HOLIDAY GIVING & VOLUNTEERING GUIDE. A THRIVING COMMUNITY FOR ALL hwmuw.org

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1 HOLIDAY GIVING & VOLUNTEERING GUIDE

2 ARBOR CIRCLE Arbor Circle Adopt-A-Family Accepting sponsor profiles now through November 30th, matching first week of December, with delivery by December 21st. This is a great chance for your family, business or community group to adopt a family for the holidays. You will be provided with a family profile and a list of gift ideas. You will then coordinate delivery with the family s Arbor Circle case worker or clinician. Contact Janelle Hill, jhill@arborcircle.org or x1238 to complete a sponsor profile. Learn more about other opportunities to get involved here: BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GRAND RAPIDS New hats, gloves, scarves and socks needed for children age 6-18 this winter. Visit for more information or call ext 111. COMPREHENSIVE THERAPY CENTER Wrapping for Reading Wednesday, December 14, 9:00am-3:00pm Location: Comprehensive Therapy Center, 2505 Ardmore SE, Grand Rapids, MI CTC donates small libraries to families of children with disabilities who live near poverty level, and we need volunteers to wrap them. Donations of wrapping paper, bows, and brand-new books also welcome! Contact: Summer Wright, (616) or swright@therapycenter.org D.A. BLODGETT ST. JOHN S Thanksgiving Wishes Needs for Families: November During the month of November, we would like to grant unique wishes for the families and children we serve. Wish examples include funds for medical needs or helping families with home repair. To see a full list of wishes, visit dabsj.org and search Thanksgiving Wishes. Or contact Megan Zars at mzars@dabsj.org. Giving Tuesday: November 29 Help us provide horse therapy for kids in need! #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. Join the movement by celebrating generosity and helping kids. To make a financial donation visit Christmas Wishes Gifts for Kids: December If you are interested in providing Christmas gifts for a child in need, please contact us. You will be given a list from a child of their specific wishes! To donate a gift, contact: Shelly Friend (Leonard Campus) at or sfriend@dabsj.org. Megan Zars (Knapp Campus), mzars@dabsj.org.

3 DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING SERVICES Youth Program s Signing Santa December 6 from 9AM-12PM, then 1PM-3PM. Also, December 10 from 11AM-1PM Gift wrapping Children s Gifts December 6, then on December 10, be Santa s helpers. KidSigns@deafhhs.org FAMILY PROMISE OF GRAND RAPIDS Family Promise Christmas Store Friday, December 9th 4:30-9:00 pm Family Promise of Grand Rapids is hosting their 5th Annual Christmas Store on Friday, December 9th at Cornerstone Church Heritage Hill in downtown Grand Rapids. We invite our families to shop at a store which allows parents to pick out their own gifts for their kids, be the hero in their children s lives, and have pride and dignity about the fact that they purchased gifts for their kids on their own. It is a fun-filled evening that allows the kids to do a Christmas craft and decorate cookies while parents shop, and provides a homemade Christmas-style meal to our families! GRAND RAPIDS CIVIC THEATRE Did you know that each production at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is created almost entirely by volunteers? Whether you are interested in helping with costumes, set-building, production crew, lighting, sound, makeup, audience hospitality, or more, there s a volunteer role for you at Civic Theatre! Volunteer opportunities are flexible to meet your schedule ranging from weekly, monthly, or as-needed. Visit our website at to learn more. GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY Grand Rapids Symphony offers a variety of volunteer opportunities during the holiday concert season. Volunteer to assist our patrons with their pre and post-concert needs and enjoy celebrating the holidays with the Symphony. This year s holiday programs include The Snowman on Saturday, November 19, MercyMe on Tuesday, November 29, and The Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops Concerts on Friday, December 2. Volunteer information and sign up: Volunteers can participate the night of the store and/or we need toys of all age ranges are available at the store, along with household items and gifts cards so families can purchase clothing for their kids. If you are interested in donating to the store, you will be given information on household items, gift cards, and the gender and age range of toys still needed. Contact: Kelsy Vining, kelsy@familypromisegr.org HEART OF WEST MICHIGAN UNITED WAY Adopt-A-Family Adopt-A-Family is a seasonal program matching families in need with caring sponsors across the community. Sponsors are provided with the family s Wish List and purchase gifts to help brighten their holiday. Families are identified by Head Start of Kent County and matches are coordinated by Heart of West Michigan United Way. Join the army of seasonal supporters today! Sign up at /adoptafamily

4 KINDRED HOSPICE (formerly Gentiva Hospice) Christmas Cookies for Families with Hospice Description: looking for groups to make small plates of holiday treats/cookies to give to our families of patients. Holiday is stressful and this small homemade treat is greatly appreciated by our families (Need 100 small plates of goodies). If interested contact Marrilee Chamberlain, Manager Volunteer Services, or call MEADOWLAWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Santa Shop Thursday, Dec 8 and Friday, Dec 9, 9am-4pm We need about volunteers to help students one on one with shopping, (staying within their budget) and wrapping their purchases. This will take place at Meadowlawn Elementary in Kentwood, MI. Adopt a Family November 28-30; December 1-9 and 15; We need individuals that are interested in adopting a family. The November dates are the dates that families will be assigned. December 1-9 are the dates that gifts can be dropped off. December 15 is the date that all items will be distributed to the families. Kristen Moss Community School Coordinator Phone: ext Kristenmoss@Kentwoodps.org MEL TROTTER MINISTRIES Adopt -A- Room Help make people who are experiencing homelessness feel more at home with adopt-a-room. Volunteers are able to give some TLC to rooms for men, women and families who are staying at the Mission by cleaning, organizing and stocking the rooms with necessary items. Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Paula Seales at paulaseales@meltrotter.org for more information. NORTH KENT COMMUNITY SERVICES, ROCKFORD MI Preparing for our Annual Christmas Store Sorting donations and organizing for event. Tuesday, December 13, 8:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 14, 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Preparing for our monthly Senior Pantry and Monthly commodities distribution (prepare over 700 bags of food for participants of these programs who live throughout northern Kent County). Wednesday, December 7 all day minimum 2 hour commitment. Contact: Cassie LaMacchia, cassie.lamacchia@nkcs.org or PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER OF GRAND RAPIDS Opportunities to bless expectant moms and babies: Gifts may be provided November 1 - December 15 Please consider giving some joy to an expectant mom who needs community support during a difficult time in her life. Your family, your office team, or your small group can do some good this holiday season by creating a Pamper Me Mommy Gift Bag or providing prenatal support gifts to a mom who could use a little holiday cheer. PRC web link for details: RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF WESTERN MICHIGAN The Holidays can be a stressful time for families who have to be away from home due to a child s medical or mental health illness. Join our team of Holiday Cookie Bakers and help us provide the Holiday spirit to families when they need us most. Dates: Flexible in November and December

5 SALVATION ARMY OF KENT COUNTY Breakfast with Santa Saturday, December 10, 8:15am to 12:30pm Help provide a great holiday meal to young families at our Little Pine Island Camp! Location: The Salvation Army Little Pine Island Camp & Retreat, 6889 Pine Island Drive NE, Comstock Park Volunteer Tasks include: registration, plate service, table & drink service, coat room, craft activity aid, parking attendant, photographer assistant, and post-event clean up. Breakfast available for volunteers. Sign up online at Kent County Volunteer Services, x1178 Kentcounty_volunteers@usc.salvationarmy.org Angel Tree Toy Drive Different Dates and Locations from December Help our Angel Tree program provide gifts to over 6,000 children in Kent County this Christmas! Volunteers are needed to help collect and sort gifts, and assist at distribution. There are many different jobs available over several days and shifts. Red Kettle Bell Ringing Different Dates and Locations from Nov.11- Dec. 24 Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to ring bells for two to four hour shifts at one of several locations in the Kent County area. The proceeds that are raised during this Kettle Campaign are used to fund local programs throughout the year. SAMARITAS NEW AMERICAN SERVICES Refugee Resettlement Winter Coats, Boots & Blankets Drive November 1st- February 1st Many refugees arrive in the US unprepared for Michigan s harsh winters. We will be accepting clean, gently used adult and children s jackets and boots as well as blankets to be given to families. Participants can organize a drive in their community or drop them off directly to our local office 207 E. Fulton St. Grand Rapids MI Contact Rebecca Walsh rwals@samaritas.org or Troy Howley thowl@samaritas.org for more information. Grand-Rapids Holiday Food Baskets Protein Donation Dates: through December 15 Each year, SECOM partners with Access of West Michigan and the Holiday Giving Network to provide Christmas meals to over 1,000 families throughout Kent County. Families may sign up during pantry hours and come shop for their holiday meal on designated dates. Donations of proteins such as chickens, turkeys and hams are always needed in order to complete a healthy holiday food basket. Donations will be accepted until December 15th and may be directed to Eleanor Moreno, Director of Neighborhood Services. Contact: Eleanor Moreno, or pantry@secomresourcecenter.org THE OTHER WAY MINISTRIES Christmas Store The gift drop-off date is Monday, December 5 from 9 am - 12 pm; different drop-off times can be arranged. Donations for the program are also welcomed. The program itself takes place December 7-9, but is not open to the public. For 25 years, The Other Way Ministries has hosted the Christmas Store, a neighborhood-wide program committed to giving low-income parents the Gift of

6 Dignity at Christmastime. By volunteering at their child's school or at The Other Way, parents earn credits that can be used to purchase new gifts for their child(ren). These gifts are donated by generous local businesses, churches, groups, and individuals. To see the gift list and other information, visit theotherway.org/christmasstore. If you have any questions, would like to commit to donating gifts (estimated donations are always appreciated!), or would like someone from The Other Way to speak to your group about The Christmas Store, please contact Megan at or (616) ext UNITED WAY KENT COUNTY TAX CREDIT COALITION Volunteer Tax Preparer KCTCC s tax preparation program utilizes approximately 200 volunteers each year ranging from Steelcase s finance department, to GVSU students, to local church groups. Every year, beginning in December and continuing until mid-january, volunteers receive training from KCTCC and certification from the IRS to help prepare basic tax returns for their neighbors. The concept is to provide local taxpayers with free tax return preparation by volunteers, accounting students or other professionals, in an effort to provide both a valuable community service and a powerful hands-on learning experience for the preparers. Be a part of this great work by becoming a volunteer tax preparer. No experience necessary. Short-term commitment. We will train you in basic tax law and the IRS will certify you for free! Learn more at /kctcc UNITED WAY SCHOOLS OF HOPE Volunteer Reading Tutor Every school year, we pair hundreds of public school students who are behind in reading with Volunteer Reading Tutors who work one-on-one with them for 30 minutes each week. Volunteer Reading Tutors are trained and matched to a student by our Volunteer Center staff. A typical tutoring session includes five minutes of vocabulary review, twenty minutes of reading, and a five minute activity. Many volunteers can easily fit a tutoring session in their lunch hour! Learn more about volunteering as an individual, with your coworkers, or adopting a school at /soh. WELL HOUSE Holiday Meal Making Weekdays in November & December. Well House provides community living housing to people who are homeless. Throughout the year we provide classes, meals, and activities to promote community between tenants. Volunteers are welcomed in to cook for all our tenants or just a single house. Sharing a meal is a great way to meet new people and learn about what Well House offers. Interested volunteers should contact Danny at danny@wellhousegr.org. You can learn more about our program through Facebook at or through our website at WEST ELEMENTARY IN WYOMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS Adopt-A-Family We have many families at West Elementary with extra needs around the holiday time. We would like to send families off to the holiday break with some necessities and gifts for the kids. If your family, church, or organization is able to sponsor a family (or several!), please contact us! The program runs 11/28-12/21. Erika VanDyke, KSSN Community School Coordinator, , vandyke@wyomingps.org