This column is a sample of volunteer opportunities available in Marquette County. Persons 55 or older can learn about these and other possibilities in their community by contacting Amy Mattson at the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program at 485-1782. Others should contact the agencies directly. Additional opportunities are also posted online at UPvolunteer.org.
AMCAB volunteers needed to host the AMCAB Senior Meals at the Ishpeming Senior Center on Thursdays. Host will set the table and do light paperwork and light clean up. Lunch is included. Call 228-6522.
The 2nd Annual Suicide Hill Mud Plunge seeks volunteers to be part of the Aug. 25 muddy 5K adventure in Ishpeming and Negaunee. Various shifts are needed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 486-1111 or email ginccmarketing@gmail.com.
Save The Wild U.P. seeks volunteers for various summer events. For information, call 228-4444.
Marquette County Habitat for Humanity seeks volunteer help from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday at the ReStore during cashiers' lunch breaks. Duties include greeting customers, ringing up sales, answering phone, preparing paperwork for donations, pickups and deliveries, and maintaining store appearance. A three- to six-month commitment of at least one day per week is preferred. Call 228-3578 or email Jane@mqthabitat.org.
Lake Superior Hospice seeks volunteers interested in being a friendly visitor for patients in Chatham, Gwinn and Republic. Volunteers offer caregiver relief for the families. Call Lake Superior Hospice's Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Samantha Collins at 906-225-7760 or email scollins@lakesuperiorhospice.org.
International Experience seeks families to volunteer to host an international exchange student for the 2012-2013 school year, and are willing to share family traditions, American culture and a loving supportive environment with a boy or girl age 15-18 from abroad. Call local coordinator Cristina Anderson at 906-250-1500, email c.anderson@international-experience.net or visit www.iE-usa.com
The Ishpeming Senior Center seeks volunteer bakers for socials at the center. Call 485-5527.
Bell Hospital seeks volunteers for Kids Corner, Gift Shop, and two coffee carts. Kids Corner is an adult-supervised play area at Bell Hospital where children are dropped off for one to two hours while parents attend doctor appointments in the building. There are no feeding or diaper changing responsibilities. Gift shop volunteers are needed to run a register and for customer service. Help also is needed at the Coffee Carts at the hospital and Teal Lake. Call 485-2750.
The Salvation Army of Marquette has volunteer opportunities in the food pantry, thrift store and working with youth at the Rec Center in Gwinn. Call Jane at 226-2241.
Teaching Family Homes seeks volunteers for ongoing efforts, including animal care, classroom tutor, computer technology, environmental, facility maintenance, fine arts, grant writer/research, group home tutor/mentor, office support, publicity and marketing, school librarian, special events volunteer and sports and exercise. Call Lisa Burtch, volunteer coordinator, at 249-5437.
American Cancer Society Resource Center seeks volunteers at its Peninsula Medical Center office to hand out literature and help patients organize information during treatment. All services are free, and the American Cancer Society Resource Center is volunteer staffed. Call 475-9897 or stop by the resource center, Suite 110 of the Peninsula Medical Center off the Fair Avenue entrance. Call 225-3507 prior to visiting.
The Hiawatha National Forest and Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette seek volunteers to help at the greenhouse at 1030 Wright St., Marquette. Email srborealis@peoplepc.com.
Grandparents Teach, Too seeks retired teacher volunteers to help provide hands-on workshops for parents and grandparents. The workshops help adults prepare young children to succeed in school and a lifetime of learning. Workshops are held in schools, libraries, hospitals, churches, and bi-monthly at the Marquette County Community Detention Center. Volunteer commitment is flexible. Email Iris Katers at grandparentsteach@gmail.com, or call 228-9183.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Marquette and Alger counties seeks Big Brothers for its community program in Marquette, Munising, Gwinn/Sawyer and Ishpeming areas. Big Sisters are needed in the Gwinn/Sawyer and Ishpeming areas. BBBS also has a boy in Ishpeming and a girl in the Harvey area waiting for matches in the SWIM Program, which matches children with type 1 diabetes to a mentor who also has type 1 diabetes. Call Monika Toth at 475-7801.
Marquette Adult Day Services seeks volunteers to bring their special talents to its program for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Examples include playing music, singing, arts or crafts projects, massage or yoga. Call 226-2142.
Upper Peninsula Home Health, Hospice and Private Duty seeks hospice volunteers to provide a needed break for caregivers. Call 485-4545 for upcoming training.
Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes seeks volunteers to serve as troop leaders and assistant leaders, and to provide cookie program support and other program support. Long term and short term positions are available. Apply online at www.gsnwgl.org. Call Jill Rady 888-747-6945, ext. 6014, or email jrady@gsnwgl.org.
Big Brothers Big Sisters seeks Big Brothers for boys throughout Marquette County. The time commitment is four to six hours per month. Activities may include fishing, bicycling, seeing a movie or just hanging out together. Call 475-7801 or visit www.bbbsmqt.org.
The K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum seeks volunteer attendants from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Volunteers would escort museum visitors through the museum, answer questions and run the museum store. Intensive training is available. The museum is located at 402 Third St., K.I. Sawyer. Call Bob Vick at 362-3531.
The Ishpeming Senior Center seeks a retired or semi-retired nurse to take blood pressures during walk-in blood pressure clinics offered 1 to 3 p.m. the third Friday of each month. Call Elyse Bertucci at 485-5527.