Stay Connected

Volunteer Evanston is revamping its Twitter, Facebook, and website so that it is easier to find volunteer opportunities regardless of how you choose to stay connected.

Volunteer opportunities will be posted on these sites as well as reminders about events and logging your hours, community volunteer news updates, and other information about reaching 150,000 hours this year.

 @BeTheChangeEV

facebook.com/volunteerevanston

volunteerevanston.org

MLK Jr. Day Volunteer Events

Volunteer Evanston headed into the community to register volunteers at MLK Jr. Day Volunteer Kick-Off events.

The City of Evanston and several community partner organizations teamed up to kick off Evanston's 150th anniversary year and unveil the yearlong theme of “Volunteer. Celebrate. Engage.” at community events which took place during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday weekend, January 19-21. Participating community partner organizations include Music Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, Youth Organizations Umbrella (Y.O.U.) and YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

Since these events, Volunteer Evanston has registered enough volunteers in January to double the amount of registrations in any given month throughout the history of the program.

To help reach the goal of 150,000 hours in 2013, volunteers can create an organization or individual profile at www.volunteerevanston.org

Volunteer Spotlight

This month’s Volunteer Spotlight highlights the exemplary dedication of Ryan St. Pierre to the community through her work at Evanston Public Library (EPL).

Ryan is a 2nd grader at local Saint Athanasius Elementary School. She loves swimming, dancing, gymnastics, and even plays tennis at Northwestern. She is also not shy to promote the fact that she goes to a Blue Ribbon School.

Although these characteristics may seem normal for a young girl, Ryan is no ordinary seven-year-old. Ryan feels a deep connection to Evanston and EPL and wanted to be a part of something fantastic. As a result, she and her mother decided in 2012 to share her love of reading, writing, and the fantasy of books with the community by volunteering.

Every Sunday, Ryan picks up books at EPL and takes them to Robert Crown Community Center. At Robert Crown, she replenishes the book racks and returns the used books to the library. This service is especially helpful to provide literature for the community members who may not have the time to go to the library.

Her infectious personality makes her a great volunteer. People often ask her about what she is doing. As a result, she generates a lot of interest in the books that she puts on the shelves. For Ryan, being around books and the knowledge that she is helping keeps her excited about volunteering.

At such a young age, Ryan has already formed a desire to help others. For some, an interest in books is enough. For Ryan, it is important to go further. She chooses to share her interests in order to make others happy. Ryan is not the typical young girl. She is an outstanding example for the whole community.

On behalf of the EPL and all of Evanston, we send out our deepest congratulations and a resounding thank you to Ryan St. Pierre.

Visit www.volunteerevanston.org to follow Ryan’s lead and “Be the Change” in Evanston.

Evanston's 150th Anniversary

2013 marks the 150th anniversary of Evanston’s founding. In honor of Evanston's legacy of civic engagement, Volunteer Evanston encourages community members to celebrate by taking a pledge to help meet the community's goal of reaching 150,000 volunteer hours in 2013. 

Evanston is a community which is rich with a vast network of non-profit organizations and residents with the true spirit of volunteerism. Volunteer Evanston wants to capitalize on that spirit during this milestone anniversary to give back to the community 150,000 hours of volunteerism. People who live, work, or study in Evanston are invited to take a pledge to help meet the community's goal.

Volunteers can participate by creating an organization or individual volunteer profile at www.volunteerevanston.org

An Evanston Organization Turns 25 Celebrating 25 years servicing Evanston residents in 2012, Community Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.) is dedicated to the mission of promoting the humane treatment of domestic pets through public education and active involvement with unwanted and abandoned animals brought to Evanston Animal Shelter. Since its beginning, C.A.R.E. has been responsible for the adoption of thousands of dogs and cats that would have otherwise been euthanized. C.A.R.E. works on a “no kill” philosophy and aims to make each adoption successful. The organization believes that the adoption process should result in a good fit for both the family and the animal. Through the adoption process, potential adopters fill out a form and are interviewed by an adoption counselor. Additionally, each dog and cat goes through “caninality” or “felinality” tests to determine their personality traits. After these tests, the decision is made as to whether the animal is an adoptable pet. C.A.R.E has been very successful matching animals and families through this process. C.A.R.E has over 150 Volunteers who perform a variety of jobs in and out of the shelter such as: Walking Dogs Exercising Cats Cleaning cages and kennel areas Bathing and grooming animals Working with frightened, anti-social animals Transporting animals to and from veterinary clinics  Working with veterinarians at the Shelter as part of a testing/inoculation program initiated by C.A.R.E. Medicating animals as directed by veterinarians Feeding & watering animals on evenings, weekends, and holidays Washing bowls, toys, towels, bedding, etc. Conducting all adoptions, filling out required paperwork, administrating follow-up program Supplementing city food budget with volunteer funds to provide higher quality food for Shelter animals Purchasing additional equipment not in city budget to maintain quality care for Shelter animals (including such things as cages, kennel fan, vaccine refrigerator, clothes dryer, etc.) Conducting on-going fund-raising to raise monies to cover all expenses Conducting community out-reach programs to educate residents on responsible pet care Canning at local festivals and events to raise money for the shelter C.A.R.E asks that each volunteer helps for at least one shift a week for 3-4 hours. If you cannot spend any time volunteering, C.A.R.E encourages direct donations. C.A.R.E also provides a volunteer program for children under the age of 13. These volunteers help to make greeting cards outside of the shelter or may help at a dog wash with the supervision of an adult volunteer. Upcoming Events: Dine and Make a Difference Every Tuesday! Dine at Gruppo di Amici in Rogers Park on Tuesdays and 5% of your dinner tab will be donated to C.A.R.E! To learn more about C.A.R.E visit their website www.care-evanston.org.. To see what service opportunities are available at the moment and to be referred to the agency, visit www.volunteerevanston.org.