This volunteer opportunity was recently added to our database, and it pretty much blew our minds when we read about it.


Do your interests include watching the Xgames, having a good time, and making a difference in your community? Maybe you should consider volunteering at the Salvation Army skatepark in Stillwater!


Use the knowledge you aquired playing Tony Hawk's (original) Pro Skater and/or Tony Hawk's Underground for Playstation 2 (admit it!) while helping provide kids in your neighborhood with a place to hang out that is actually fun.

--> Learn more <--

We've said it before (and we'll keep on saying as long as this is our job), but the fact remains - there is a constant demand for volunteers in the Twin Cities. Nonprofit organizations post new volunteer opportunitites on our website every day. This means that the day you are finally bitten by the volunteer bug (and you will be! it has an insatiable appetite), there will be a fresh volunteer opportunity waiting just for you. Maybe that day is today!

So - keeping with our latest Get Outside in the Summertime Volunteer Opportunitites kick, here are a few volunteer positions that were just updated on our database this weekend.

• Community Garden Helper with East Metro Women's Council - Gardeners who want to share their passion with families who are eager to learn should check this one out. Help inexperienced and enthusiastic families learn how to grow and maintain their own garden.
• Day Camp Activity Guide with Salvation Army of the Twin Cities - Nothing says summertime like Day Camp. Help day camp leaders by guiding kids through a specific project or activity. You can help out all summer, or as your schedule allows. Day camps are operating in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Brooklyn Park - no matter where you live, there's an opportunity near you!

So it's officially summer, and by now you're probably over the initial wave of euphoria brought on by the ability to wear shorts and tanktops without shivering. Now what?

Thankfully, you outdoor-worshipping Minnesotans (that is to say, darn near all of you) have tons of opportunities to serve your community while basking in the warmth and glow of summer. Yes! You can help others and play outside at the same time!

Particularly if you live near St. Louis Park. Perspectives Family Center of SLP runs a great summer youth program for at-risk kids that relys on the efforts of fun-loving and caring community members. Perspectives volunteers read with kids, teach and play sports, chaperone field trips to museums, waterparks, and nature centers, and more! If you've got one or two weekday afternoons to spare, you'll have about as much fun as you can handle by volunteering with Perspectives Family Center. Click here to learn more!

This is just one great example of the many volunteer opportunities in the Twin Cities waiting to be filled by an energetic, caring person like you. For more, check out our online volunteer database. Just by typing "summer" in the Keyword box, you'll find over 50 sunny community service opportunities!

Get outside and get involved!

It's just not summer until we get our first hazardous ozone warning of the year. So, as of yesterday, Happy Summer! Now we hope our ozone levels will stay at "healthy" for the remainder of the season, so that we can play outside.

Summer is a great time in the realm of volunteering, because there are more opportunities to get outside and get a little dirty while making a difference in your community. For instance: Central Community Housing of Minneapolis trust is looking for Garden Gurus. We know there are tons of gardeners of all skill levels out there - why not share your talents and love of all things flora with CCHT by helping them keep their affordable housing properties green, bright, and welcoming? Leave your mark by adding a little more beauty to Minneapolis!

Opportunities like this make us wish we knew something about gardening. But what if all we've got is enthusiasm?

Luckily, trained master gardeners are ready to take gardening novices like us and put us to work on July 12th at Hands On Twin Cities' Cityview School Renovation. We'll be talking more about this in the coming weeks, but mark your calendar now! There are dozens of ways to help at the Cityview School Renovation - our biggest volunteer event of the summer!