Lend a Hand (8/19/12)

Call the Volunteer Center of United Way at 524-1307 or e-mail volunteer@uwaystan.org.

• VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SPECIAL EVENTSCOLOR THE SKIES

7th annual Color The Skies Hot Air Balloon Festival benefiting Children's Hospital Central California

DATE: Sept. 1-2

NEEDED: Volunteers of all ages (depending on activity) are needed on both days to assist with activities, supervise bungee/bounce house, direct attendees, help coordinate activity lines and sell tickets. This Labor Day Weekend event will take place at the Mistlin Sports Park in Ripon and is packed with family-oriented activities from hot air balloons with tethered rides, a pancake breakfast, carnival, skydiving and kite flying exhibitions, the 1-mile, 5K and children's fun run at the Rise. Shine. Give. Run, Sky's the Limit arts & crafts, on-stage live entertainment, and more. All opportunities are available between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m., depending upon the position. Volunteers will need to fill out a liability form which can be found on the agency's Web site. Visit www.colortheskies.com

LOVE MODESTO: A community-wide service day for volunteers to participate in helping those who are in need

DATE: Sept. 29

NEEDED: Volunteers of all ages (depending upon the activity) are invited to take part this year in family friendly projects in Modesto and throughout Stanislaus County (Love Ceres, Love Turlock, Love Waterford, etc.) and the Central Valley. Over 60 different projects offer a variety of opportunities to offer food to the hungry, collect toys for foster children, visit seniors, build a home, deliver baked goods and thanks to public servants such as fire or police departments, clean a park, donate blood to save lives, and more. This event will kick off at a rally at 9 a.m. in downtown Modesto in front of the Gallo Center for the Arts on I Street prior to dispersing volunteer groups throughout the city. Visit www.lovemodesto.com.

SOCIETY FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN AND ADULTS: A Wild West gala fund-raiser

DATE: Sept. 15

NEEDED: Volunteers age 21 and older are needed for various duties, including event set up and cleanup, registration, beer and wine serving, game operation, assistance with pig race and raffle ticket sales. Volunteers are asked to dress in western style clothing and some volunteers will be asked to wear a costume. The event starts at 6 p.m. and ends at midnight at the Durrer Dairy Barn in Modesto. Youth volunteers are also needed now to advertise the event by posting flyers in various businesses. Visit www.societyforhandicapped.org.

• ONGOING VOLUNTEER POSITIONSPARENT RESOURCE CENTER

NEEDED: Volunteers 18 years and older to mentor teen and young adult parents, co-facilitate parenting groups or train to become a labor and delivery coach. Labor and delivery volunteers provide in-home and in-hospital support to pregnant teens and young women. This includes prenatal and parenting education classes and nursing assessments; parent mentors provide emotional and educational support to at-risk young mothers; and co-facilitators assist parents during weekly group meetings. Mentoring Youth program (MY) provides mentoring to a girl in juvenile hall. A volunteer orientation and 11-week training course will be held Tuesday evenings from Sept. 4 through Nov. 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Volunteers must complete application process, training, provide a current TB test, and pass a fingerprint background check.

READING WORKSNEEDED: Volunteers 18 years and older to tutor students from all around California who are in need of a tutor and do not have any available in their area. Tele-Tutoring is a form of tutoring face-to-face through the Internet, similar to Skype. The equipment is located in the Reading Works office inside the Modesto library. Volunteers are needed anytime Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be matched with a student who has the same time availability. A minimum of six months commitment is required.