Age Center of Worcester Area, Inc. http://www.agecenter.org/
Since 1963 the Age Center has been providing services for elders and their families. We're the oldest elder serving agency in Worcester County. If there's an elder in your life and you need information or answers to questions about care, we can help you. Volunteers are the cornerstone of the Age Center. Nearly 700 individuals contribute their time and talents, enabling the Age Center to fulfill its mission of improving the quality of life for elders and their families. Volunteers deliver services to elders, serve as members of advisory groups; their efforts contribute significantly to the community. Volunteer opportunities include:

• activities assistants
  
• bi-lingual interpreters
  
• bill payers
  
• computer Instructors and coaches
  
• in-home respite care providers
  
• long term care ombudsmen
  
• Meals on Wheels drivers
  
• Nutrition site assistants
  
• Relatives as Parents child care staff
  
• Senior Companions

· AIDS Project Worcester, Inc. (APW) http://www.aidsprojectworcester.org/
was established as a non-profit corporation committed to combating the epidemic of AIDS in Worcester County. Its primary goal is to address the needs of those infected with and affected by HIV through service, education, and advocacy. All volunteers are encouraged to learn more about AIDS and HIV. All volunteers must sign a confidentiality statement. AIDS Awareness Trainings for all APW volunteers will be scheduled. Volunteers who desire further information about specific assignments may call AIDS Project Worcester, Inc., 85 Green Street, Worcester, MA 01604 (508)755-3773.

· Big Brothers Big Sisters of Worcester County http://www.bbbsworc.org/volunteering.html
Big Brother or Big Sister-Required Skills: Interest in children, ability to get along well with others, valid driver's license. Description: Volunteer to spend a few hours a week on a one to one basis with a child. The time frame is flexible. You can make a difference in the life of a child, have a great time doing it, and make a great friend for life.

· Boys & Girls Club of Worcester http://www.worcesterboysandgirls.org/
The mission of our Club is to "help youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and community leaders. This will be accomplished by offering an open door, safe haven environment, and providing opportunities for educational, physical, social and moral
development."

· Ecotarium http://www.ecotarium.org/
Two vital and dynamic aspects of the EcoTarium's mission are to enhance Earth
system and environmental education and to serve as a catalyst in fostering community awareness of, and engagement in, environmental education. Toward this end we collaborate on and offer a variety of innovative programs for both teachers and students:

• Education Programs for Young Learners:(Field Trips)
  
• Teacher Open-Houses, Youth Programs...
  
• Teacher Professional Development
  
• General Information, In-House Teacher Workshops...
  
• Partnerships & Collaboratives
  
• Collaboratives for Youth, Collaboratives for Educators...
  
• On-line Exhibits
  
• Web-based versions of some of our exhibits...
  
• EcoTarium Education Staff

· Massachusetts Audubon Society
http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Broad_Meadow/

Interested in water quality issues in the Worcester area? What can you do to help? Come join the Blackstone Headwaters Monitoring Team! A volunteer citizen water quality-monitoring project, The Blackstone Headwaters Monitoring Team started testing Worcester's waterways, as well as some in Shrewsbury, Grafton and Millbury last fall. We test monthly, and are looking for pollution hot spots to report to the proper agencies for correction. The data gathered by the BHMT is extremely valuable in helping to understand the condition of the Blackstone headwater tributaries, and to focus efforts for improvements. We need more monitors and will train you! No experience necessary, just interest and enthusiasm. Please call Donna Williams, Advocacy Coordinator, at 508-753-6087, ext. 18 if you'd like to join the team.

Broad Meadow Brook is the largest urban sanctuary in New England. Explore over 300 acres of woods, fields, streams and marsh. Look for butterflies (78 different species), prowl for owls, or test out our snowshoes. Stop by the recently renovated conservation center, which also serves as a visitor information site for the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

· Regional Environmental Council of Central Massachusetts http://www.regionalenvironmentalcouncil.org/
The common thread passing through everything we do is to raise people's awareness of local environmental issues. Through community involvement, we can develop a sense of ownership of places in which we live. REC programs give people the tools they need to start building healthier communities. As a matter of practice we join forces with neighborhood groups, watershed associations, youth organizations, city agencies, and other environmental non-profits in order to accomplish shared goals.

· Student Programs for Urban Development
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/chaplains/spud.htm
Students can also locate community-based learning placement opportunities through participation in SPUD. (SPUD) is a community service organization sponsored by the Chaplains' Office. SPUD consists of over 25 different outreach programs and with 350 active members, it is the largest student organization at Holy Cross. We understand our service to those who are marginalized in terms of
developing a relationship of solidarity. Therefore, participants in the SPUD program are expected to commit to the following:

• Participation in September Orientation and January
  
• Re-Orientation Programs
  
• Weekly service in a designated SPUD program
  
• Attending monthly reflection gatherings led by student program directors.

Important SPUD dates for the Fall 2002 semester :
September 10 SPUD Recruiting Day, Hogan Lobby
September 15 SPUD Orientation, Hogan Ballroom 1:00 PM

· Henry Lee Willis Community Center, Inc. http://www.williscenter.org/
is a multicultural, minority-based social service organization located in Worcester, Massachusetts. For ten years, we have been providing quality services to those in need, serving approximately 22,000 children, adults and families annually. The Annual African American Festival takes place each year on the first weekend in February to kick off Black History Month. The Festival promotes awareness, increased understanding, and an appreciation of African American Culture. The Community Resources Program provides volunteer & intern services and coordination to a diverse group who annually provide over 100,000 hours of service throughout the organization.
Internship and volunteer positions reward program participants with invaluable experience, and benefit the Willis Center through greater capacity to provide services. Positions are available in several areas:

• Social work
  
• Youth programs and development
  
• Social research
  
• Civic action
  
• Cultural events
  
• Administrative/Office work
  
• Event Planning
  

Call or email Nicole, Community Resources Coordinator, to volunteer:
NBrathwaite-Hunt@williscenter.org; (508) 799-0380

· Worcester Regional Research Bureau http://www.wrrb.org/
A private, non-profit organization dedicated to conducting independent, non-partisan research on financial, administrative, management and community issues facing Worcester's municipal government and the surrounding region.

· Worcester Working Coalition for Latino Students
is dedicated to providing an atmosphere in which excellence and equality in education are valued and achieved by every student so that he/she becomes a productive member of our multicultural society. There are tutoring and mentoring opportunities in several programs, including ISLAS (Innovative Services for Latino Adolescents) and LASOS (Latina Achievers in Search of Success). In the Fall '02 semester, Prof. Cynthia Stone's class "Aspectos de la Cultura Hispanoamericana" will do a community-based learning project with the ISLAS program. For information about service opportunities with the Coalition, call the Latino Education Institute, 508-798-6507.

· Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc. http://www.youinc.org/default.htm.
Y.O.U., Inc. is the leading child welfare and behavioral health organization located in Central Massachusetts. Y.O.U., Inc. provides a wide range of social, psychological, educational, vocational, and other preventive and rehabilitation programs for troubled and at-risk children, adolescents and families.

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