With the first semester of the school year coming to a close, many students have found their set routine and goals for the rest of the year. Some have found extra free time in the day to participate in some extracurriculars, including sports, paid-jobs, extra classes, and even volunteering! Volunteering is a great way to take part in your community and learn more about the city around you. Although you do not get paid for your work, it is nonetheless a great experience and you can start from as early as age 13! This article will list a few volunteer opportunities in our community that any student can take part in.

PASADENA HUMANE SOCIETY

If you are an animal lover, then the volunteer program at the Pasadena Humane Society is the perfect job for you! They offer a range of programs that students of any age can take part in. Their main program is designed for ages 18 and older, but they offer two other programs: Kids for Animals Teen Club and Kids for Animals program, which is designed for ages 15-17 and 14 and younger, respectively. They provide special jobs for volunteers catered to each animal, such as dogs, cats, critters, and more! This program is a fun way to not only get involved but also to play with your favorite animals and to learn the ways around animal care in a humane society. And by volunteering, you are not only helping your community, but you are making a tremendous difference in the lives of animals. If you want to learn more about this, you can go check out the Pasadena Humane Society website!

ARCADIA PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Arcadia Public Library offers a plethora of volunteer jobs for any student. From monitors to tutors, the library is open to any help it can get. Its age requirement is 13-years-old and up, so your age should definitely not be a problem! Some of their special tasks include straightening books, monitoring around the library, helping the library staff and clerks, and much more! As they know most of their volunteers are students, the library accommodates their hours from 3 p.m. (after school) to closing time and their weekend hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Volunteering at the Arcadia Public Library is an easy way to get some extra volunteer hours as it is relatively close, even walking-distance, from most of the AUSD schools. If you are interested and want to learn more about what it offers, you can check out the library’s website.

METHODIST HOSPITAL

If you are interested in the medical field, or even remotely into anything that has to do with hospitals, then volunteering at Methodist Hospital is the perfect opportunity to get a hands-on experience with such a job. It offers many jobs that help aid patients and staff alike. The age requirements are at least 14-years-old, and not a senior. Unlike the other programs mentioned, Methodist Hospital has certain dates and times for you to submit an application, so make sure to research that. Methodist opened its doors to any student that wants to apply their skills to help others. Some of the jobs include aiding the registration desk, emergency room, surgery waiting room, etc. It also provides help in some of their programs such as NODA- No One Dies Alone, Meal Mates, and pet therapy. Volunteering here is a great way to get insight on how hospitals operate and what it is like to work in one, and it would look pretty good on college applications as well. If you are enticed by this program, you can learn more about it by checking out the Methodist Hospital website for more!

Being in such a big city and having a huge community around us, it should not be too hard to find other volunteer opportunities out there. These are just a few of the most popular ones that are close to us and offer a great learning experience. As all of these programs are very informative, don’t be afraid to reach out and look into them because volunteering is very beneficial to anyone who takes part in it.