Helping Others
 

While I sincerely applaud all the Villagers who choose to volunteer their time and help worthy causes......it appears there's never enough places to go around. I've tired everything, darn near literally, and am either always told that they have more people than they can use, or am invited to "come on down" and then end up standing in the corner - usually with two or three others - because there's just not enough things for everyone to do.

Does anyone out there have an idea for a group that they'd like to start? (Either something you've done in the past before you moved to TV or something in which you've always wanted to be involved?) With the amount of people in this area of Florida - within TV's borders or the surrounding areas - surely there must be others around who could use a hand to help make their lives better. :laugh:

OP, The Daily Sun periodically has a list (almost a whole page) of organizations that are looking for volunteers. The local hospital has a goal of having 1000 volunteers and they are short of this goal. Outside of TV there are several agencies, Habitat of Humanity, etc. Many churches have volunteer organizations.
If you are interested in driving, there have been recent requests for help getting people that do not drive to doctors, shopping, etc.
Hope this helps.

I've tried the hospital on different occasions - because they were begging for volunteers - and twice ended up sitting behind the check-in desk with as many as seven other individuals for almost six hours. (The phone rang twice and we actually fought over it and another time a man stopped to ask "why does the hospital charge so much money for patient care if they can afford to have so many people sitting around doing nothing.") Another time I was told to man the desk in one of the waiting rooms to "help guide people who were waiting for patients to come out of surgery." No one appeared all day long and that's when I found that there were no patients scheduled for surgery that day so no one was even expected in the waiting room. That was it for the hospital as far as I was concerned.

I have tried Habitat and was told that they "have paid staff people to do everything but the construction so that's all that's needed."

I've also tried some of the ones in the paper.........will keep trying, I guess, until there really isn't any point.

if interested in mentoring teens coming out of foster care: http://forwardpaths.org/ in Leesburg

I mentor thru a program called Take Stock in Children. Mentors, Scholarships & Hope | Take Stock In Children
you are paired with a student who you meet with once a week at their high school.

St. Mark the Evangelist Church has several groups that can always use help. Check out any Church in the area and you will probably find many that can use help.

If you love children and want to make a difference in their lives, consider volunteering at Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary School in Weirsdale. They love and value their volunteers. You have the opportunity to work one-on-one or in a group setting in the classroom with students, maybe going over spelling words with older kids or letter sounds with the younger crowd, or whatever help the teacher may need. It is so rewarding :) You can contact them at 352-671-6150. Please know that you will be required to go through a background check before you can volunteer; however, at no cost to you.

Operation Shoebox meet at Lake Miona.

Bear Ladies Sewers meet at Canal St.

Boogie Creek Bear Sewers meet at El Santiago

Giving Doll Sewers meet at Truman

Hospice Villagers meet at Canal

It Takes a Village meet at Pimlico

Time to Give Back meet at Truman

Tutors for Kids meet at Sterling Heights

Villagers for Veterans at Lake Miona

Comfort Music Players

There is Paul Newman's Camp Boogie Creek, the VA clinic at Mulberry, Promise Hospital, NODA No One Dies Alone -- The Villages Regional Hospital, Shared Harvest, Operation Homebound, Wildwood Soup Kitchen, any charity thrift store, friends of the library, The Villages Charter School, Historical Society Museum in Lady Lake, any local church, Life Long Learning College --when it restarts will need volunteer office assistance.