Volunteers

Looking for volunteer opportunities? The following organizations need volunteer help for a day, for a week or on a regular basis.

AT: LAST is a nonprofit group in Columbia dedicated to helping people with disabilities and their families eliminate barriers to the acquisition and effective use of assistive technology. AT: LAST seeks applicants for an 11-month Americorps volunteer coordinator position starting in September. The coordinator will work 20 hours a week, and benefits include a stipend, money for college, insurance and extensive training. The deadline for applications is Aug. 1. Information and a full position description are available at 410-381-2667, communications@matcoop.org or http://www.matcoop.org.

Frederick Community Action Agency needs volunteers to serve as interpreters and translators for clients in the medical clinic, Foodbank, case management program, and housing counseling programs. Volunteers work with staff to interpret primarily for speakers of Spanish, French, Creole, Burmese (Myanmar) and American Sign Language. Client appointments are scheduled in advance and volunteers can serve as little as two or three hours a month. The Frederick Community Action Agency provides food, shelter, medical care, housing, transportation and other forms of assistance to help low-income or homeless families and individuals. To volunteer, 301-600-3959 or mott@cityoffrederick.com or http://www.cityoffrederick.com/fcaa.

Gaithersburg Meals on Wheels needs drivers to deliver hot lunches and cold suppers daily at lunchtime to elderly persons and shut-ins in the Gaithersburg area. Meals are prepared at Asbury Methodist Village, 333 Russell Ave., and picked up by drivers between 10:45 and 11:30 a.m. Containers are provided for carrying the meals. Delivery takes about one hour, with eight to 12 clients on each route. Volunteers are asked to drive once a week, and children are welcome to accompany parents. Training is provided. For details, contact the Meals On Wheels volunteer office at 301-216-4200 or Mary Casamento at 301-253-4626.

Literacy Council of Montgomery County will have an information session for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to read, write or speak English at 7:30 p.m. July 28 at the Rockville Library. After an orientation, volunteers can select a two-part training session that fits their schedules. No teaching experience or foreign language skills are necessary. Tutors work one-on-one or with small groups and typically meet with students in libraries or community centers at mutually convenient times. 301-610-0030, info@literacycouncilmcmd.org or http://www.literacycouncilmcmd.org.

Montgomery County Department of Economic Development has expanded its summer youth jobs program and seeks businesses and public, private, nonprofit, government and community-based organizations that can give students and young adults, ages 14 to 24, meaningful paid work experiences. Employers are not expected to pay participants. The department is dedicated to building the county's future workforce. Services include providing pre-employment and job-readiness training for youth and screening workers to ensure that those provided to employers are ready to become productive employees. Businesses that can offer summer work experience from Sunday through Aug. 21 should contact Janelle Cauthen at 301-495-0441, Ext. 223, or janelle@layc-dc.org. Residents ages 14 to 24 who have a low family income and a legal right to work in the United States can register for the program at http://www.montgomeryworks.org/programs_services_youth.asp.

Retired Senior Volunteers Program makes items for children to help them learn their numbers, colors and letters. Those who knit and crochet make items for children and infants. Fridays at 11 a.m. Long Branch Senior Center, 8700 Piney Branch Rd., Silver Spring. 301-431-5708.

The Senior Connection needs volunteers to help people 62 and older live as independently as possible by providing transportation to scheduled medical appointments, helping with grocery shopping and running errands, and paying a visit or making a phone call to share companionship. Volunteer time commitments and schedules are flexible. Training will be provided. Liability insurance coverage is provided. 301-962-0820 or seniorconnectionmc@gmail.com.

Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board seeks applicants for two positions on the Bethesda Transportation Management District Advisory Committee. One vacancy is for a resident of the Bethesda TMD (north of East West Highway and Old Georgetown Road), and one who lives in a neighborhood adjacent to the Bethesda TMD or in the Town of Chevy Chase. The committee focuses on traffic assessment, pedestrian safety, parking and the need for capital improvements in the business district with an emphasis on promoting programs for transit and ride-sharing. Interested residents should send a brief résumé with experience, interests and community activities by Aug. 15 to the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Md., 20814. For information, contact Karen Thon, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 240-777-8210 or karen.thon@montgomerycountymd.gov.

County Executive Volunteer Opportunities

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) is accepting applications for the following positions:

-- Animal Matters Hearing Board, one vacancy for an alternate public member. The board hears complaints on animal-related nuisances; issues orders necessary for abatement; is responsible for hearing and determining appeals regarding licenses that have been denied or revoked by the Department of Police, Division of Animal Control and Humane Treatment; and makes recommendations concerning animal control facilities in the county.