Richland County Volunteers In Action

Something that makes Richland County such a great place to live is the abundance of service-minded community members always willing to lend a helping hand. Unfortunately, finding information about service opportunities can be challenging but Volunteers in Action is working to overcome this struggle.

Molly Brodhead is a Communities in Action Corps member serving with RSVP at the Richland County Health Department. She has recently been working with a committee of volunteers and service organizations called Volunteers in Action. Their mission is to connect community partners and nonprofits to a network of resources. Volunteers in Action is teaming up with Kristine Gifford, the JustServe specialist for Eastern Montana, to advance these efforts and promote the services of the website.

JustServe.org, is a free service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that uses the power of the internet to connect willing volunteers with various organizations and individuals needing help. Local faith, civic, nonprofit, and governmental agencies post their volunteer needs on the JustServe website where community members can see all the available opportunities in the area and choose to help based on their interest, time, and availability.

The concept is fairly simple. “At JustServe, we believe that nothing should get in the way of organizations and volunteers coming together to do good things for the community, so we help make this happen for free,” reads the introductory message on the website.

Users of JustServe.org may sign up as either individuals or organizations. On the “Projects” page, they see the number of service opportunities within a self-selected distance from their homes. This allows them to view information about each project with hopes of finding the best match for their availability.

Many state and local governments are using JustServe to promote volunteer needs in their communities. School districts can use the site to find volunteer opportunities for scholarship applicants and student organizations, such as National Honor Society. JustServe is also being used to recruit volunteers to help those affected by natural disasters and other emergencies.

One ongoing opportunity is Volunteers Beautifying Sidney, which is a group of volunteers that meets weekly to work on maintenance projects throughout the community. If you’re looking for a summer activity to do with your family, this might just be perfect for you to do together! The listing can be found on the website where contact and possible location information is also provided. Other volunteer opportunities include reading with kids at the Sidney-Richland library, helping with activities at Sidney Health Center’s Extended Care, and cataloging items at the MonDak Heritage Center. These are just a few of the many opportunities available at JustServe.org.

If you would like to become a volunteer or if your organization is in need of volunteers, visit http://www.justserve.org and sign up today. JustServe is also available in app stores for both Android and Apple devices. For more information about Volunteers in Action and JustServe, contact Molly Brodhead, [email protected] or Kristine Gifford, [email protected].

 

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