Introduction | Summer Needs | Great Ideas | Resources for Getting Started
President's Volunteer Service Award
---

While volunteer opportunities of any kind are encouraged throughout the year, consider working to meet some of the needs listed below that are particularly great during the summer months.

• YOUTH MENTORS: Young Americans in many communities are at risk during the summer, as no school can mean long hours without supervision. Research has shown that children are less likely to engage in risky behaviors when they are connected to a loving, caring adult, whether that is a parent, teacher, coach, pastor or mentor. Mentors can fill huge voids in the lives of kids, particularly those with a parent or parents in jail. By volunteering your time coaching youth sports, helping out at a summer club or camp, or mentoring young people in your community you can help a child make positive choices and give them the tools they need to succeed.
      
• FOOD BANKS/SOUP KITCHENS: During the summer the number of children served by food banks and soup kitchens increases dramatically. Millions of children receive free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year to make sure they have access to nutritious meals; many of them still need help in getting connected to Federal nutrition programs during the summer. You can help by sorting food donations, preparing and serving meals, or helping the staff at a food program in your area.
      
• SENIORS: Many Americans live apart from their families in their own homes or in nursing homes, and many could use new friends and companions. If you can lend an ear, play a game, deliver a meal, or share a book, you can offer much needed relationships to seniors.
      
• ENVIRONMENT: As people flock to America’s natural resources to enjoy the beautiful scenery during the summer months, they create a greater need for trash pickup, information and guides, trail maintenance, and upkeep in our National Parks, as well as our wildlife refuges, beaches, and state and local parks. With more than 88,000 miles of coastline in the United States, there are beaches and waterways across the country to keep clean. You can help by working during your vacation or in your own hometown.

Are you ready to get started? Take a look at some of the Great Ideas we have put together to decide how you can help out this summer, or use the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network to find a volunteer opportunity in your area.