“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore
Last week, I wrote about the lack of humanity displayed by some people when hearing the news of Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing from Myanmar. But, as Mr. Rogers’ mom said, “Look for the helpers.” They are everywhere.
The trouble with lists is that there is no way to make them comprehensive. There are so many good organizations and people out doing good in the world. Here are a few:
JustServe.org lists many opportunities to serve, based on zip code and includes ongoing opportunities and one-time service events. The downloadable app lets you check for needs whereever you are. Current examples in my area include making “hospital buddies,” putting together hygiene kits, making courage capes and cleaning tents for the Boy Scouts of America.
Catholic Community Services provides over 400,000 services to households in need in Utah every year. They have ten programs, serving refugees, the homeless, immigrants, veterans and they operate St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall. They are one of two organizations in Utah that have resettlement programs.
Dolls of Hope was started in 2016 by Cedar Hills resident Sarah Parson to give refugee children a doll or bear of their own. She and many volunteers make and stuff the simple toys that are being distributed in Greece, Jordan, Serbia, France and Syria. If you are looking for a quick and easy sewing project, this is a good one.
Hope Worldwide Utah provides support to refugees and orphaned children. Started in 2016 by Dr. Sarah Franklin, a professor of cardiology at the University of Utah, they work primarily in Greece, Turkey and Belize. I traveled with Hope Worldwide Utah to Greece in April and will travel to Turkey with them in November where we will work with five refugee camps, serving close to 1,000 people.
Humanitarian Experience For Youth (HEFY) is a non-profit focused on humanitarian expeditions for LDS youth ages 16-19. They serve in multiple areas around the world and last year, had 2700 youth volunteers come through their program.
Fourth Street Clinic helps homeless Utahns improve their health and quality of life by providing high-quality health care and support services.
Y.W.C.A. Utah focuses on “eliminating racism and empowering women.” They have a list of items they currently need, including baby formula, diapers, women and children’s underwear and multiple opportunities for volunteering.
The ROAD Home operates housing shelters for men, women and families in Salt Lake County and have over 17,000 volunteers each year. You could be one of them.
Care Cuts provides dignity to homeless individuals by providing hair cuts, manicures, make-up and more. Each event reaches hundreds of individuals and the need for volunteers is growing.
If you want a broad list of ideas, go to U Serve Utah and check out their links for volunteer opportunities county by county or check out United Way of Salt Lake and United Way of Utah County.
Local food pantries like Tabitha’s Way or the Bountiful Food Pantry work almost exclusively off of volunteers and donations. Spending a couple hours a week volunteering in the pantry with your kids is easy, fun and meaningful. Or, do your own food drive!
SoulFood USA, a local group that feeds the homeless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Salt Lake, is always looking for help. Their organization has grown significantly since it was started by sisters Tara Starling and Wendy Gardiner.
I Was a Stranger lists ways to help refugees in your community and provides numerous personal experiences of people who reached out to help.
Mothers Without Borders, founded by Kathy Headlee, their work is focused in Zambia. MWB hosts humanitarian teams multiple times a year. I’ve been on several trips and highly recommend them.
Global Life Vision, dedicated to training and women’s empowerment centers in Africa, was founded by Ann Webb. GLV hosts humanitarian teams to Kenya and Uganda. I have traveled with Ann and GLV and highly recommend them as well.
Days for Girls is focused on helping girls worldwide attend school all month by providing washable sanitary pads. They partner with many other organizations and are always looking for more volunteers.
Choice Humanitarian does humanitarian work and provides opportunities for expeditions in multiple countries around the world.
Volunteer with youth: mentor, teach, read to and play with. This can be formal, through an organization like Big Brothers, Big Sisters, or the Girl and Boys Scouts, to informal mentoring kids in your neighborhood.
National service opportunities also abound.
O.U.R Rescue – Operation Underground Railroad is working to rescue children from sex trafficking. Their rescue work is international but they need national help!
AmeriCorps – AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country.
Habitat for Humanity – Habitat for Humanity helps to build homes for people who have been “housing insecure.” Check out your local area for current projects.
Points of Light – Points of Light helps you find your cause. They offer opportunities with Veterans and Military Families, Disaster Preparedness, Economic Opportunity, Youth and Education, Civil and Human Rights, Nonprofit Capacity and Social Entrepreneurship.
Back to Mr. Rogers mom. When he was young and would see scary things in the news, he said his mom would comfort him by saying “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Mr. Rogers then added “To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.” I am so glad that this is still true today.
Holly Richardson tries to be a helper and has also been blessed by being the helped. She is glad for the many good people in this world.