Volunteer Opportunities

Semester Of Service Challenge January-April 1

The Semester of Service Challenge encourages student organizations at Mississippi State to design and coordinate a community service project within the local community during the spring semester. These projects will be posted on the Maroon Volunteer Center website, and will be evaluated based on creativity, organization and management, and overall contributions to the community (volunteers recruited, service hours completed, funds raised, cans collected, etc.)

How it works?

Each student organization will oversee one (or more) volunteer projects within the Starkville Community on or after MLK Day (January 21, 2013). The Maroon Volunteer Center can assist student organizations by helping them find a local agency to partner with, helping with media coverage, and sharing information. Student Organizations are encouraged to send community service project information to the Maroon Volunteer Center.

What the student organization will win?

A large trophy for their organization, publicity, and bragging rights! The Maroon Volunteer Center hopes to make this an annual event and include a special recognition for the winning organization at the volunteer awards banquet in April.

For more information, and to submit a project proposal, click here.

Local Agencies

On-going Volunteer Opportunities Available with Local Agencies
Listed below are the agencies in the Golden Triangle Region along with their needs. If you’re looking for a place to volunteer your time, or you simply want to learn more about the needs that exist in our area, these agencies are a great place to start.

If you are interested in any volunteer opportunity listed below, then contact the Maroon Volunteer Center at volunteer@saffairs.msstate.edu or view OrgSync to find out more information about each agency and how to get involved.

Adult

• Columbus-Lowndes Association for Handicapped Citizens- Volunteers will serve in whatever capacity needed. Assist with parties or day-to-day activities.
• Gentiva Hospice- Looking for 6 month commitment volunteers to help in the office or visit patients weekly or bi-weekly. Different volunteer roles: administrative/clerical, direct patient, bereavement, or special service volunteers.
• Safe Haven- Place for people who have been abused. Volunteers have wide variety of tasks such as painting walls, working outside, or babysitting while parents are in meetings. Work in your expertise area.

Animals

• Oktibbeha County 4-H- Volunteers needed for special events.  
• Oktibbeha County Humane Society- Volunteers needed to wash dishes, walk dogs, socialize with cats, clean syringes, and more. Volunteers are also needed on the first Saturday of every month to assist with an Animal Showing at Pet Smart in Columbus, MS at 10:45 AM. Lunch will be provided.

Arts & Culture

• Starkville Area Arts Council- Varies each week, but office needs include stuffing and addressing envelopes. Pumpkin Palooza- October 19; Magnolia Film Festival- February 16-18; Garden Expo March 24-25; Cotton District Arts Festival- April 21.
• Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library- Shelving books, local history indexing, alphabetizing and sorting local history newspaper clippings, etc.

Children & Youth

• Aiken Village Preschool- Reading or playing with the children.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle- Tutor kids from ages 6-17 years old.
• Brickfire Project- Can work in the daycare or the after-school program. Volunteers will tutor, help in classrooms, help with snack, music, sports or another expertise area.
• Columbus YMCA- Volunteers needed in various areas: facility and grounds- painting, mulching, and pressure washing the swimming pool; clerical duties- making copies and making booklets; fitness- if area of study is fitness, you can do an assistantship in workout room with approval.
• Girl Scouts in Starkville Troop 320- Could use older girls who have been in Girl Scouts before to help with some of the older groups. The troop ranges from kindergarten-11th grade.
• ICS Headstart- Volunteers will work with children from 3-5 years old. They will read, do hands-on activities, mentor, or supervise.
• Palmer Children’s Home- On Tuesdays and Thursdays, volunteers can help with the Physical Education program. For one hour each evening, volunteers can play with the children out on the playground.
• Project AIM- Mentor students from 3rd-8th grade. Will be assigned to student during the first week of school.
• Sally Kate Winters Home- Volunteers can work at the after school program, where they can tutor or play with the children.
• Southern Foundation for Homeless Children- Mentor a young man age 13-19 years old. The young men need someone who they can relate to, talk about life skills with, and be taken to games or other events in the area.
• Starkville Soccer Association- Need coaches and referees for Fall and Spring season for children’s soccer teams.

Community Enrichment

• United Way of North Central MS- Need volunteers who want to solicit to businesses for donations. Also needs a volunteer to come to the office in order to update their website and brochure.

Disability Support

• Ability Works- The center is open 8- 2:30 Monday- Friday. They could use volunteers who would want to privately tutor people with learning or reading disabilities.
• Columbus-Lowndes Association for Handicapped Citizens- Volunteers will serve in whatever capacity needed. Assist with parties or day-to-day activities.

Environment

• Camp Seminole- Mostly labor-intensive work that involves tree-trimming, camp site repairs, wood working, and cleaning the area. On October 22-23, all cub scouts and their families are coming to Camp Seminole for a retreat. They will camp out Saturday night and be fed dinner and breakfast. Could use a few volunteers for those days. Could also use as many volunteers as possible October 17-21st to help clean up the campsites and make sure the activity areas are set up properly.
• Habitat for Humanity- Each year Habitat partners with MSU students, faculty, and staff during the fall semester to build the fall Maroon Edition home. 
• Noxubee Wildlife Refuge- Various projects at the refuge depending on the time of year. Events take place every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. Trash pick-up is a major service area.

Health & Wellness

• Oktibbeha County Regional Hospital- Volunteers will work in customer service (front desk), retail (gift shop), and as patient representatives. Commit to one year of service and work 2-4 hours shifts 2-3 times per month.
• Salvation Army – Starkville- Volunteers are needed to help with kettle collections during the holidays, collect food for the pantry, and collect clothing and other items for the thrift store in addition to helping with the organization of the store. Volunteer hours are M-F from 9-5. Volunteers are allowed 8 hours of volunteering. If more hours are desired, volunteers can become permanent with a background check.
• Salvation Army – Columbus- Volunteers help sort items for the thrift store and food pantry as well as working at sites to help maintain facilities. In addition, volunteers are needed to help with kettle collections during holidays, collect food for the pantry, and collect clothing and other items for the thrift store.

International Support

• English as a Second Language Center- Usually need volunteers at the beginning and end of their 8 week sessions, and also during big events. Contact their office to see if anything is available.

Senior Citizens

• Columbus-Lowndes Association for Handicapped Citizens- Volunteers will serve in whatever capacity needed. Assist with parties or day-to-day activities.
• Gentiva Hospice- Looking for 6 month commitment volunteers to help in the office or visit patients weekly or bi-weekly. Different volunteer roles: administrative/clerical, direct patient, bereavement, or special service volunteers.
• Magnolia Manor- Volunteers can help with activities around the center. They can also shadow someone in the mental health area.

Other Agencies

• 52 Moms
• Adult Basic Literacy Program
• Boys & Girls Club in Starkville
• Care Ministries of the Blind
• Catch a Dream Foundation
• Community Counseling Services
• Emerson Family School
• Family Centers Program Mentoring
• Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum
• Peter’s Rock Food Pantry
• Prairie Opportunity
• Recovery House
• Saint Joseph’s Food Pantry
• Senior Enrichment Center
• Smiles Learning Center
• St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
• Starkville Community Market
• Starkville Community Theatre
• Starkville Manor Nursing Home
• Student Support Services
• T.K. Martin Center
• Unity Hospice Care