Archives

Each week, 60 volunteers perform a variety of program-related roles, including teaching, reading, tutoring, and serving as a program or office aide. Others serve on standing committees, develop and assist at fundraisers, read during lunch time for a week in the summer or perform myriad other services.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact the program director at program@neighborhoodarthouse.org or 455-5508.

The Neighborhood Art House is also an approved site for placement of college students who qualify for the PHEAA Off-Campus Community Service Program. For information on this program, contact the executive director at NAH@neighborhoodarthouse.org or 455-5508.

On Friday, April 26, Make-A-Wish of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia awarded Trevin Capela, 6, of Waterford, who has cystic fibrosis, a dream trip to Disney World with his family.

You can help make wishes like Trevin’s come true by donating your airline air miles to Make-A-Wish. And if you donate them by April 30, WWE superstar John Cena will match every mile donated, up to 4.5 million, and United Airlines will match every United MileagePlus award mile donated as well, up to 3 million miles.

Seventy-five percent of the wishes granted by Make-A-Wish, like Trevin’s, require air travel to fulfill them, and the Pennsylvania Make-A-Wish chapter is working to fill more than 525 travel wishes requiring 124 million air miles. Donated air miles are critical to the program.

Frequent fliers with air miles from Delta, US Airways or United can donate their air miles to Make-A-Wish through its Wishes in Flight program. Once donated, the miles never expire.

To donate miles or for more information, call (800) 676-9474 or log on to www.wishgreaterpa.org.

Help Erie celebrate its heritage by participating in “The Spirit of Erie,”  a community pageant that will pay tribute to Erie’s history as part of this summer’s Perry 200 Commemoration.

Auditions for the extravaganza, which will include singing, dancing, historical skits and more, are scheduled Monday and Tuesday, March 18 and 19, at 6 p.m. at the Erie Playhouse Rehearsal Hall, 1158 E. 12th St.

Participants will take part in eight performances between June 25 and June 30 at the Bayfront Convention Center.

Auditions are open to anyone age 7 or older; the show will include a large cast of children. No previous experience is necessary.

Singers should bring 16 bars of a song of their choice. Dancers should be ready to learn some steps and show off their skills; a combination will be taught at the auditions. Actors should prepare a short dramatic monologue.

For more information on the auditions or the pageant, call Richard Davis of the Erie Playhouse at 454-2852, Ext. 2 or e-mail him at richardd@erieplayhouse.org.

The ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum is looking for volunteers for its upcoming events and programs.

On Friday, the museum hosts a Family Game Night. Volunteers are needed between 6 and 9:30 p.m.

The Ronald McDonald House Creativity Center has its grand opening at the museum on June 8. The museum needs help with the set-up for the event on June 6 to 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Volunteers are also requested during the grand opening event.

On June 15, the museum hosts a summer botany class. Help is needed between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m.

The following day (June 16) is Pirate Day at the Children’s Museum, complete with pirate characters, exotic birds and themed activities. Volunteers can donate their time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Lastly, the museum is looking for help with June birthday parties. Volunteer shifts run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.

To get involved, contact Abby Dinges, the volunteer coordinator at the Children’s Museum, on the telephone at 463-3743 or via e-mail at abby@eriechildrensmuseum.org.

Dunn Tire retail locations across New York and northwestern Pennsylvania are fundraising for pediatric care.

From May 1 to 31, Dunn Tire customers will be asked to donate $1 and add a personalized balloon to an in-store display.

The proceeds will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. These hospitals provide care for sick children without regard to insurance coverage. In Erie, the participating hospital is the  St. Vincent Health Center.

“Each and every donation counts” said Chuck Haring, director of  marketing and advertising for Dunn Tire, in a news release. “One visit to these hospitals makes you understand the enormity of their importance. This is a great organization, and people who donate should take comfort in knowing that all of the money raised goes directly towards helping children in their local community.”

To donate, visit local Dunn Tire stores at 2202 Broad St., 4222 Peach St. or 2419 W. 12th St.

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

Pennsylvanians across the state are giving their energy to political campaigns this election day. But here’s another campaign you may be interested in: bringing new learning opportunities to Erie students at the ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum.

And it needs your help.

The ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum seeks teens and adults to help out with their youth programming.

Here are some of the volunteer opportunities available at the children’s museum (for volunteers age 14 and up):

-High school students can volunteer to gain community service hours.

-Internships are available for college students.

-Adult volunteers chaperone birthday parties, assist in outreach and participate in special events.

The perk: Volunteers receive free admission to the museum after 100 hours of service.

Those who cannot give their time can still donate to the children’s museum.

Here’s the list of needed supplies from the museum’s website:

-Glue & Glue Sticks

-Magic Marker

-CD Player

-Wet & Dry Shop-Vac

-Batteries (AAA, C & D)

-54″ Round Heavy Duty Plastic

-Tablecloths

-Recycled Egg Cartons

-Old Clean Cotton T-Shirts

-Glitter

-Ribbon

-Yarn

-White Paper Plates & Napkins

-Plastic Bottles

-Grocery Store Item

-DAWN Dish Detergent

-Magnifying Glasses

Support a campaign we can all rally behind: education.

Photo courtesy of the ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum.

The Perseus House, a residential care facility for Erie youth, is looking for volunteers to tutor residents and/or assist facility staff.

The Perseus House, located at 132 W. 26th St. in Erie, is a multipurpose center that provides beds to 92 Erie boys and girls. Youth stay at the Perseus house prior to or post-adjudication or during intensive or victim offender-specific treatment.

The center says volunteers are an “integral part of our programming.” The Perseus House asks that interested participants be at least 18 years old.

According to the Perseus House’s website, volunteers:

• -Tutoring students in areas of deficiency
• -Assisting students with homework
• -Communicating with facility staff
• -Assisting facility staff at varying levels, depending on both the facility and other necessary duties and requirements (Applicable to interns only)

Time commitments range from four to 900 hours.

Important: Volunteers and interns need to have Child Abuse History (Act 33), Criminal History Record (Act 34)  and FBI background clearances within the 90 days of work. The Perseus House will supply the requisite forms.

Volunteers also must participate in an one-hour orientation prior to beginning work.

For more information, contact Emily Nicholson, coordinator of Tutors and Volunteers, at 814.459.6990, ext. 143.