Summerlin area has volunteer opportunities for any interest

Volunteering. It's the worst-paying job you'll ever love.

Make A Difference Day is Saturday. The idea is to fill the entire 24 hours with service to others -- 24 hours of service in a 24-hour town.

Don't know where to start? Figure out a project to do as an individual, as a family or through a favorite group, such as church, social, civic, sports or children's programs. Check with the organization you plan to help to learn its needs.

"It's not hard to find volunteer projects if you know where to look," said Amanda Boehmer, volunteer coordinator for AmeriCorps VISTA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Students in certain sections are required to take hands-on service classes. In the past, students have lent a hand at The Animal Foundation, Three Square food bank and Opportunity Village.

AmeriCorps VISTA can use volunteers of all ages. For more information, visit americorps.gov.

You also can contribute to the 13th annual food drive Saturday at Smith's Food and Drug, 2211 N. Rampart Blvd. Over the years, it has resulted in 41,680 pounds of food given to The Salvation Army's food pantry.

"I wanted to focus on the family because kids really don't have a choice," said food drive founder Mary Vail.

For more information about the drive, visit maryvailpublicist.com and click on "annual events."

The Meetup group AOK, or Acts of Kindness, is involved in charitable acts year-round. A calendar of events is at meetup.com/actsofkindness.

A once-a-year opportunity to serve is Pay It Forward Day, the last Thursday of April. It was inspired by the movie of the same name. For more information, visit payitforwardday.com.

It doesn't have to be Make A Difference Day to volunteer. Volunteers are needed year-round. In the Summerlin area, the opportunities are abundant.

HOSPITALS

Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, 657 N. Town Center Drive, has more than 200 volunteers working in three shifts.

They provide general information and directions; assist in the discharge process; socialize with patients; work the newspaper, book and magazine cart; and update family members on the surgery status of patients. All volunteers undergo orientation to learn about emergency codes, patient confidentiality and infection control.

"The majority of senior volunteers prefer reception positions, so turnover is low, which makes this position fairly easy to fill," said Irma Laudermilch, volunteer services manager.

Nancy Dury of Siena, a 50-or-older community in Summerlin, and her husband, John, have been helping at Summerlin Hospital for the past two years. She mans the outpatient surgery desk. He wears many hats, including courier. Both said they like keeping busy, meeting new people and knowing they're making a difference.

"Volunteering is fulfilling and very humbling," Nancy Dury said. "You're giving of yourself without thinking about it."

Likewise, MountainView Hospital, 3100 N. Tenaya Way, has 160 adults on its volunteer roster. The program sees a slight drop-off in the summer as residents flee the heat, but teens on summer break make up the dip. This year, 27 junior volunteers worked before school resumed.

Dena Dzierbicki, director of volunteer services with HCA Inc., Hospital Corporation of America, said she's fortunate that MountainView Hospital is in an area ripe with retirees who like keeping busy.

"There's never a shortage," she said.

One of those retirees is Rose Hamm, who volunteers in the neonatal ward. She rocks and burps babies and said she gets "so much more out of it than I give."

To volunteer at Summerlin Hospital, visit valleyhealthsys.com, go to "volunteers link" to preview requirements and download an application.

To volunteer at MountainView Hospital, call Dzierbicki at 255-5079.

CITY VOLUNTEERS

The city of Las Vegas uses volunteers for its Park Ambassador Program. Currently, there are about 24 people in the program who walk around the parks (the city has 68) and report issues with maintenance, littering, and other concerns.

They also speak with park users in a casual manner to learn their concerns and help promote upcoming events.

"They're the eyes and ears of our city parks," said program director Stephanie Richard, adding that she pairs volunteers with a park near their home. "You tend to take ownership when the park is in your own neighborhood."

The program can always use more ambassadors, she said. To learn more, visit lasvegasnevada.gov and type "park ambassador" in the search box.

RED ROCK CANYON
NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA

The needs of the Las Vegas Valley's most spectacular natural resource are many, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management relies on the group Friends of Red Rock Canyon to help it manage the 195,819 acres of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Its volunteer opportunities include manning the information desk at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, which is great for individuals who love to work with the public. They answer questions and hand out information to the more than 1 million visitors annually. Shifts are scheduled in four-hour intervals, with two people manning each shift.

Exhibit area specialists get to roam the Visitor Center's exhibit area, answering questions and ensuring that the public is having a great time. These shifts are lenient; volunteers come and leave as they wish.

Tortoise habitat monitors feed, soak and take care of Mojave Max and his fellow resident tortoises. This position requires training.

The newest volunteer position is that of the Red Rock Ambassador. They man several stations along the Scenic Loop Drive, also called the 13-mile loop, where they set up shop and answer visitor questions. Two people work each shift after undergoing basic training.

Have the need to stretch those legs? Trail monitors hike the canyon's many trails and fill out forms when they spot areas that need addressing. This is an unscheduled position that the volunteer does on his own time.

The Natural Resource Team meets bimonthly, usually on Saturdays, to go out into the field and "get dirty." Team members undertake a variety of tasks from picking up trash to removing graffiti.

Anyone interested in volunteering with Friends of Red Rock Canyon should contact Jim Sudduth, volunteer services associate, at 515-5366. For more information, visit friendsofredrockcanyon.org.

HELPING ANIMALS

Dog and cat rescue groups always need hands. Foreclosed Upon Pets Inc., for example, is an all-volunteer effort that seeks to find new homes for pets abandoned in the housing crisis. Volunteers are needed to answer phones and do basic office work. FUPI showcases dogs at seven area PetSmarts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, all handled by volunteers. In Summerlin, it's at 9775 W. Charleston Blvd.

The group's felines are in the cat condo area of four PetSmarts and need to be fed each day and allowed to play outside their cages. Volunteers also are needed to transport animals to vet appointments and to the airport for rescue flights.

For more information, contact FUPI at 272-0010 or visit forecloseduponpets.org.

LIBRARIES

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District uses volunteers for many tasks -- shelving materials, supporting programs for adults and children, providing tutoring for English language learners, assisting with used book sales and helping with special events.

"We love our volunteers," said Jeanne Goodrich, executive director. "From welcoming library visitors to shelving books to working in the used bookstores, volunteers are critical in helping the library provide quality services despite limited resources."

It recruits 35 to 40 new volunteers a month and works with a range of 300 to 400 volunteers at a time over the course of the year.

It is developing new volunteer positions related to social media and online book sales. To sign up, contact Leslie Valdes, volunteer program coordinator, at
507-6181 or complete and send in the volunteer form at https://www.lvccldfoundation.org/volunteer_jobs.cfm.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.