lend a hand

Volunteers are needed by several groups in and around Modesto.

Call the Volunteer Center of United Way, 209-524-1307, or email volunteer@uwaystan.org.

Volunteers needed for special events:

AMERICAN CANCER

SOCIETY

NEEDED: Volunteers 16 and older to help with the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Volunteers will be needed for setup on Oct. 17 and setup and cleanup on Oct. 18. Check in is at 7:30 a.m. followed by an opening ceremony, with the walk beginning at 9 a.m. starting at the Gallo Center for the Arts and traveling through downtown Modesto.

CONTACT: Jasmyne Landry, 209-524-7241, Jasmyne.Landry@cancer.org

STANISLAUS COUNTY

ELECTIONS OFFICE

NEEDED: Volunteers 18 and older to serve as poll workers on Nov. 3 for the Consolidated District Election. Bilingual and “on-call” poll workers are also needed. Poll workers help set up the voter precinct, maintain ballot security and voting equipment, and assist voters as necessary. Poll workers will receive a $95 stipend for their time and commitment, which includes serving 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Election Day and a mandatory two- to three-hour training class. Training provides an overview of the Election Day process and hands-on equipment instruction. Training classes in Modesto, Oakdale, Salida and Turlock are offered Oct. 13-24. Volunteer applications are available online at www.stanvote.com.

CONTACT: Registrar of Voters, 209-525-5233, stanvote@stancounty.com

Volunteers needed for ongoing positions:

COURT-APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES

NEEDED: Volunteers 21 and older are needed to become an advocate for a foster child. Advocates are the voice of foster child during court proceedings, conduct case fact finding and produce a court report for court hearings based on what is in the best interest of the child. Interested individuals are invited to attend an orientation at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 in downtown Modesto.

CONTACT: Cindy Julsgard, casaofstanco@stanct.org, 209-548-6320

LEARNING QUEST

NEEDED: Volunteers 16 years and older to spend 90 minutes twice a week increasing a student’s basic reading skills. Learning Quest currently has 32 adults who have requested help with reading and need a volunteer literacy tutor. The next tutor orientation is Sept. 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; training will be held on Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Both are offered at Learning Quest 1032 11th St. in Modesto. There is a $10 cost for training materials, but the fee can be waived if requested.

CONTACT: Natalie Melton, nmelton@lqslc.com, 209-558-4505

STANISLAUS COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES AGENCY

NEEDED: Volunteers 18 and older to greet visitors of the HSA Gift Shop, provide customer service, sell merchandise, wrap gifts as requested and perform general retail store duties. Requires at least a six-month commitment of one day per week. Ongoing training provided. All proceeds of the gift shop are donated to the Health Services Agency for equipment purchases, scholarships and Adopt-A-Family.

CONTACT: Joyce Decker, 209-558-4179, jdecker@schsa.org

OPERATION 9-2-99

NEEDED: Volunteers to help with the Tuolumne River Clean-Up Project. Duties include hauling tires and shopping carts out of the river and removing trash along the riverbank. Cleanup days are one Saturday a month, July 11, Aug. 15, Sept. 12, Oct. 10 and Nov. 14. Individuals and groups are encouraged to volunteer and asked to bring gloves. Visit http://tinyurl.com/operation9-2-99 for more details and to sign up.

CONTACT: Chris Guptill, guptill.c@monet.k12.ca.us

UNITED WAY OF

STANISLAUS COUNTY

NEEDED: Volunteers 18 and older to support the United Way’s CHEF Health Initiative at Caswell Elementary School in Ceres and Bret Harte Elementary School in Modesto. The CHEF initiative has two parts: providing bags of healthy food to elementary students in after-school programs; and providing Nutrition Education Classes for parents and students. Volunteering in the Nutrition Workshops entails guiding activities, supporting teachers. Volunteers are also needed twice a month to prepare food bags. Volunteers will need to fill out an application and pass background check.

CONTACT: Cory Brown, 209-523-4562, CBrown@uwaystan.org

This story was originally published August 14, 2015 at 12:01 PM with the headline "lend a hand."