These service-learning opportunities welcome students. Choose a convenient time to volunteer, within the times given. Please call or email the listed contact people for more information and to sign up. For additional opportunities, please check Search Opportunities in the Volunteers drop-down menu. 

For assistance, Contact Us online or call Volunteer Connect at 385-8977.

Volunteering categories:


Community Opportunities




Children

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon
Ariel Branch
1707 SE Tempest Drive, Bend
Stephanie McDermott, Dan Shelfer
541-385-3009
smcdermott@bgcco.org
Help out in an after-school program: Tutoring, homework help, educational activities, arts & crafts, fine arts, cooking club, computer-related activities, and games and sports (including pool, air hockey, bumper pool, table tennis, board games, basketball, baseball, soccer, football, group games). Students are primarily grades 1-5.
Timing: Mon-Fri, 2:30-6:00.
Minimum age of volunteers: High school and above.

Camp Fire USA
Various sites
www.campfireusaco.org
Jenn Bergby
541-382-4682
CampFire@bendcable.com
Assist in leading a 5-12-week service-learning curriculum for elementary, middle, or high school students. Receive training, and follow a semi-structured curriculum that allows some flexibility.
Timing: Mon-Fri, during school hours. for at least 2 hours per week.
Minimum age of volunteers: 18

Girl Scouts of Oregon & SW Wash.
Various sites
www.girlscoutsosw.org
Peggy Lovegren
541-389-8146
plovegren@girlscoutsosw.org
Lead or assist a troop of girls (between grades K-12). Or work with adult volunteers as a member of the Service Team (registrar, membership, fund development, events, newsletter editor, interviewer, treasurer, trainer, recruiter, etc.) Also opportunities to work in our volunteer-run Girl Scout Store or to help with Volunteer Appreciation. Training is provided.
Timing: Flexible
Minimum age of volunteers: High school and above. Male and female volunteers welcome.

Healthy Beginnings
Various sites
www.myhb.org
Mara Stephens
541-383-6357
mara.stephens@hdesd.org
Help provide referral services and support to families by assisting with screenings of children, birth through age five, or with pre- and post-screening activities. Opportunities are also available to assist with marketing and promotion, data-entry, and special events.
Timing: Flexible, with screening typically on Fridays. (Evenings or weekends best for follow up phoning.)
Location: Various screening sites in Bend, Redmond, Sunriver, La Pine, ad Sisters, or in the office, or at your home, depending on project.
Minimum age of volunteers: 18 (younger ages possible depending on project)

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery
2125 NE Daggett Lane, Bend
www.mountainstarfamily.org
Patricia Nehl
541-322-6820 x114
patrician@mountainstarfamily.org
Help support struggling families at risk for child neglect and abuse. Assist Interventionists in a therapeutic early childhood environment to nurture and support children 6-weeks through 3-years old. Background check required. Office volunteers are also needed.
Timing: Classroom assistant shifts: Mon-Fri, 9-12; Wed-Thurs, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Special projects: Flexible.
Minimum age of volunteers: 18 

Saving Grace
1425 NW Kingston Ave. Bend
www.saving-grace.org
Kellie Prinz
541-504-2550 x2
kellie@saving-grace.org
Volunteer with the Children’s Program, helping children who have lived in domestic violence or an abusive environment. Assist staff with children’s support groups, provide respite care for mothers, or work one-on-one with individual children.
Timing: Tues evenings, 5:30-7:30.
Minimum age of volunteers: 15

SMART: Start Making a Reader Today
Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson Counties
www.getsmartoregon.org
Daleena Green
541-355-5600
dgreen@getsmartoregon.org
Help ensure that every child in Oregon can read, by reading with K-3 children. Opportunities exist from just an hour a week, to one time commitments, to once a month, to more often. Days, times, and hours are flexible. We really have something for everyone!
Timing: Mon-Thurs, one hour weekly between 8:00-3:30, for one semester or the entire school year (to mid-May). All school holidays observed.
Minimum age of volunteers: High school students

Westside Village Magnet School
NW 12th and Kingston, Bend
www.bend.k12.or.us - click Schools
Patrick Bluhm
541-383-6205
pbluhm@bend.k12.or.us
Share your gifts with elementary school students at a creative school. Be a reading buddy, help with drama or art, or be a field trip helper. Also, opportunities to participate with students as they engage in service-learning projects, such as environmental restoration, neighborhood clean-up projects, or activities within the school community, such as garden parties.
Timing: Flexible
Minimum age of volunteers: 15

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Environment

Deschutes National Forest
Various sites
www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon
Jean Nelson-Dean
541-383-5576
jnelsondean@fs.fed.us
Assist the Forest Service in monitoring, repairing, and grooming summer and winter recreation trails or adopting-a-lake for the summer.  Opportunities are also available to help with special volunteer events in partnership with the National Forest Foundation. If you have a group, you might be interested in doing watershed garbage clean-ups, campground improvements, or weed removal.
Timing: Flexible
Minimum age of volunteers: 13

The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and The Freshwater Trust
Various sites
www.thefreshwatertrust.org
www.restorethedeschutes.org
Kolleen Yake
541-382-6103 x33
kyake@restorethedeschutes.orgl
Assist with hands-on watershed education projects. Join us as a volunteer mentor or an education assistant, and help teach field-based science and art activities. Projects and programs run throughout the year and provide rewarding opportunities for volunteers to help educate the next generation of watershed stewards.
Timing: Tues, Weds, Thurs, 9-4.
Minimum age of volunteers: Education assistant: 18; Restorration projects: Any age (younger students come with adults)

ReStore: Habitat for Humanity
1860 NE, Bend
www.bendhabitat.org/volunteer
Adina Eden
385-5387 x234
aeden@bendhabitat.orgl
Volunteer at our home remodeling outlet. ReStore recycles building materials and raises funds for affordable housing projects.
Timing: Tues-Fri, 9-5, Sat, 10-4.
Minimum age of volunteers: 16

Wolftree
Various locations, esp. Sisters/Madras
www.beoutside.org
Ashley Burry-Trice and Blake Lowrey
549-1459
ashley@beoutside.org
blake@beoutside.org
Guide community watershed education, restoration, and research projects. Students test hypotheses on key species, monitor conditions, and engage in habitat restoration and research.
Timing: Varies
Age of volunteers: 5th – 12th grades. College students invited to help mentoring. Internships available.

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Food and Housing

Bend’s Community Center
1036 NE 5th, Bend
www.bendscommunitycenter.org
Taffy Gleason or Linda Heatley
312-2069
taffy@bendscommunitycenter.org
linda@bendscommunitycenter.org
Volunteers needed 7 days a week: cooking to feed the hungry, helping in the thrift store, or doing office work, landscaping, building maintenance, fundraising, computer work, web design, and more.
Timing: Mon – Sat, 9-5, Sun, 10-6; evenings vary with activities
Minimum age of volunteers: 16

Habitat for Humanity, Bend Area
Various locations in Bend
www.bendhabitat.org/volunteer
Adina Eden
385-5387 x234
aeden@bendhabitat.org
Help build affordable housing. No experience necessary and we will train you!
Timing: Tues-Sat, 9-3. 
Minimum age of volunteers: 16

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Health and Therapy

Healing Reins
60575 Billadeau Road, Bend 
www.healingreins.org
Sarah Smith
382-9410 x4
sarahs@healingreins.org
Assist in bringing the standard of excellence in therapeutic horse riding by providing the highest quality experience to disabled, emotionally challenged and behaviorally at risk riders. Also opportunities to help with facilities or office support.
Timing: Mon-Sat, 9am – 6:30pm. Commit for 8-week session, for 1-2 hours each week, or serve as on-call substitute volunteer. Volunteer orientation and training: Wednesday, October 14, 5:30-8:30pm. Timing for facilities and office support is flexible.
Minimum age of volunteers: 14

Ronald McDonald House
1700 NE Purcell, Bend
www.rmhcofcentraloregon.org
Mardi Bruce
318-4950
mardibruce@bendbroadband.com
One-time projects for groups or individuals, or volunteer on a weekly basis, for a house that serves families of children who are receiving medical treatment in the Bend area – cleaning, yard work, maintenance, cooking, organizing, etc. Also special events volunteering.
Timing: Flexible
Minimum age of volunteers: No minimum age, but those under middle school age must be accompanied by an adult

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Youth

Camp Fire USA
Various sites
www.campfireusaco.org
Jenn Bergby
382-4682
CampFire@bendcable.com
Assist in leading a 5-12-week service-learning curriculum for elementary, middle, or high school students. Receive training, and follow a semi-structured curriculum that allows some flexibility.
Timing: Mon-Fri, during school hours. for at least 2 hours per week.
Minimum age of volunteers: 18

Cascade Youth & Family Center
19 SW Century Drive, Bend
www.jbarj.org
Pat Gundy
318-3436
patg@jbarj.org
Provide mentoring and support for homeless youth by assisting with or leading skill-building groups, workshops, or recreation activities. Or, to help with the street outreach program, contact Chuck Geschke at 408-3592.
Timing: Any day, 8am–10pm; Street outreach breakfast: Thurs, 8:30-10 am.
Minimum age of volunteers: 21 (15 for street outreach breakfast)

Girl Scouts of Oregon & SW Wash
Various locations
www.girlscoutsosw.org
Peggy Lovegren
389-8146
plovegren@girlscoutsosw.org
Lead or assist a troop of girls (between grades K-12). Or work with adult volunteers as a member of the Service Team (registrar, membership, fund development, events, newsletter editor, interviewer, treasurer, trainer, recruiter, etc.) Also opportunities to work in our volunteer-run Girl Scout Store or to help with Volunteer Appreciation. Training is provided.
Timing: Flexible
Minimum age of volunteers: High school and above. Male and female volunteers welcome.

Grandma's House
North East Bend
www.grandmashouseofbend.com
Jodi Hammack or Kathy Tabakman
383-3515
grandmasvolunteers@bendcable.com
Help girls aged 12-19, living in a safe shelter for homeless or abused pregnant or parenting teen mothers and their babies. Mentor or tutor a teen, or be a "House Mom" -- a week end role model and supervisor for pregnant teens and their babies.
Timing: Varies.
Minimum age of volunteers: 20

Heart of Oregon Corps
1291 NE 5th St, Bend
www.heartoforegon.org
Laura Handy
541-633-7834
laura.handy@heartoforegon.org
(1)Tutor Heart of Oregon YouthBuild members to earn their diploma or prepare for their GED exam. You will be fully supported by professional teachers and staff, and you will work with motivated learners, ages 16-24, who have struggled in traditional classroom environments.
(2) Be assistant facilitator for Heart of Oregon Career Pathways class - a career exploration and job-training class. Assist a staff member in facilitating our Career Pathways curriculum, including interview techniques, dependability, resume writing, and college exploration. Volunteers could also assist young adults in their individual career goals in our Career Center. Previous personal career experience preferred.
Timing: Tutoring: Weekday mornings, for at least 2 hours, Redmond.  Career Pathways: Weekday morning for 15 weeks (next class begins in April).
Minimum age of volunteers: 18 (21 for Career Pathways). Background check required.

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For more volunteer opportunities, please check the listings in the Volunteers menu.

Community Opportunities