The following information was provided by the Community Service Center.
Highlighted Volunteer Opportunities for the week of June 1, 2011:
1. URGENT NEED: Assist with Fun Day in the Park on Friday. In collaboration with Boys’ State and the City of Tuscaloosa, the Boys’ State participants will be doing community service throughout Tuscaloosa this week. On Friday, there will be a finale event at Snow Hinton Park that will involve area kids and families impacted by the tornado. The event will take place from 3-4:30 in Snow Hinton Park and will be open to the public. NBA All-Star Dwight Howard will be a guest at the event. The CSC needs volunteers who can help set up for the event working from 12 noon to 3:00 pm. If you are available, please email Barbara Grimes at [email protected]. We will be back in touch with more details.
2. URGENT NEED: Sign up to assist with Dressing Up! Tuscaloosa Event. New York-based apparel manufacturer Alfred Dunner is donating thousands of new women’s garments to be distributed in Tuscaloosa to tornado survivors June 9-14 at Central High School. Volunteers are needed the days before (May 31-June 8) to help get ready for the event and then to help individuals with their clothing needs during the event. To sign up to volunteer, contact Isa Dorskey at [email protected] or visit the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150223981713297#!/event.php?eid=150223981713297.
3. URGENT NEED: Event Planning Assistance Needed. A local non-profit is working on a celebrity benefit dinner for July. They need help with contacting vendors and planning the event. This would be ideal for students who are interested in public relations and event planning. If you are interested, please contact Wahnee Sherman at [email protected] for more information.
4. URGENT NEED: Assist with Tuscaloosa City Schools Donation Center. Volunteers are needed to assist at the Tuscaloosa City Schools Donation Center on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm to unpack, sort, and organize teacher and student school supplies in order to prepare Fall supplies to fill needs created by the tornado. Stop by (1210 21st Avenue) or email [email protected] to sign up.
5. URGENT NEED: Assistance with Volunteer Reception Center & Volunteer Hotline Call Center. The City is in need of volunteers to help check in volunteers at the Volunteer Reception Center at the McAbee Center and to help answer the City’s volunteer hotline. The hours are M-F from 7 am to 7 pm; Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm; and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. If you would like to volunteer, please go directly to the McAbee Center 3801 Loop Road (take 15th Street/Veterans Memorial Parkway out passed Home Depot. There will be sign for Loop Road/Veteran’s Hospital/UA Arboretum. You will loop to the right and then take a left into the road for the McAbee Center. It is a large building with a blue roof. Please enter the door with the awning over it.) The group of Americorps volunteers who have been working with this for the last few weeks will no longer be available in the near future to assist each day. The VRC & Call Center would love some volunteers who could come on a consistent basis.
6. URGENT NEED: Volunteers to assist Temporary Emergency Services with client services. TES needs volunteers to assist with client services. Volunteers would work with individuals who have been impacted by the tornado to help them get clothing and other items they need through TES. They would like 10-15 students who could work consistently with client services. If you are interested in volunteering at least 5 hours a week, please contact Sharon at 205-758-5535.
Other Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Office Assistance Needed at Tuscaloosa’s One Place: Because of the increased workload and some staff being personally affected by the tornado at Tuscaloosa’s One Place, they need volunteers who can help with answering phones, data entry, and other odd jobs. Please contact Emerald Autrey at 462-1000 or [email protected] if you would like to help.
2. 2 Temporary Emergency Services Warehouses: TES is in desperate need of individuals who can help to sort items at both of their warehouse locations. At the primary location (1705 15th Street), volunteers are need to sort donations. At the secondary location (5510 McFarland Blvd., Northport – Old Foodmax Building), volunteers are needed to unload trucks and sort donations. Their hours are Monday-Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Go by to volunteer or call 205-758-5535 to schedule a time to volunteer.
3. Project Blessings: Project Blessings located at Woodland Forest Baptist Church (6701 Hargrove Road East) needs volunteers to help sort items and help with other recovery efforts. Their hours of operation are M-F from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm. They would appreciate consistent volunteers who can be trained and continue to help. They also have a great need for plastic storage bins if you know anyone who would like to make a donation. The person in charge at the location is Chase Sprayberry. Please check out their website for more information about what they are doing at www.projectblessings.org.
4. Tuscaloosa’s One Place (TOP): Volunteers are needed at Tuscaloosa’s One Place at 867 Redmont Drive, Tuscaloosa 35404 for 2 different programs. (1) Volunteers are needed to work with TOP in partnership with Hopewell Baptist Church (which is next door) to help sort and distribute donated items. Volunteers are needed from 10 am to 5 pm Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays. Please go by the TOP office first and let them know you are there to volunteer. (2) Volunteers are needed to work with participants of their program to work on resumes and apply for jobs online. Students who help should be knowledgeable about computers. Volunteers are needed from 8 am to 4:30 pm on Mondays/Thursdays/Fridays. Please contact Emerald Autry at 205-462-1000, ext.33 to sign up for a time to volunteer. TOP is located about a half mile from the Winn Dixie in 5 Points (From the Winn Dixie traveling on University Blvd towards campus, Redmont Drive will be on your right immediately after Hopewell Baptist Church. TOP is a blue house).
On Going Volunteer Sign Up and Service Locations:
· Temporary Emergency Services on 15th Street needs volunteers to help sort and distribute donations. They are open from 8am – 6pm M-S and Sundays 10am – 6pm. They need your help to sort donations so they can be given to those who need the items.
· Samaritan’s Purse at First Baptist Church downtown is doing volunteer orientations each day at 8 am and 1 pm. You need to go to one of the orientations in order to be placed.
· Warehouse Assistance: The City of Tuscaloosa has opened a new warehouse to house donations that have been given. They need help each day from 8 am to 5 pm to help with deliveries. The warehouse is the Phifer Warehouse located at 2505 Greensboro Avenue. You MUST become a credentialed volunteer through the VRC at the McAbee Center in order to volunteer here.
Important Information:
· Everyone is invited to the City of Tuscaloosa Candlelight Vigil to honor those individuals that were killed or injured in the storm, and acknowledge the selfless service of the heroes that responded in the time of need. The Vigil will take place at Government Plaza at 8:00 pm on Wednesday, June 1.
· The UA Counseling Center is offering a tornado support group for students every Wednesday at 7 pm in the Counseling Center.
· Faculty, staff and students who suffered hardship following the April 27 tornado are encouraged to apply for financial assistance through the UA Acts of Kindness Fund, an emergency-assistance program for UA employees and students. Please go to http://financialaffairs.ua.edu/benfund/ to find the application.
· Individuals who have be impacted by the storm need to file with FEMA to receive aid. You can call 1-800-621-3362 to register.
· Check out the United Way homepage to find out more information about other services available: http://www.uwwa.org/news.html
IMPORTANT NOTE: All volunteers working in the recovery areas can become credentialed through the Volunteer Reception Center (VRC). Credentialing will occur at the McAbee Center, 3801 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa. Hours are Monday through Friday: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. At some point, the City will ask all volunteers to become credentialed, so please go ahead and do this. You can fill out the form electronically at http://www.givetuscaloosa.com/wp-content/themes/premiumpixels/forms/Individual_App.pdf. For more information, please visit http://www.givetuscaloosa.com/.
