Find a Volunteer Opportunity or Mitzvah Project

How Kids Can Raise Cash by Selling Their Stuff (or Yours). Volunteering is excellent but some kids want to generate real cash for tzedakah so they can contribute in a tangible way. Of course it’s hard because kids don’t have much earning power at age 12 or 13. Ebay has changed that with a new program – “Giving Works” – which allows you to sell items just as you would normally on ebay. But, you can designate some or all of the sale’s proceeds to go to a charity you choose

Check it out at http://pages.ebay.com/givingworks/index.html?ssPageName=MOPS5:HC%20H01

The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. The Torah portion “Vayelech” discusses every Jew’s obligation to write a Torah. Here’s your chance to contribute to have a Torah repaired and donated to a synagogue or yeshiva. www.sefer-torah.com
Get Matched With a Volunteer Job You’ll Love – VolunteerMatch lets you search in your community for volunteer opportunities that match your interests. Search in 26 categories including: animals, arts, computers, health, homeless, hunger, justice, and media. “Virtual” opportunities give you a chance to help even faraway groups. www.volunteermatch.org
Start Your Own Social Action Group – DoSomething helps teens organize their own social action groups at school. www.dosomething.org
SocialAction.com – This is an online Jewish magazine dedicated to pursuing justice, building community, and healing the world. It has a huge index of links to help you find organizations engaged in important social action. From homepage, click on “Links”. www.socialaction.com
Idealist.org – Subtitled “Action Without Borders”, this excellent website lists nearly 30,000 organizations working around the world and lets you search them by interest. Also has a compelling list of charities/service clubs started by children and ones offering volunteer opportunities for kids, teens and families. When the kids are older, there’s a searchable directory of internships. www.idealist.org
Familycares.org and Kidscare.org – Two related organizations supremely tailored to the needs of families with young children who want to find satisfying volunteer opportunities for the kids or the whole family. www.familycares.org and www.kidscare.org
Points of Light Foundation – This organization helps you find a volunteer center in your community that maintains listings of local opportunities. Go to their “Find a Center” map.

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