Past year tough for recruiting
The Senior Citizen Center of Sulphur Springs put together a volunteer fair Thursday to help some local charities and organizations find volunteers.
Lake Country CASA, court appointed special advocates, is seeking volunteers to advocate for local children. These volunteers, once appointed by a judge, would keep in contact with abused or neglected children and ensure that their needs are being met. CASA would provide all training required and the volunteers would also have to commit to spending a day in court observing the proceedings. CASA is fundamental to making sure a child’s right to being safe, treated with dignity and respect and to learn and grow in the security of a loving family.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances is seeking volunteers to help run the popcorn machine and gift shop at the hospital or to help walk patients to the radiology department, greeting patients or to help deliver flowers to patients that can receive visitors. Volunteers will be asked to commit to a four hour stint at the hospital.
The Main Street Theater is seeking volunteers and donations to help rebuild the theater building as it has recently started to “fall apart,” co-treasurer Sharon Baker shared.
Shawls of Love, sponsored and delivered by Stacey Wetzel, with Sulphur Springs Imaging Center, is a group of volunteers that knits or crochets items to be given to patients undergoing chemotherapy, dialysis or is on hospice in the nursing home, hospital or assisted living center.
Wetzel shared that while participation did slow down, some volunteers continued making shawls at home and delivered them to the Senior Center to be distributed to nursings homes, hospice or the oncology center for cancer patients.
The Hopkins County Historical Society is looking for volunteers to help with the preservation of the Hopkins County Museum and Heritage Park. The museum and park have become quite the tourist attraction for school, Boy Scout and Girl Scout field trips. Churches, civic clubs and leadership class groups have also visited the park. The Chapel-in-the-Park is used frequently for weddings, and the Atkins House is sometimes used as a meeting place.
Heritage Hospice, Caring Hearts Hospice, and Cypress Basin Hospice are all seeking volunteers to provide socialization and companionship to their patients, families and caregivers. Other opportunities may include picking up and delivering flowers, assisting staff with filing, mailing, answering phones, creating admission packets, or helping plan or set up community events.
Shadow Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center is seeking volunteers to help during classes, direct and indirect care of their horses, and organizational support of the program. Helping during classes would include walking beside the horses while the children ride, caring for the horses would involve feeding, grooming, filling water buckets, keeping troughs clean and full, cleaning tack and maintaining the property.
The Hopkins County Community Chest is a local non-profit 501(c)3 organization that started in 1972 to provide assistance for county residents that may need help with food, medications, eye exams, hygiene items, gas to go to appointments, rent, electricity, dental exams or water. They receive no federal or state funds and are funded exclusively by private donations, corporate giving and partnerships with various service providers. Many local businesses and individuals and the North Texas Food Bank also give donations. The Community Chest is looking for local churches or businesses to volunteer to become drop off locations for the Reach Out program that delivers food to residents in need who may not have transportation available to travel to the food bank.
The Hopkins County Genealogical Society is also looking for volunteers to help in the library or with special projects.
During COVID, volunteer numbers dropped or services were severely limited due to quarantine and social distancing regulations. The volunteer fair provided an opportunity for residents to come out and sign up to be a volunteer or to learn about the charitable organizations that serve the community.