Over 50? Plan Your Volunteer Activity Now to Help Kids This Fall

Giving Compass' Take:

• Aileen Ichikawa and Sarah McKinney list some opportunities for older adults to give back to their communities through youth organizations this fall, whether it's tutoring, mentoring or participating in afterschool programs.

• See what an impact you can make in the lives of children just by devoting a little bit of time to their development. Every minute counts.

• Here's how one retiree found purpose as an advocate for abused and neglected kids.

If you’ve put volunteering with kids on your post-Labor Day list, hooray! Lots of youth-serving organizations need new volunteers starting in the fall. Now’s the time to start searching for the right opportunity for you.

TUTORING
Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring pairs older adult volunteers with children in grades K-3 who need extra support with reading, talking and writing. “You don’t have to be an educator to become a tutor because Oasis provides training that prepares you,” says volunteer Tammy Kelly. “If you like children, this is a way to contribute to their success.” Oasis has 4,500 volunteers working in 20 cities across the country. Find the website for your city here, and then explore volunteer opportunities.

SPORTS
Up2Us Sports provides coaches who are trained in positive youth development. More than 2,100 coaches in 500 communities have served 400,000 youth to date. Coaches are AmeriCorps volunteers and Up2Us Sports is interested in recruiting coaches over the age of 50.

LITERACY
Raising A Reader volunteers help families with children from 0-8 develop, practice and maintain home literacy habits essential for school and life success. Explore both local and national opportunities to get involved and then complete the volunteer interest form to see if volunteers are needed in your area.