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The American Cancer Society is looking for administrative volunteers.

Volunteer duties include bulk mailing projects, packet assembly for events, Volunteer Leadership Council recruitment and other office and communications tasks.

“We are in need of individuals who are detail oriented, able to multitask and want to help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays,” a Volunteer Match listing read.

Volunteers work out of the Erie chapter’s office at 2115 W. 38th St. Hours are flexible.

Volunteers must be at least 25 years old.

Learn more on Volunteer Match.

Pound nails, paint walls, plan special events and give a deserving family the gift of a new home.

Greater Erie Area Habitat for Humanity and its volunteers have provided home ownership opportunities to 50 Erie area families in the past 20 years.

Currently, they are working on two local houses.

No experience is needed, and Habitat for Humanity provides tools and equipment.

To volunteer, fill out these individual or group waivers, review the work site regulations and submit the form at the Habitat for Humanity office located at 413 E. 9th St. in Erie. Once your waiver has been approved, you will be contacted to schedule a shift at a work site. Habitat for Humanity reminds volunteers that all shifts must be scheduled in advance.

Construction volunteers must be at least 16 years old.

For those who want to give different talents to Habitat for Humanity, the organization is also looking for committee members.

The committees currently seeking new members are:

-Church Relations

-Construction

-Family Partnership

-Fund Development

-Governance

-Grants

-Site Selection

Habitat for Humanity is  looking for volunteers for its youth programs, Girls Build and Build a Better World.

Volunteers can also get involved by planning special events and performing office duties.

For more information, contact the Volunteer Coordinator by telephone at 454-7025 or by e-mail.

Image and video courtesy of Habitat for Humanity

Volunteer at the Erie Philharmonic and get free access to concerts. What a deal.

The cultural treasure in the heart of Erie’s downtown is looking for volunteers to fulfill number of roles (some with the perk of free admission.)

Here’s how you can get involved:

Usher in patrons

Concert ushers provide customer service to the audience at the Erie Philharmonic. Volunteers are needed for the weekly Saturday concerts. The reward: free access to the music.

Raise money

Fundraising volunteers plan and run events. The Erie Philharmonic asks that they be detail-oriented, creative and results-driven.

Help out at the office

Someone’s got to do the mailing, filing, phone calls, etc. Do you like that kind of stuff? You can make a volunteer commitment or lend your time as needed.

The Erie Philharmonic encourages anyone with a skill to share to contact Brittany Hall at 814-455-1375 ext. 10 or bhall@eriephil.org.

"Ophelia" by John William Waterhouse.

In the play Hamlet, the character Ophelia meets her fate in the shallow waters of a brook, the victim of depression and a broken heart.

Taking its name from the Shakespearean tragedy’s maiden, the national Ophelia Project, which is headquartered in Erie,  seeks to curbing bullying and in particular, relational aggression in children and adolescents.

For 10 years, the Ophelia Project has worked in Erie schools and after-school programs to provide students with the skills needed to counter bullying.

Their efforts wouldn’t be possible without the help of volunteers. Last year, local volunteers donated 20,000 hours to the Ophelia Project in a variety of roles.

Mentor

The Ophelia Project is looking for volunteers of all ages for its mentorship programs.

The STAR program at the 10th and Holland Neighborhood Arthouse need volunteer mentors each Thursday at 3:30 p.m through May. The classes last one hour. Mentors can make a weekly or biweekly commitment.

The Girltalk program seeks strong, positive female mentors of all ages.

Lastly, Raps mentors are needed to volunteer at Diehl and Jefferson schools through June 1. Raps mentors should be college age or young adults.

Help out at events

The Ophelia Project is partnering with the Erie chapter of Mothers Against Teen Violence to host a Peaceful Solutions Workshop at the Henderson Methodist Church on East 10th Street on April 21 as part of Global Youth Service Day. Volunteers are needed to help run the workshop.

Another upcoming event is the project’s Strike Out Against Suicide and Bullying fundraiser, which will be held on April 15. Volunteers are asked to sell tickets in advance, work the event or even just gather a team and participate. The Ophelia Project is currently accepting prize donations.

More opportunities

Can’t commit to a mentoring or event volunteer position? The Ophelia Project is always looking for people to work in their offices doing clerical and cleaning work.

Donations of snacks for the after-school programs, A.C. Moore gift cards for program supplies and stickers are needed as well.

Why volunteer?

Lora Caldwell, volunteer services manager at the Ophelia Project answers that question with the story of her father.

Then 86 years old, he participated in the Take Back the City event several years ago by taking up a broom and sweeping Perry Square.

“Passersby said, ‘If this 86 year-old man can do it, I can give back too,” said Caldwell.

The Ophelia Project gives volunteers the unique experience of working closely with children and adolescents.

“You’re making a connection,” said Caldwell. “And you’re giving back to the community during time usually spent on Facebook or watching TV.

“You’re contributing instead of just sitting around.”

To get involved, contact Caldwell at morningstar7@verizon.net.

Photo courtesy of Wikicommons