List of volunteering opportunities

By Elizabeth Straub, of Woodbury High School

There are tons of volunteer opportunities out there for teens. Check these out.

For teens who love the outdoors

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources posts volunteer opportunities for each season and for each region of Minnesota on their website, www.dnr.state.mn.us. Opportunities range from Mississippi River clean-up to gardening to document research.

For animal lovers

The Animal Humane Society offers volunteer spots to teens 14 and older. If 14- or 15-years-old, teens need to be accompanied by an adult for all orientations, trainings, and service.

Volunteers can help with adoption support, foster care, fundraising, or training animals and are required to volunteer a minimum of two 2-4 hour shifts per month. For more information, go to www.animalhumanesociety.org

For teens who love to build/architecture

Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds housing for people in need, accepts teen volunteers with adult supervision and after an orientation session. Volunteers can work almost anywhere in Minnesota for as much as they want (one day, several days, or regularly). A typical summer volunteer day consists of doing repairs, painting, and landscaping from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information call the St. Paul Volunteer Coordinator at (612) 305-7114 or go to www.hfhmn.org

For teens who enjoy helping senior citizens

Meals on Wheels is an organization that provides food to people who can’t make or buy it themselves. There are 37 separate programs across Minnesota that all deliver meals, do kitchen work, and office work. For more information, go to www.meals-on-wheels.com

Nursing homes across Minnesota need volunteers to deliver mail, assist with activities, lead groups, and help with special events and projects. To find one near you, go to www.nursinghomeinfo.com

For teens who love working with kids

The Make A Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to grant wishes to critically ill children. It offers internships to high school students and college students interested in fundraising, public relations, accounting, and human resources, and much more. To apply, visit minnesota.wish.org

The YMCA needs volunteers for day and overnight camps, child care centers, youth programs, and community events. Contact your local YMCA for more information or go to www.ymcatwincities.org

For teens who love to read

Public libraries are also a good place to volunteer. Volunteers may help with tutoring, checkout machines, relabeling library materials, reading programs, library displays, and more.

The St. Paul Public Library offers volunteer opportunities to teens 12 and older, www.stpaul.lib.mn.us

The Hennepin County library system has spots open for teens too, www.hclib.org

And the Washington County library system has volunteer opportunities as well, www.co.washington.mn.us

Dakota County offers a “Volunteens” program for summer volunteering, www.co.dakota.mn.us

Check these websites for more information or go to your local library.

For teens interested in the medical industry

Children’s Hospital offers a summer-long volunteer program for teens 14 and older at hospitals in West St. Paul, St. Paul and Woodbury. Volunteers can apply to a variety of areas — in-patient and epilepsy units, clerical support and data entry, pre-surgery program, sibling play area, outpatient clinic playroom, etc. Volunteers must complete an orientation and interview and have up-to-date immunizations. For more information, check www.childrensmn.org

United Hospital has five two-week, all-day camps for teen volunteers ages 14 to 18 who complete an application and have a tuberculosis screening test. Volunteers help patients, their families and friends at the hospital. Applications are online at www.unitedhospital.com

For more volunteer opportunities, talk your parents, friends and advisors at your school or contact your school counseling office.