Summer Volunteering

Summer’s here, and along with the sweltering heat, ice cold lemonade, and flowers in bloom comes a plethora of opportunities to do good around your community. Here are just a few ideas you might wish to use in your volunteering adventures this summer.

Indulge in passion fruit—or make fruit your passion! Open up a lemonade stand for a cause (such as Alex’s Lemonade Stand) with a twist: offer fruit juices or smoothies with real sliced fruit. People may pay extra for these sweet indulgences, especially in the heat.

Cool people off. Hold a fun water day for kids with disabilities or the local hospice, if possible. Bring a sprinkler, a slide, and some water guns. Or simply make some sweet, cool treats to give out if playing in the water isn’t possible.

Raise funds for energy. Hold a fundraiser to help fund air conditioning for the people in need in your community. Purchase or donate fans to people you know who could use them.

Host a car wash for your cause. Summertime is perfect for this outdoor activity. Stay cool while you make cash for cancer awareness, a children’s shelter, or any other cause you are interested in.

Stay cool indoors. Look up virtual volunteering events and opportunities where you can use your techy skills, mentor a child, or simply conduct research for a worthy organization.

Help out. If you’ve got elderly or sickly neighbors, offer to run errands, cook a meal, or do yard work for no charge.

Share the land. If you grow vegetables and other crops, consider sharing your extras with people in your area who could use them, or donate them to the food pantry.

Keep the earth clean. Summertime is also a good time to help clean up the park, forests, and highways. Bring a pair of gloves, some bags, and some friends for a day of greening the planet.

Volunteer as a camp counselor. You could also do some free babysitting for a single parent who could use some help, train young babysitters in childcare, or mentor a child officially through an organization, such as Big Brother, Big Sister or Best Kids.

Help the animals. Animal litters are in abundance during the summer months. Help raise funds to spay and neuter pets, and help strays find good homes if you can. Volunteer at a shelter and give homeless animals some love.

Donate clothing—especially cool summer clothing—to your charity of choice or to any homeless people you may know.