UWSEMO tours to showcase volunteer opportunities

Ever thought about volunteering with a local not-for-profit organization but don’t know how or where to start?

United Way of Southeast Missouri can help.

April is National Volunteer Month, and UWSEMO has scheduled two Get on the Bus tours that will take interested people around to various organizations to learn more about what they do and how volunteers can help. Also, organizations without an actual physical location will have representatives on the bus to talk about their operations and answer questions.

These annual tours date to 2015 and focus on the Cape Girardeau and Jackson areas.

“(Not-for-profit organizations) depend on volunteers. We have very limited budgets, and none of us could do our work without the devoted volunteers,” explained Elizabeth Shelton, executive director of United Way of Southeast Missouri. “The whole point of the tour is to introduce them to some of the 30 partners that we fund. … It’s a great way to demonstrate the collective collaborative power of the United Way network and also shows people opportunities to engage in the community.”

Among the organizations on the tour are Lutheran Family and Children’s Services, Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship, Jackson Ministerial Alliance food pantry, Foster Adopt Connect Resource Center and Boys and Girls Club.

Who can volunteer to help? Nearly anyone — from teenagers to more seasoned adults. Those who have particular skills can put them to use, while more general volunteer opportunities can be a good fit for many.

Shelton said there is always a need for volunteers in the area, from high school and college students to those who are retired. There is a spot open for anyone who wants to be involved.

“All of these organizations have committees, they have boards, they probably have a finance committee or something like that. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t want a real hands-on activity, there is somewhere you can find something that requires crunching data or looking at spreadsheets or something,” Shelton said.

The first tour will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, and the second from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 24.

For more information and to register for the Get on the Bus tours, go to the UWSEMO website at www.unitedwayofsemo.org or call (573) 334-9634.