VOLUNTEER
Thank
you for your interest in volunteering with United Peace
Relief. Listed below are the volunteer opportunities and
organizations we have developed a relationship with. Please
use the links to check out the organizations and find the
opportunity that will match your interests and/or skills.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if you
need assistance in connecting with any of these
organizations. We will help guide you through the process.
Some organizations require registration and advance notice.
Once you have made your travel plans, have confirmed dates
and registered with the organization of your choice if
necessary, please advise United Peace Relief of your plans
including your name, scheduled dates and contact
information (e-mail, cell and home phones). After you
have completed your volunteer experience, we would love to
hear from you with a description of your experience and
feedback with your ideas and suggestions. We would also
encourage all volunteers to post to the journal at our website.
Volunteer Placement Opportunities
1.
Books For Kids, New Orleans, LA and Gulf
Coast of MS. This is an excellent way to volunteer with the
Gulf Coast recovery from your home town. Since the fall of
2006, Books to Kids has provided quality children’s picture
books and chapter books for young readers to children and
families affected by Hurricane Katrina. They have
distributed more than 8000 books to school libraries,
community centers and individual homes. Their objective is
to get books into the homes of children whose books were
either lost due to flooding and destruction, or who may not
have had books before Hurricane Katrina. They collect books
from thrift stores, yard sales, and library book sales.
They have received donations from many sources including
Scholastic Publishing and Emergency Communities Relief
Center in New Orleans. A major donor has been Harrison
County Public Library in Mississippi. The books are
carefully selected and sorted for quality with some cleaned
or repaired. Contact info@unitedpeacerelief.org
for more
information.
2.
Lower Ninth Ward Village, New Orleans, LA. The Lower
9th Ward Village is a community-driven, community-led,
nonprofit based in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans,
Louisiana. The main goal of the Village is to bring
together the entire Lower 9th Ward and to empower community
members to be self-sufficient and to sustain an equitable
quality of life. The Village focuses on connecting the
elderly and youth with services and providing care and
guidance from the community as a whole. The main purpose
for the Lower 9th Ward Village is to serve as a focal point
for residents returning to the neighborhood by offering a
number of services in one centralized location, thereby
contributing to community revitalization including a
community kitchen, adult literacy programs, computer
programs, vocational training programs, youth sports
programs, music and art classes, and an information center.
Find more information at www.lower9thwardvillage.org.
3.
Plenty International, New Orleans, LA.
Plenty’s work
continues on the Gulf coast. Their field director, Tony
Sferlazza, has been Plenty’s presence on the scene since
May 2006. Plenty aids local residents in the reconstruction
of their storm-damaged homes, supervises volunteers, and
represents Plenty as a member of the regional Parish Long
Term Recovery team. Tony recently testified at the
International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that
was held in New Orleans and spoke about his eyewitness
experience working in the area. Plenty is currently looking
for volunteers with construction skills. Visit
www.plenty.org for more information.
4.
ARNO, New
Orleans, LA. Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) is an
organization created and dedicated to the rescue and aid of
abandoned and homeless animals in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, including
responding to the immediate needs of those animals in need
of medical care or who have been neglected, abused and
deprived of love. ARNO promotes the foster, adoption, and
reunion of pets with caretakers, as well as
spaying/neutering of all companion animals. Volunteers are
needed to go into the community to feed and water strays.
Volunteers are also needed for animal care in the warehouse
and preparing the animals for relocation after adoption.
You must have own transportation. Volunteer lodging is
available. Bring portable bedding (tent, air mattress, cot,
sleeping bag, etc.). Electricity and bathrooms are
available but no showers. There is a small kitchenette but
no meals served. You must be self-sustaining. To volunteer
call 504-571-1900 or you can register online at
http://www.animalrescueneworleans.org
5. Zion
Traveler Baptist, Phoenix, LA. This
is a small town south of New Orleans. This
small, rural town was hit very hard. They need
all types of volunteers, everything from community
organizers to laborers willing to help the residents clean
up their very friendly town. They have a need for
volunteers for a special rebuilding project for the weeks
of October 30 and November 6. Phoenix has been
significantly underserved. Volunteers have access to the
church kitchen but you should bring food and water. Housing
is provided in the church. This is a beautiful community
that could use our support. They need much skilled
and unskilled labor. A special request by the church is for
anyone with a chainsaw and the skill to operate it. For
more information or to schedule to volunteer:
http://www.rebuildingphoenix.com
6.
A.C.O.R.N.,
New Orleans, LA. This organization has been doing huge
amounts or work in the gulf coast area and New Orleans
since the storm a year ago. They are now in great need for
volunteers since many communities have put a deadline to
homeowners on get their houses cleaned out. When you
register to volunteer, you will be asked if you need
housing. They provide transportation to the job sites; but
if you are flying in, please arrange your own
transportation to the office address. 18 years old or older
please. Check out their website at www.acorn.org/cleanout
to view a video
on mucking and gutting houses. To volunteer
e-mail rebuild@acorn.org.
7.
Restoration Point, Pass Christian, MS. This
organization has made a 5 year commitment for recovery and
rebuilding in Pass Christian. Their objectives are to help
restore the community and to help residents rebuild their
homes. There is a great need in this city. Homes along the
beach as well as several miles inland were destroyed. The
infrastructure in this town was virtually nonexistent after
the storm. Progress is being made but it is very slow and
the need for assistance from volunteers is great. Housing
and meals are provided for a fee of $15.00 per day to
defray operation costs. You must have your own
transportation. This is a county-wide requirement. If you
would like to help this devastated gulf coast community
recover contact info@restorationpoint.org.
8.
Common Ground Collective, New Orleans, LA. Common
Ground's mission is to provide short term relief for
victims of hurricane disasters in the gulf coast region,
and long term support in rebuilding the communities
affected in the New Orleans area. Common Ground is a
community-initiated volunteer organization offering
assistance, mutual aid and support. The work gives hope to
communities by working with them, providing for their
immediate needs and emphasizes people working together to
rebuild their lives in sustainable ways. To volunteer or
for more information go to http://www.comonground.org.
9.
Common Ground Health Clinic, Algiers, LA. The Common
Ground Health Clinic is a non-profit organization that
provides free quality health care for the greater New
Orleans community, and develops and provides programs to
address community health care needs through collaborative
partnerships. For more information or to volunteer
www.cghc.org.
P. O. Box 933
Ukiah, CA 95482
info@unitedpeacerelief.org