Top ten ways to get involved in the city

By Lisa Angelucci
Collegian Staff
April 5, 2006

There are plenty of ways to get involved with community service right here at La Salle, but why limit yourself when Philadelphia presents hundreds of options to help someone else? The weather’s nicer, putting everyone in a better mood. Maybe its time to take the advice of all of us annoying Project Appalachians who can’t stop talking about the “Harlan Glow” and do something to help others. Seriously, try it. You might even like it.

1. Idealist.org career fair—On April 6 at St. Joe’s, idealist.org will host over 100 area nonprofit organizations. The list of potential employers ranges from the American Red Cross to the Children’s Alopecia Project. One benefit of this job fair: you can dress casually.

2. Neighborhood Bike Works—This organization teaches kids in the Philadelphia community to fix broken bicycles. Once the kids are finished with their bike, they get to keep it. The organization needs office assistants and volunteers to accompany Saturday morning rides.

3. After School Activities Partnership— For just one hour a week, you can spend time with kids after school, helping them to learn any one of your hobbies. If you’re secretly a chess nerd, the organization is looking for volunteers to moderate Chess Clubs at local schools that they’ll set up at a location that’s convenient for you. Checkmate.

4. Philadelphia Museum of Art—The museum has tons of volunteer opportunities, but they’ve also got a tough selection process. They need tour guides, membership liaisons and department volunteers. If the art museum’s not your style, most museums in the area also accept volunteers.

5. 5K Run for Clean Air—My roommate has this hacking cough that she calls “asthma” but I think it’s the bad air. PECO is sponsoring the 25th Annual run on West River Drive on the Saturday before Easter. Not only will you be helping them to raise money to improve the air quality (and get rid of that cough), but there’s a free lunch afterward.

6. Poetry for Peace—It’s not likely that anyone is going to put an end to violence through poetry, but the title does have good alliteration. The Penn Alexander Community School offers a program every Tuesday night at 5:30 to learn about poetry genres, create your own peace poem and share it with the group.

7. Campaign for Working Families—The United Way of Southeastern PA runs a program that helps low-income families prepare their taxes to ensure that they are getting all of the money back that they deserve. Tax preparation volunteers are trained to find tax cuts, but if you’re numerically challenged, they also need volunteers to do other general tasks on tax prep days.

8. Prom Dress Collection—All girls have it – that dusty collection of formal dresses stuffed in the back of the closet that you swear you’re going to need someday, but let’s face it—they’ll never fit again. As long as your dress is within the styles of the last five years, you can donate them to the Fairy Godmothers, Inc. prom fair at the Willow Grove Mall to give needy teens the chance to dress like Cinderella.

9. Shofuso Japanese House and Garden—This Fairmount Park house is looking for help with garden work and clean up. A free Japanese lunch is provided, but reservations are even required to volunteer.

10. Philadelphia Entrepreneurship Week—This event is planned to educate the Philadelphia community about entrepreneurship and neighborhood revitalization. They’re looking for volunteers to staff the fair, and what better way to make a last ditch job effort then volunteering for important Philadelphia businesses? It’s networking with a cause.

angeluccil1@lasalle.edu