Volunteer Opportunities
BABES Volunteers
BABES, Beginning Awareness Basic Education Studies, is a program sponsored by Dove, Inc., which brings worthwhile life skill lessons to children in grades K-3rd, in Macon and DeWitt county schools.
Volunteer commitment is usually an hour a week for six consecutive weeks and that covers two classrooms. The presentations are made in pairs, so bring a friend who can be your partner or be teamed with a person during the training.
BABES is seeking additional volunteers. If you would like to make a difference in the lives of 6 to 10 year olds, please contact Sandy Laesch, Program Coordinator or Barb Blakey, Director of Volunteers and Community Relations, at 217.428.6616 for the next volunteer training opportunity.
Children's Clothing Room
Sort donations and assist those seeking clothing. This free clothing room is located at Central Christian Church, 650 W. William, and is open Mondays and Wednesdays, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Contact RSVP Staff at 217. 428.6616 for additional information.
RSVP Community Involvement Opportunities
Dove Food Pantry - Clinton
Seeking volunteers (preferably with a truck) to drive to Bloomington to the Midwest Food Bank to pick up food one day a month. If you can help, please call Angie at 217.428.6616.
DMH Hospice, Macon County
Volunteers are needed to provide companionship, do grocery runs, pick up prescriptions, and provide respite to caregivers (no medical skills needed – hospice volunteers are not allowed to provide medical assistance) for those on hospice. You can set your own hours and volunteer as much or as little as you’re able and willing. For more information, contact Angie at Dove at 217.428.6616.
Decatur Public Library
The biggest need here is for volunteers to work in the Local History Room. Making displays, digitizing information, assisting patrons in their research using microfilm, working in databases, processing new materials that are donated, and more. If interested in this opportunity, contact Becky Damptz for more information at rdamptz@decaturlibrary.org or call and ask for her at 217.424.2900.
Habitat For Humanity, Decatur
Habitat for Humanity needs people to greet clients and customers at their resale shop, to help restage/rearrange the store, to sort donations, to make small repairs to donated items such as engines, to test and make sure electronic donations work properly and that all parts are there when things are donated. If interested in any of these opportunities, please reach out to Stephanie Stukins at 217.425.6446.
Rock Springs Nature Center- Volunteer Librarian, Macon County
The library relocation project has wrapped up and we are looking for volunteers to help in our new location. Volunteers assist with checking out and reshelving books as well as maintaining our library collection. Our library is a great resource for educational programming and is open to the public. Morning and afternoon shifts are available. This
Opportunity is for ages 18 and up. For more information, or to sign up, contact Jenny Garver (JGarver@MaconCountyConservation.org; 217.423.7708).
American Red Cross
If you’re looking for an opportunity to help people in need, you might check into all the things that the American Red Cross is doing. Helping with blood drives by greeting people and thanking them for their time and donation, helping be a touch point for those in the armed forces, presenting workshops to recruits, their families, and their children, providing food and water to first responders when they are on fire calls, offering blankets and teddy bears to children after a disaster such as a fire or tornado, and much more. If interested, please reach out to Angie or Kathy at Dove at 217.428.6616.
Northeast Community Fund
Volunteers are needed to assist in stocking the food shelves, particularly on Mondays in the mornings and afternoons, Tuesday afternoons, and Thursday afternoons. Other needs in the food department are providing carryout for clients, pointing out what items they can receive from each section, and light cleaning. If interested, contact Josh at 217.429.5846.
Volunteers are also needed to help sort clothes, collect donations at the door. If interested in helping with the clothes, reach out to Lillie at 217.429.5846. The only requirements are dependability, friendliness, and the ability to have a positive attitude even if those you’re serving don’t share that positivity.
CASA
If you want to make a difference in the lives of children, CASA might be right for you. CASA’s goals are to help reunify families who are separated due to a variety of circumstances. The children you would be advocating for are in foster homes. Children are assigned an advocate who meets with them regularly (8 – 10 hours a month) to see how they are doing and find out what their needs are. It is about having a relationship and being a positive influence on a child or children who are in need, so they don’t fall through the cracks. There is a required 30-hour training, but you will not go through the training or the work alone. A CASA advocacy supervisor assists you every step of the way. If interested, reach out to Lori McDaniel for more information at 217.428.8424.
Click here for more information about Dove's RSVP program
Domestic Violence Program
Currently Domestic Violence Education and Volunteer Training is offered in the Spring and Fall of each year. Please check back for information on the Fall 2023 training.
