Planting Friday Sept. 2nd! Our garden volunteers are resuming regular garden meetings on Wednesday, August 17th at 10:00 AM. They will be discussing garden plans for the fall. Special Thanks to Nancy Breard, Community Garden volunteer co-chair, who arranged for a Thrivent Action Team Event on Friday, September 2nd! This Action Team Event will take place at the garden from 8:00-10:00 and will provide breakfast & t-shirts for the gardeners and seeds and supplies for the fall! Thanks again to Nancy and Thrivent Finanacial! 5

6 We Want YOU to be a Network Volunteer! Contact Us The Network Volunteer Center is always in need of volunteers to serve their community in many different ways. The Network is open to people of all ages! How can you be a Network Volunteer? It s as easy as 1-2-3! Give us a call for more information about volunteering with the City of Las Cruces! 1. Fill out a Network Volunteer Application. You can find our application online through the City of Las Cruces website, or you can contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Ryan Steinmetz, at the contact information listed to the right. The Network Volunteer Center 2. Attend a Volunteer Orientation. This is a brief orientation that only lasts an hour-and-a-half; it gives you all the tools and basic training you ll need in order to be placed. 3. Get matched to a meaningful volunteer experience. Once placed, you will receive training specific to your placement. 975 S. Mesquite St. Las Cruces, NM (575) thenetwork@las-cruces.org Note: The City of Las Cruces does may require criminal and driving background checks depending on the tasks of the position. Volunteers under 18 will need parental permission and may require parental presence to participate in volunteer service. Visit us on the Web! Ryan Steinmetz, Network Volunteer Center Coordinator July s Independence Day Dance Pictures! 6