HOW TO VOLUNTEER

Beyond volunteering your time to be a board member, or member of the Land Use & Transportation Committee, you can also volunteer in neighborhood cleanups, at one of our schools, or at one of our annual events. If you want to take volunteering to the next level, you can also get involved in one of the community projects going on, or start your own! Email Katy Wolf at katyewolf@gmail to find out more.

Community Service Rewards Program

If you volunteer at Boise neighborhood community service events, you'll get a card for a free beer up to $5 for every 2 hours you work, at these wonderful neighborhood beer establishments!

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Beautification and Cleanup Projects

Projects are usually on weekends, for approximately two hours. They occur about once every other month, depending on the need.

Examples:

  • Litter pickups on Mississippi Ave, Williams Ave, or your block

  • Trash can maintenance on Mississippi Ave

  • Utility pole flier cleanup

  • Graffiti cleanup on Mississippi Ave, Williams Ave, or your block

Contact Katy Wolf katyewolf@gmail.com with questions, or follow us on Facebook and sign up for our e-newsletter to find out about upcoming cleanup volunteer opportunities.

Spring Cleanup (annual event)

The Cleanup is volunteer-organized, and is a service to the neighborhood. Neighbors bring their extra trash and non-curbside recycling to the drop-off place, and pay a fee for its disposal. The fee is much lower (plus it’s more convenient) than going to depots and the Metro Transfer Station. Every neighborhood has a Cleanup. Funds raised from it go toward community events and projects. It is every spring - the next one is March 28, 2015. Contact Katy Wolf katyewolf@gmail.com to get involved in coordination or to volunteer for the day of the event. 

Volunteer Roles (one person can do multiple roles):

  • Cleanup Coordinator

  • Volunteer Coordinator

  • Alleyway and home pickup driver

  • Alleyway and home pickup helper

  • E-waste sorter

  • Dumpster loader

  • Car unloading/Traffic control

  • Door to door fliering team

  • Business donation outreach

National Night Out (annual event)

NNO is volunteer-organized, and is a free party for all neighbors. The purpose is to show that the neighborhood is a safe, livable place, and to bring neighbors together to celebrate their community. Usually the cost of the party is paid for by the funds from the Spring Cleanup. The party can include a free BBQ, music, and activities for kids and adults. It is usually at Unthank Park in August. Contact Katy Wolf katyewolf@gmail.com to get involved in coordination or to volunteer for the day of the event.

Volunteer Roles (one person can do multiple roles):

  • NNO Coordinator

  • Food Coordinator

  • Music Coordinator

  • Activities Coordinator

  • Cleanup team

  • Door to door fliering team

  • Business donation outreach

School Mentoring, Tutoring, Volunteering

  • Boise-Eliot PTA (you don’t need to be a parent): Boise-Eliot students are in grades K-8. Boise-Eliot is a STEAM school (with a focus on science, technology and math) and has an afterschool SUN program. Contact the PTA to find out what they need help with. Volunteer page

  • SEI School volunteering: SEI welcomes volunteers dedicated to making a difference in the lives of inner-city youth and families. Volunteer page

  • SEI School - Minds Matter mentoring, tutoring or volunteering: Minds Matter students are from high schools all over the Portland and Vancouver area, who are low-income and high-achieving, hoping to go to college on full scholarships. Minds Matter tutors provide writing and math tutoring, vocabulary help, and standardized testing prep. Mentors provide summer program and college application help including navigating the process, writing essays, and time management (Minds Matter students get summer program scholarships in their sophomore and junior years). They also provide guidance to the student on how to choose a college, how to prepare for college, and general life lesson support. Volunteers help organize the program, find experts to give presentations, coordinate arts and culture opportunities, write grants, and provide communications and outreach. Volunteer page

Did we miss something? Got any other ideas?

If you have other volunteer opportunities you would like us to post, or would like to suggest a volunteer opportunity that you would like to lead, please email it to Katy Wolf at katyewolf@gmail.com.