volunteer opportunities

[Kylie Howard]

Does anyone know of any non profit organizations that need some volunteer helo around the galveston area. id hope for something that benefits the local community or the bay or local wildlife. lemme know, thanks.

[WestEndAngler]

Galveston Bay Foundation

[Kylie Howard]

have done stuff for them before, but it seems that they only use random help for their big projects such as the marsh mania and other stuff.

[Milkjug]

But they have lots of hotties!

You could check out any DU or Delta local chapters and see if there's anything you could do to make up for all those hens you swatted off the water.

Lake Jackson Sea Center would be fun, and has a lot more going on. Down side is it's a bit of a drive.

I have a friend who does a lot of sea turtle rescue stuff around here. It would be close, and they do a lot more stuff. Want me to ask?

[Baby Tran Cat]

Kylie...tremendous that you would ask to get involved...I know many of us on this board spend most of our time in the bay so we don't see really what's going on in Galveston. Right now on the island, 22% of the population is living BELOW the poverty level. Think about that number next time you are driving through...it's staggering. The most immediate impact charities are those that I call "front line" charities. These guys raise their own money without asking the government to kick in tax dollars to help them. They are also the ones that struggle to get the job done as they rely soley on the grace of people and churches. An example of this might be the local food banks in Galveston. I tend to see churches doing the majority of the work and it is 100% volunteer based. Often times, as sick as this is, many of the fed funded charities and such run such a huge overhead that the real % of dollars to the needy is like .35-.40 cents per dollar given which is a shame.

Spend a little time contacting the local churches. Tell them that this is on your heart...you are not sure what is needed but simply know you're being called to that...I guarantee you will be pointed in the right direction. It may be a charity they refer to...it might be a loney elderly lady who simply needs someone to talk to on occaision...some teen boy who is on the edge of trouble and needs a big brother to take him fishing, have some fun, and discover that someone indeed cares about him...

As you can see this is a passion of mine so best of luck on this journey to you. The true miracle about gifts is that the giver always winds up with the most benefit...