A

Take ownership in the care of one of your favorite Washoe County parks!

Organizations, families and individuals are needed to "adopt" County parks. Adopting requires a commitment of at least four cleanups or projects per calendar year planned according to what works best with your schedule. Parks staff will be involved in planning the projects, and duties may include picking up litter, raking leaves, removing graffiti, reporting park hazards, planting, pulling weeds, and general beautification.

Open to everyone! Children under the age of 14 must have a parent attend with them.

The time commitment varies depending on the size and need of the park. Cleanups can be scheduled on weekends or weekdays. We ask for a commitment of at least four cleanups or projects per year.

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C

Get involved during disasters and emergencies

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Volunteer. Emergencies and disasters happen everywhere. If you are tired of watching events unfold on the TV and saying "I wish I could help." We have a volunteer opportunity for you. CERT volunteers are trained citizens who assist first responders during community disasters and emergencies.

CERTs complete a 21 hour academy (usually taught in two weekends) and learn about disaster preparedness, emergency medical, fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism, documentation and incident command. During emergencies volunteers may help citizens, assist with shelters and evacuations, act as scribes or public call takers, or assist professional responders in a variety of ways. We support the mission of our responders be freeing the highly trained people to do the specialized tasks they have been trained to do.

Between emergencies CERTs help with community outreach, disaster training and exercises, and public education. CERT volunteers range in age from 18 to 89. No special skills are required. In a disaster there is a job for everyone.

CERT members must be 18 years or older, pass a standard background check, and complete CERT academy training.

NOTE: Background checks require additional paperwork.

CERT members must complete a 21-hour academy (usually taught over two weekends), and put in at least 2 hours per month of volunteer time.

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After applying, interested persons WILL NEED TO FILL OUT ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK in order to authorize us to perform a background check.

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Every child deserves a voice! Become a CASA volunteer and make a difference in a child’s life.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer. In Washoe County, there are more than 900 children each year who are thrust into the family court system as a result of abuse or neglect at home. Many of these children will live temporarily with foster parents while their own parents struggle to overcome addiction to alcohol or drugs, illness, financial hardship or other problems that placed the children at risk. CASA’s are volunteer citizens who step into children’s lives and offer trust, consistency and stability for the duration of legal proceedings. CASA’s are appointed by a judge to provide detailed information about a child and their unique needs. CASA volunteers typically handle one case at a time ---and commit to staying on that case until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. By thoroughly investigating the child’s circumstances and reporting back to the court, a CASA volunteer helps shape the important decisions being made about a child’s future. The vision of the CASA Program is to provide an advocate for every abused child within the Washoe County Family Court system. This will give each child a better chance of returning to, or being placed in a safe and secure home as quickly as possible.

CASA volunteers must be 21 years or older, pass a background check, participate in a personal interview and complete a 40 hour training program.

Note: Screening of volunteers requires additional paperwork.

Volunteers must complete a 40 hour pre-service training program which is offered four times a year. Once assigned a case, CASA volunteers typically spend 10-15 hours a month on their case work.

NRS 432B.500 states the Court shall appoint a guardian ad litem after a petition is filed that a child is in need of protection. CASA’s serve as volunteer guardians ad litem.

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E

Gain valuable work experience in Public Works

Volunteers are needed to assist engineers in the design of varied and numerous Public Works projects including but not limited to sidewalks, pavement restoration, asset inventory and storm drainage.

Volunteers must be college students with an interest in the engineering field.

Minimum 3 hrs per week.

Work under the supervision of a professional engineer.

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F

There are many ways to help our Foster and Adoptive Families

Some of the ways you can serve our efforts to find safe, stable foster and adoptive homes are:

• Distribute foster care posters, brochures, and materials to locations throughout the community.

• Learn about the process to become a licensed foster home and assist as part of the recruitment team, volunteering at local recruitment events.

• Assist in translating materials into Spanish to assist in recruitment of foster homes from the Latino community.

• Provide professional photography services for adoption recruitment photos for children and for photographs at the quarterly adoption days when adoptions are finalized.

• Assist in envelope stuffing for mailings to foster parents and for recruitment events.

• Join our faith based recruitment efforts as we develop the One Church One Child program led by a board of local ministers to recruit for foster and adoptive homes in local churches.

• Provide skill training for foster children and teens in special areas of knowledge such as art, drama, car repair, nutrition, etc. to assist them in self-development.

• Hosting a recruitment event at your home or business and inviting your friends, neighbors, or customers to learn about foster care and adoption.

Various

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L

Fun, challenging and informative

The Alternate Public Defender`s office represents adults and juveniles charged with crimes, and assists parents in reunification efforts with their children.

The 15-person office is a tight-knit team, dedicated to providing zealous advocacy for our clients.

Volunteers would be welcome to help with filing, answering phones, breaking down and organizing files, helping the support staff, the investigators and the lawyers.

We also work with college and law students who are interested in interning in the office.

The minimum time requirement would be two hours a week.

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Do you have a heart for life-long learning?

Welcome to the Washoe County Library System and thank you for your interest in volunteering. We provide a wide range of public service opportunities.

The Washoe County Library believes that volunteer participation is an essential part of community development. We recognize the value of volunteerism and encourage citizen participation in all of the services we provide to the community.





Washoe County volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• General Library Operations: Caring for plants, Shelving books, magazines and other materials, Pulling books to fill requests, etc...
• Computer and Technical Assistance: Help at the Internet desk, Help patrons with catalog searches, Clear paper jams, Clean computer keyboards, etc...
• Materials Preparation and Repair: Mending, Repair video, cassettes, CDs, etc...
• Program Assistance: Program preparation, prepare outreach materials, setup/breakdown, assist in presenting some programs, etc...
• Special Projects: Interlibrary loan (ILL) cancellation letters, data entry, etc...

If you see activities you like, please fill out an application. A member of our Volunteer support team will get in contact with you.

Volunteers under the age of 18 must have parental permission.

Varies

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M

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is headquartered in the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, and currently includes over 750 units and approximately 175 thousand volunteers nationwide. The mission of the MRC is to improve the health and safety of communities by organizing and utilizing public health, medical and non-medical volunteers. The purpose of the MRC is to recruit, train, check backgrounds and credentials/licenses of individuals in order to be able to quickly respond to local public health emergencies.

If you are a licensed medical practitioner, someone with clinical training and experience, or someone with no medical background but the desire to help our community prepare for and respond to a public health emergency, the Washoe County Medical Reserve Corps needs you! In exchange for volunteering your time you will receive public health preparedness and emergency response training, required vaccinations, and annual flu shot, free of charge. Be informed. Be prepared. Be a Washoe County Medical Reserve Corps volunteer.

To become a member of the Washoe County Medical Reserve Corps, an individual must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Consent to a background check
• Have no felony convictions or any conviction related to moral turpitude
• Attend orientation
• Have current vaccinations for, or immunity to:
  1. measles, mumps and rubella;
  2. varicella (chickenpox);
  3. tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis; and
  4. influenza (Required vaccinations will be provided to the volunteer free of charge.)

The expected first-year time commitment is 18 hours; for basic orientation, training and participation in one full-scale exercise. Additional classroom trainings and community events will be offered to those volunteers who wish to participate; however, this is not required to remain a member. If an emergency occurs requiring activation of our unit, volunteers can expect to be called-up for one 8-12 hour shift per day, for three consecutive days.

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MRC members include medical practitioners, such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses, veterinarians, and mental health professionals; and public health professionals, such as administrators, health educators, and communicable disease and environmental health specialists. Non medical/clinical personnel are needed to fill other key roles, such as managers, clerical support, interpreters, and drivers.

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S

Help provide three days of FREE dental/visual/medical services for the community!

GENERAL SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS - Sign up at www.ramusa.org/volunteer Volunteers for unloading supplies and equipment, clinic setup, clinic breakdown, loading supplies and equipment, waste management, patient directing, patient registration, exit stations, and food services. PROFESSIONAL STUDENT VOLUNTEERS Professional students can volunteer to gain experience and to work alongside other medical professionals.

The clinic runs from Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1. Clinic doors open at 6:00 a.m., volunteers are requested to be on-site by 5:10 a.m. Volunteers are welcome to work as many hours as they wish, there is no minimum time commitment. The clinics end at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and will close between 3:00-4:00 on Sunday for teardown.

Remote Area Medical (RAM), developed by Founder and President Stan Brock, is part of a larger effort to address health care issues that plague countless isolated and impoverished communities in the U.S. They aim to be the most organized, efficient, and effective provider of no-cost health care, to enhance quality of life, and to consistently deliver high-quality treatment. Their mission is to prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free, high-quality health care to those in need. http://ramusa.org/

The RAM mobile outreach clinic travels to U.S. cities upon request to provide FREE medical care for those who are uninsured, underinsured, with no eligibility requirements and no ID necessary. Most clinics provide general medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and education. They rely largely on volunteer time, services and in-kind donations to make this huge operation function. This event not only increases the opportunity to get care for communities at an affordable price, but helps get people into continued care to prevent further chronic disease and illness.

Truckee Meadows Healthy Communities (TMHC) is a coalition of diverse thought leaders and influencers, private and public, who seek to make an ongoing impact on the community health status by engaging and empowering stakeholders to collectively shape a healthier community. TMHC’s work is driven by the community’s health needs assessments for the purpose of improving community health and well-being. The goals of TMHC are to increase access to services and address inequities in the community which result in health disparities; create a culture of health; and enhance quality of life and well-being in the Truckee Meadows.

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T

Help support the Transitional Housing Project!

Transitional Housing Volunteers will assist the Adult Social Services Staff in supporting the residents in activities at the Washoe County Transitional Housing Project.

flexible

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W

Hungry to make a difference in our community?

The Washoe County Food Policy Council was created as an effort to improve networking, collaboration, and promotion of access to healthy foods in Washoe County. Established by the Washoe County District Board of Health in October 2011, the Washoe County Food Policy Council will be charged with implementing the goals of the Washoe County Food Plan, Access to Health Food in Washoe County: A Framework for Food System Design.

Council members must have expertise in one or more food system related issues. Council members must also have the ability to work together to create policy and sustainable change while taking into consideration the impact on the entire local food system. There are a total of ten (10) Council positions representing diverse sectors of the local food system and the community at large:

• Community Food Planning
• Consumers
• Food and Nutrition Data Systems Surveillance and Monitoring
• Food Distribution
• Food Preparation
• Food Production
• Member at Large (3 positions)
• Public Food Programs

There will be additional ongoing opportunities for interested community members and agencies to participate on workgroups and provide guidance to the Food Policy Council.

Commitment to term of up to two-years requiring regular attendance and participation in meetings and active membership on at least one potential subcommittee of the Council that will generate a work plan with specific goals.

Established by the Washoe County District Board of Health in October 2011.

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