BY: Savanna Pruitt
There’s nothing quite like giving back to your community. It’s a great way to help out your neighbors, it’s an excellent way to meet new friends, and it looks great on any resume. Wondering where you can spend your time serving others in the River Region? Here’s a quick guide to several volunteer opportunities in our area.
Brantwood Children’s Home– Montgomery
- Mission: “Serving youth through a caring, therapeutic environment where hurts are healed; hope is nurtured.”
- Volunteer Opportunities: Through Brantwood’s Be a Friend Mentoring Program, mentors meet with an assigned child or teen in person at least once a month and maintain regular phone contact throughout the month. Mentors must be at least 23 years old to participate.
Montgomery Area Council on Aging (MACOA)– Montgomery
- Mission: “The Montgomery Area Council on Aging assists senior citizens by providing services to promote independent living, by offering opportunities to enhance quality of life, and by increasing community awareness of senior issues.”
- Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteers are needed to help prepare and deliver packaged meals to homebound seniors each week. Volunteers are also needed to help out with administrative tasks in the office, bake and deliver birthday cakes to seniors, and package and deliver pet food to homebound seniors with pets.
Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrians (MANE)– Pike Road
- Mission: “To provide safe and effective therapeutic horseback riding opportunities to children and adults in the Tri-County region.”
- Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteers are needed to lead horses during lessons, help out with grounds maintenance, and care for horses. Volunteers are also needed to assist with various fundraisers and community outreach events.
Montgomery Humane Society– Montgomery
- Mission: “The Montgomery Humane Society prevents cruelty to animals by operating an animal shelter for homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals; by operating an adoption center for healthy animals; by investigating cruelty and abuse cases; and by educating the public in animal owner responsibility.”
- Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteers are needed on a regular basis both at the shelter and at offsite adoption events. Responsibilities include walking dogs, cleaning kennels, and more. If you’re in the right financial position and living situation to foster, the Montgomery Humane Society also has a great foster program that allows you to help out less-fortunate pets.
Prattville/Autauga Humane Society– Prattville
- Mission: “To provide a safe, caring environment for every animal that enters our facility while reuniting lost pets with their caring, rightful owners and finding loving forever homes for as many as possible and to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves to stop neglect, abuse, and cruelty and prevent future incidents through education and perseverance.”
- Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteers are needed to help with facilitating adoptions, cleaning up around the shelter, caring for animals, and more. Fosters are also needed to temporarily house less-fortunate pets.