"Do all you can with what you have, in the time you have,
in the place you are."
-Nkosi Johnson

Whether your organization wants to volunteer as a group or you want to spend your downtime giving back to the Hanover community in the four short years you're here, there are many organizations yearning for your help. From visiting with elderly to leading a Girl Scout troop, there is sure to be an opportunity that will utilize your talents and further your education during your time at Hanover.

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.
But the ocean would be less without that one drop."
-Mother Teresa

Social Service Opportunities for the
Madison/Hanover Area

Quick Links: Best Buddies | Big Brothers/Big Sisters | Boys & Girls Club | Eleutherian College | Friends of Shawe & Pope John | Girl Scouts | Girls Inc. | Hanover Nursing Center | Madison/Jefferson County Public Library | Jefferson County United Way | Jewel House | Lanier Mansion | Madison Main Street | Pathways Youth Shelter | Retired and Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) | Salvation Army |

Best Buddies
Best Buddies is an organization that matches volunteers with intellectually disabled adults. Hanover students can build a mentor or friend relationship with a buddy or volunteer for monthly group outings.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Big Brothers/Big Sisters matches adults with children in the community that might be in need of extra guidance. There is always a need for more "bigs" but students can also contribute by hosting a waiting list activity in which they would put on an event for the children on the waiting list to attend. This allows those children who have not yet been matched to still interact with and receive the attention of older people. An example of waiting list activities would be taking the kids to a sporting event such as a Hanover volleyball game. BB/BS also always needs help for their annual fund raiser, Bowl for Kids' Sake. Whether it's hanging posters around campus to advertise the event or putting together and raising money on their own team, students are definitely able to help with this event.

Boys and Girls Club
Hanover students often spend afternoons at the Boys and Girls Club helping children with their homework, playing sports or reading with them. One program the organization would like to begin is to have Hanover sports teams come host a league in their perspective sport. They also enjoy utilizing college students that have special talents; for example, art students can help with the arts and crafts program or psychology students could help talk with and counsel children.
Other ways to volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club include maintenance of the building-yard work, painting and cleaning during Madison school breaks-and assisting at fundraiser's such as serving food at the annual Folk Festival.

Eleutherian College
The Eleutherian College is located north of Madison and is an designated Civil War site as well as the location of an old school building. This site is rich with Madison heritage and is currently working on opening additional historic buildings which will enrich the historical value of the area. Volunteers are needed at the Eleutherian College to help with maintenance and fundraising projects.
For maintenance, a student organization could choose between completing the Eleutherian College's project of building a fence across one side of their property or planting flowers in the spring. Another option is to help with the clean up work on the second building that they're hoping to open soon.
Each fall the College has an annual fund raising event, the Fall Gathering, and each winter they host the Christmas Sing. Students could be used for either of these events in set up or tear down.

Friends of Shawe and Pope John
Shawe Memorial Junior Senior High School and Pope John XXIII Elementary are private schools in Madison that are constantly looking for volunteers in the community to help with programming. Student volunteers could help with their annual events and large fundraiser's by working booths or helping with food an set up. These events include a festival in late August, the Fall Bazaar on the second Sunday of October, and an auction during the second weekend of February. Another way Hanover students can get involved is to volunteer at the school helping aid teachers with playground duty or cafeteria work. A very dedicated student could even run a student organization for an entire school year. A student could help by working with the infants and toddlers which need volunteer help every day or an organization could work on one of the miscellaneous projects the school is hoping to complete. Most importantly, any unique talent or interest can be utilized to help the student learn in this private school system.

Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts is a good organization to get involved with whether you have a lot of time to commit to volunteer or want to hold a specific service event. The girl scouts offer opportunities to co-lead a Girl Scout troop where the volunteer can determine when and the frequency of troop meetings. Hanover students can also plan or host a "college life" day for older girl scouts, sponsor a fundraising event for Girl Scouts or volunteer at a special event. Currently, the Girl Scout budget for the Madison/Jefferson County area is very small so even a small fundraiser goes a very long way!

Girls Inc.
Girls Incorporated offers volunteer opportunities for Hanover students that include helping to prepare for activities, interacting and playing games with the girls, helping with homework or volunteering for classes (a one-hour per week commitment for six weeks). The atmosphere of Girls Inc. is designed to give young girls a feeling of self-worth and ability to succeed.

Hanover Nursing Center
The Hanover Nursing Center is a convenient place for students to volunteer because it is located near campus and is open for volunteers during the entire day. The residents at Hanover Nursing Center greatly appreciate visiting and talking with Hanover students. They also enjoy playing bingo, reading, letter writing, listening to music and dancing with the students. Essentially, the residents enjoy any sort of entertainment or games that students may want to share and unique talents are always a favorite.

Madison/Jefferson County Public Library
The Madison/Jefferson County Public Library offers volunteer opportunities for a variety of talents, from reading to children to tutoring adults. Literacy tutors assist in teaching adults English as a second language. These volunteers meet with their student once a week in a location of their choice. Teaching materials and training are provided at no cost. Another option: teaching senior citizens how to use a computer. The library hosts a six-week program, thirty minutes per week, to teach the basic skills of working a computer. One on one help is the best kind of service Hanover students can provide for this program. Another voluminous opportunity is to assist with one of the many children's programs. From tutoring to planning theme parties, to acting out a book, the children's department is thriving at the Madison library and its volume indicates a need for many volunteers.

Jefferson County United Way
The United Way is a large, national nonprofit organization that assists communities in many ways. As a Hanover student, you can be utilized by the United Way to help with office needs, volunteer for fundraising events or host your own fundraising event for the United Way.

Jewel House
The Jewel House is a retired citizens' home in Madison. The residents there are active and enjoy interacting with college students. Hanover organizations could host entertainment events or a cookout at the Jewel House or individuals could visit the facility just to play games and talk with the residents. They love both live guitar music, especially 40's and 50's music and live dance performances.

Lanier Mansion
Lanier Mansion has a variety of opportunities for students interested in history to volunteer. You could help with everyday needs by giving guided tours of Lanier Mansion, working in the gift shop or doing gardening and landscape maintenance. There is also a need for help with educational program planning and implementation as well as special event planning and implementation. Anyone interested in volunteering at this site should contact Phyllis Stephens for an application.

Madison Main Street
This organization thrives on the history of lower Madison. Students can help Madison Main Street Program by volunteering to help with their fundraiser at Chautauqua each September or assisting in set up for the "light up Madison " each November when all the Madison stores decorate for Christmas. Another option for students would be to help with daily office needs at their downtown office location; often tourists will stop in at the Madison Main Street office and staff is needed to greet those people and help with questions.

Pathways Youth Shelter
Pathways Youth Shelter is an organization that provides a place for area youth to come if they have gotten into some kind of trouble. At the shelter, they are provided an environment in which they are safe and can continue their schoolwork if they have been removed from the school system. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old. There are many options for these volunteers. A student could be trained to participate in the Jefferson County Child Advocate Program (JCAP) where they would speak for children in court when the child may not have a parent that is suitable or available to speak on their behalf. Hanover students could also be used at the shelter as tutors and/or mentors. These volunteers would offer one hour per week and have a positive interaction with the youth. Often times, these young adults need someone to listen and provide positive feedback. Other options are volunteering at the shelter to host team building games which encourage healthy play, team work and no winners or loser or bringing the youth to campus and exposing them to Hanover's campus community.

Retired and Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP)
This organization offers volunteer opportunities specialized for older adults in the community. Hanover students could be used to help with the Senior's Prom, or to host a workshop for the RSVP volunteers. RSVP would love to welcome Hanover students into their community.

Salvation Army
The Salvation Army has volunteer opportunities year-round. Some of their major ones are centered around the holiday season. The Salvation Army coordinates a large food drive each Christmas and needs help with it from early November through Christmas. They could also utilize students volunteering their time in the thrift store moving things, cleaning and helping with retail.

Last Updated: February 11, 2008
Expiration Date: May 2008
Page Webmaster: Office of Student Life