What Would You Like To Give?  What Would You Like to Gain?

Before You Start, Know What You Want to Do

Service is a big commitment and incredibly rewarding—both to you and those you serve. Finding the opportunity that best suits your skills and expectations can make all the difference in your experience. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you sign up to serve.

Do you have a passion?

• Do you prefer working with children, young people, or older adults?
• Do you love sports or outdoor pursuits, or would you rather be involved in issues pertaining to local or national heritage?
• Do you care deeply about environmental and conservation issues and want to focus your efforts in that area?
• Are you interested in working in a healthcare or mental health setting?
• Are you motivated by music, art, or culture

How much time can you give?

• Can you serve during the week, or does your schedule limit the amount of time you can commit?
• Can you make a minimum one-year commitment?
• Or would you rather be Done in a Day

What do you bring, or want to acquire?

• What skills do you bring? For example, are your skills and interests more administrative or are you more task oriented
• Are you willing to go through a training program?
• Is service a way for you to get practical training and experience to help you get a job, or to get certification or credentials for a current job or educational pursuit?
• What do you hope to gain from the experience, building skills, helping people, working on a team, making friends?

Where and how do you want to serve?

• Would you like to work with someone on a one-on-one basis, such as mentoring a teen, helping an adult learn to read or providing a friendly visit to a homebound senior.
• Do you prefer working in a group—as part of a team—such as helping to renovate a community center or preparing and serving food at a homeless shelter?
• Are you comfortable responding to situations as they arise, or do you need to know what to expect when you come in?
• What supports, such as transportation or child care, would you need?

Benefits of Service

• Do you want to acquire qualities of leadership and gain a sense of satisfaction from taking on responsibilities that directly affect peoples' lives?
• Do you want to learn new skills that can help you prepare for a job?
• Do you want to help your community, help yourself and make a difference in the lives of someone in need?
• Do you want to feel that you are contributing to a cause that you care about?

Ready to Get Started?
If you're ready to get started and already know what program you want to serve in, or if you'd like to explore new opportunities, please contact the RSVP office at (562) 501-2801.

OPPORTUNITIES THAT AWAIT YOU
ACCEPT YOUR INVITATION TO SERVE!

Helping Seniors Stay in Their Homes: Please help us keep seniors engaged, active and Independent.

• Elbow to Elbow is a ride share program where volunteers serve an hour or so a week, provide personalized transportation to activities and appointments to seniors who are homebound.  Your help can maximize happiness by removing seniors from their isolated situations and giving them the opportunity to maintain a connection to the community.

• Hearts of Ida is a minor repair and fix it program serving low income to moderate income seniors.  The goal is to help seniors maintain their independence while also helping them remain safer in their homes. Tasks are as simple as changing a light bulb, putting up screens and more if you have a specific skill set

• Volunteer in Action—Friendly Visitor is a volunteer care-giving program designed to assist homebound seniors and disabled adults.  Provide support and reassurance to those at home with a visit or a phone call. You may be their only connection outside their home

• Pathways Hospice – Pathways is a volunteer based hospice program that helps care for those diagnosed with terminal illness, providing respite care and small tasks that enable the patient to stay in their homes. Pathways also provides supportive services to the homebound and isolated seniors in our community. You can help just by being there for someone. Such a simple assignment but one that means the world to the recipient of your care and concern

• Meals on Wheels is dedicated to the in-home nourishment of ill, disabled and elderly homebound residents in the cities of Lakewood, Long Beach and Signal Hill.  Their goal is to keep participants well fed and independent in their own homes for as long as possible

Become an Ambassador: Help in the community by educating, informing and making presentations about topics that are important to you and the community.

• Long Beach Fire Ambassadors inform 3^rd graders about fire safety, provide fire safety information to the public and support the “Spark of Love” toy drive.  Ambassadors also provide education to seniors in the community.
• Long Beach Senior Police Partners (SPP) are liaisons between the older adults of the community and the police department.  SPP’s provide victim support and referrals to agencies, monitor handicap violations and act as liaisons for the police department.
• Water Ambassadors inform 3^rd graders about water conservation, they give presentations to third grade class rooms through an interactive teaching plan
• Long Beach Airport – Travel Ambassadors provide guided tours educating the public with behind the scenes glimpses of aviation operations, history, architecture and art.  Travel ambassadors greet, assist and direct travelers at the airport.

Teaching a piece of History: Do you have a passion for California History?  Share your knowledge of local history with others.

• Rancho Los Cerritos Historical Site & Rancho Los Alamitos Historical Site. Join one of our committees, such as curatorial, gift shop, garden crafts, or living history.  Adults and mature teens can assist with our special events and holiday programs.
• Long Beach Heritage provides tours and a glimpse into a different time period for 3^rd graders.  Volunteering is flexible; looking primarily for individuals who are able to call and set-up field trips with local schools.

Helping at Hospitals: RSVP Works with a large number of different hospitals.  Our volunteers do everything from clerical work to visiting with patients Clerical volunteers assist with filing, data entry mailing, & a range of other special needs.  Individuals who have good communication skills may want to volunteer their time assisting visitors at the information desk with providing information, answering general questions, and directing visitors.  Volunteers can also assist hospital staff by distributing reading materials such as newspapers to the patients or simply by helping in the gift shop here is a list of hospitals we that could be in your area

• Lakewood Regional
• Long Beach Community Hospital
• Long Beach Memorial Hospital
• Pacific Hospital
• St. Mary’s Medical Center
• The VA Hospital.

Art and Culture: If you are interested in the arts we may have something for you

• Carpenter Preforming Arts support the activities of the center by ushering at performance and special student matinees doing clerical work and mailing, or helping to put on our biggest party of the year, Top of the World.  Our volunteers are an essential factor in the carpenter centers mission of bringing the arts to the community
• Long Beach Play House is looking for volunteers to help ion a variety of activities mailing, costume, construction set design, telephoning, costumer design, and ushering

Something Out of the Ordinary: RSVP works with over 100 different agencies if there is something you want to do odds are we can help you find out how.  Here are a few more of our many opportunities

• SS Lane Victory is definitely not your typical Volunteer job.  Be a part of this living history monument.  Join the all-volunteer team that maintains the WWII merchant marine ship.  Assist in the ships galley or mess rooms, volunteer in the gift shop or work the gangway or use your skills in electrical, engineering or other skill based areas
• Marine Mammals Care Center rehabilitate and return to the wild rescued sick, injured and orphaned marine mammals – primarily California sea lions, northern elephant seals, harbor and fur seals
• Operation Jump Start is a mentoring program that allows for an older adult to mentor a child of high school age.  The commitment starts with one year but can continue for as long as you like.  Make a difference in someone’s life by volunteering an hour or two, min, a month.
• Food Finders is an organization dedicated to feeding the hungry.  Volunteers pick up and deliver food that has been donated.  The food is delivered to service agencies such as homes for battered women and children, alcohol and drug recovery centers, pregnancy centers, senior centers, hospice, family shelters.

CLICK HERE to download your application!