Service Opportunities in the United States - Alphabetical

Ambassadors for Children
Web site: www.ambassadorsforchildren.org
Info: Not only does Ambassadors for Children send volunteers overseas, but it also lets people work in the United States on American Indian Reservations. Volunteers work with disadvantaged children, building playgrounds, helping with medical care, and other tasks.

American Cancer Society
Web site: www.cancer.org
Info: From hands-on help with such events as Relay for Life to more grassroots opportunities like writing to legislators, the American Cancer Society offers a wealth of information about helping in the fight against cancer, as well as education about steps forward in cancer research.

American Hiking Society
Web site: www.americanhiking.org
Info: Working in 29 states, the American Hiking Society builds teams of volunteers to help conserve nature trails and to build new ones throughout the United States.

American Red Cross
Web Site: www.redcross.org
Info: Offering both employment and volunteer opportunities, the American Red Cross works to assist in disaster relief as well as emergencies. According to the ARC website, volunteers constitute more than 97% for the Red Cross work force, and over half of the blood donated to hospitals to save lives throughout the country is collected by Red Cross workers.

Americorps
Web site: www.americorps.org
Info: Americorps is a volunteer organization designed to unite men and women around the country to help in such areas as disaster relief, education, agriculture, health care, and other important services. Full-time members are eligible to receive a student award, which can be used to pay for tuition bills or for student loans.

Amizade
Web site: www.amizade.org
Info: Amizade works not only in the United States, but also in many different locations worldwide in the areas of community building, homelessness, conservation, construction, and many other issues.

Appalachian Mountain Club
Web site: www.outdoors.org
Info: This organization helps to construct and maintain trails throughout the United States. Volunteers work in Maine, Massachusetts, and other locations, most notably the Appalachian Mountain regions.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Web site: www.appalachiantrail.org
Info: The ATC helps to preserve the Appalachian Trails so that they can be more enjoyable to those who are visiting and camping along them. Volunteers construct new trails, maintain existing ones, and must engage in hard, physical labor for these tasks.

Bike-Aid
Web site: www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/bikeaid
Info: Bike-Aid takes volunteers on a cross-country biking trip, in which they help communities throughout the United States with such projects as rural development, women’s issues, health, agriculture, and many other important issues.

Camp AmeriKids
Web site: www.campamerikids.org
Info: Camp AmeriKids works to give summer program opportunities to inner-city children who are affected by HIV/AIDS. Volunteers work with children for eight days at a camp which lets them participate in nature activities, sports, arts and crafts, and other programs.

Camphill Special School
Web site: www.beaverrun.org
Info: Volunteers work in a school, home, and prevocational setting with children who have developmental disabilities. Through extended-family living, those who work with Camphill Special School help to care for these children.

Caretta Research Project
Web site: www.carettaresearchproject.org
Info: Based out of Wassaw Island, off the coast of Georgia, this project works with threatened loggerhead sea turtles by tagging them and supervising nests.

Catalina Island Conservancy
Web site: www.catalinaconservancy.org
Info: The Catalina Island Conservancy helps to protect and maintain the environment of the area. Volunteers work on construction, research, education, transplantation, and other projects.

Cheyenne River Youth Project
Web site: www.lakotayouth.org
Info: Volunteers work with youth aged four to 17 in planned activities, sports, arts, and other activities that help to enrich the lives of children of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

The Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF)
Web site: www.coloradotrail.org
Info: CTF helps to maintain and protect the Colorado Trail, which runs between Denver and Durango, CO. Volunteers work to construct new sections of the trail, build bridges, maintain sections of the trail, and other work.

Dolphin Research Center (DRC)
Web site: www.dolphins.org
Info: Located in the Florida Keys, the Dolphin Research Center helps to educate the public about protection of marine life. Volunteers work with guests in public events, help medical staff, work with dolphins in preparing their meals, and other important tasks.

Farm Sanctuary
Web site: www.farmsanctuary.org
Info: Volunteers can choose to live on-site with this organization, which works to “change the way society views and treats animals used for food production.” Tasks include general maintenance of one of the two farms in New York and in California, animal care, and other administrative projects.

Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
Web site: www.cumbrestoltec.org
Info: Located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, volunteers for Friends help restore and conserve this railroad, specifically in the areas of woodworking, painting, gardening, carpentry, archaeological studies, and other work.

Friends Workcamp Program, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (FWP)
Web site: www.pym.org/workcamp/index.html
Info: Located in Philadelphia, PA, this group offers spiritually-based volunteer programs in low-income communities to help raise awareness of community and cultural issues. Volunteers work on such projects as caring for children at homeless shelters, visiting the elderly, and working on construction projects.

Gibbon Conservation Center (GCC)
Web site: www.gibboncenter.org
Info: As the only facility in the world dedicated to the study and conservation of gibbons, this program, located north of Los Angeles, works to preserve the species and ensure its propagation. Volunteers can choose to work directly with the gibbons, perform general maintenance work, or they may perform administrative tasks.

Habitat for Humanity
Web site: http://www.habitat.org
Info: A Christian foundation, Habitat for Humanity encourages all who wish to help build shelters for those in need to help with their cause. Volunteers work in the fields of disaster relief, rehabilitation of damaged homes, and other important tasks. Employment is available, and Habitat for Humanity also welcomes monetary donations, as well as donations of building materials.

Just Works
Web site: www.uusc.org/info/workcamps.html
Info: Located throughout the United States, Just Works helps to address such issues as poverty, racism, and discrimination. Volunteers learn about these issues and how they can implement action to help fight them.

Koke’e Resource Conservation Program (KRCP)
Web site: www.krcp.org
Info: KRCP works with reforestation projects in the Koke’e State Park in Hawaii. Volunteers work with trail maintenance, as well as helping to remove invasive plants that could be harmful to the area.

Landmark Volunteers
Web site: www.volunteers.com
Info: Located in different areas of the United States, Landmark Volunteers allows high school students to help with such projects as trail building and maintenance, helping disadvantaged youth, and other important work.

Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA)
Web site: www.pcta.org
Info: Working in locations along the Pacific Crest Trail from Washington to the United States-Mexico border, PCTA volunteers help with trail construction and rehabilitation, and other construction-related tasks.

Passport in Time (PIT)
Web site: www.passportintime.com
Info: Affiliated with the USDA Forest Service, this program helps to preserve historical sites by bringing in volunteers to work on archaeological projects, and working on such tasks as historical research, building restoration, site monitoring, and other important tasks.

Sierra Club Outings
Web site: www.sierraclub.org/outings/national
Info: Located in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada, the Sierra Club works to promote environmental work. Volunteers work on service trips to help with archaeological digs, conservation projects, trail maintenance, and other work.

Sioux YMCA
Web site: www.siouxymca.org
Info: The Sioux YMCA works with the community in Dupree, South Dakota on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Volunteers work with an after-school program, a summer day camp, the Girl Scouts, and other programs.

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado
Web site: www.voc.org
Info: Volunteers work on such projects as trail building and maintenance, invasive plant control, and other important projects in this organization dedicated to preserving Colorado’s public lands.

World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) USA
Web site: www.wwoofusa.org
Info: Volunteers work on organic farms throughout the United States in this program, which is dedicated to linking organic farmers and educating these farming practices. Volunteers help in gardens and assist in animal care, as well as other tasks.

Wyoming Dinosaur Center (WDC)
Web site: www.wyodino.org
Info: The WDC offers a Dig-for-a-Day program, in which volunteers help to excavate and collect dinosaur fossils on Warm Springs Ranch in Wyoming.