Beating the Summer Heat with These Volunteer Opportunities

With June 21 marking the first day of summer, it will likely be a challenge to beat the heat for the next couple of months in the Kansas City area. Some Modern Wealth Management clients have strategically avoided that challenge by purchasing a summer home in a cooler part of the country or frequently spending time at their lake house. We know there are also several retirees who are staying in KC this summer. Some of them are cherishing every moment of it with their grandchildren while school is out and still staying cool at the pool or local library.

All those activities are great ways to beat the heat. However, we want to remind people of one other activity that many of our clients enjoy: volunteering. Here are five volunteer opportunities in the Kansas City area to consider this summer.

1. Volunteering at Your Local Library

Reading is something that just about everyone on our Modern Wealth Management team does a lot of, especially our advisors. We highlighted that in our Educational Series in April, as we celebrated Financial Literacy month. In May, some of our clients showed that they understand the importance of reading as well by participating in our book drive for Reach Out and Read KC.

As we shift into the summer months, we want to remind of the volunteer opportunities at local libraries. With our Lenexa office being in Johnson County, we’re going to quickly highlight some of the volunteer opportunities at Johnson County (Kansas) libraries. If you don’t live in Johnson County, though, we encourage you to enquire your local library about volunteer opportunities if this interests you.

One of the easiest volunteer opportunities that the Johnson County Library has to offer is being a book reviewer. Simply read a book, submit a couple of sentences reviewing the book, and you get credit for 15 minutes of volunteer hours.

While volunteer opportunities tend to be all about helping others, it’s always nice when you directly benefit as well. That tends to happen through the Johnson County Library’s English Language Learner Program for in-person volunteers. These volunteers aren’t needed until September-December to help people who are learning English as a secondary language. They improve their English, you learn about other cultures—everyone wins.

There is also a wealth of volunteer opportunities available through the Johnson County Library’s Friends of the Library Membership Committee.

2. Volunteering at Your Church

As I’ve been trying to get back in the habit of going to church each Sunday morning like I did growing up, I’ve been reminded that churches provided so many more opportunities than a place to worship each week. One of my favorite things about being active in Asbury United Methodist Church’s youth group when I was growing up was going on mission trips to different parts of the country. Mission trips highlights included house renovation projects for those impacted by natural disasters, serving at food kitchens, and making care packages.

While it was fun to go on all those mission trips with some of my friends, it was also a blast to get to serve alongside some adult chaperones. So, even middle school and high school church mission trips can provide volunteer opportunities for all ages. Here are some other examples of Asbury’s volunteer opportunities just to highlight the options that might also be available at your church.

Along with the communities we went out to serve on mission trips, Asbury’s congregation has always been good about serving all around the KC area. A few of Asbury’s outreach opportunities include Lazarus Table, Cross-Lines, and at Santa Fe Trail Elementary School. Asbury also has numerous volunteer opportunities hosted at the church, including Interfaith Homelessness Network, its own food pantry, and Days for Girls, and Asbury Days of Caring. And with the flowers now being in full bloom, the Asbury Memorial Garden Angels have been busy. Asbury is also proud to join United Methodist Churches around the world with supporting UMCOR’s efforts.

Obviously, if you’re already an active member of a congregation, you may be aware of volunteer opportunities at your church. If not, and you’re looking for volunteer roles, your church can be a great place to enquire!

3. Serving with SOAR Special Needs

One of the great things about the location of our Lenexa office is that you don’t have to go far to find volunteer opportunities. The next two volunteer opportunities on our list are based in Lenexa and will have you spending time with some amazing people. The first of those two volunteer opportunities is with SOAR Special Needs, which benefits families with special needs.

There are a variety of events that SOAR hosts that require volunteers. For example, each SOARly Needly R&R Night has 150 special needs individuals in attendance and requires 400-plus volunteers to serve in a variety of capacities. Even more volunteers are need for SOAR’s summer camp.

Serving with SOAR isn’t just limited to events either. Volunteer opportunities with SOAR also include but aren’t limited to bookkeeping, graphic design, carpentry, and costume creation.

4. Shadow Buddies

Next up on our list of volunteer opportunities is Shadow Buddies Foundation. Shadow Buddies is a children’s charity that supports kids with severe illness and disabilities. One of the unique things about Shadow Buddies are the 31 Shadow Buddy dolls that are designed on a condition-specific basis to serve as a special friend that connects with the child recipient.

From high school students to older adults, Shadow Buddies is always looking for volunteers. The volunteer opportunities range from sewing/crafting to simply being a good friend and helping others. If you really enjoy crafts and hands-on projects, year-around opportunities include:

Dressing Buddies for special programs, events, and orders
Assembling accessory packages
Ironing Buddy gowns
Sewing small blankets for Rescue Buddy Program
Assemble pink tutus for the Pink Party Program
Packaging Buddies

Shadow Buddies welcomes volunteers who are interested in helping seasonally or year-round to offer hope and knowledge to all children, no matter their illness or disability.

5. Johnson County’s Aging and Human Services Volunteer Opportunities

Whether it’s a dear friend or family member, we all probably know someone who now requires some assistance with daily tasks. Well, the Johnson County Aging and Human Services and their volunteers are committed to offering that assistance to keep those people safe. Here are four volunteer opportunities through Johnson County’s AHS that you could make a difference with today.

Catch-a-Ride

Driving is no doubt one of the hardest things to give up. Catch-a-Ride serves Johnson County residents who are 60 and up, or disabled, or 18 and up and in a life transition in which they’re not driving. Volunteers in this social service program take people to food pantries, medical appointments, and social service agencies in Johnson County.

Home Delivered Meals

Sometimes there’s nothing that brightens someone’s day like a nice warm meal. The Home Delivered Meals program (AKA Meals on Wheels) does exactly that during lunchtime from Monday-Friday. Volunteers can deliver meals from centers in Blue Valley, De Soto, Gardner, Lenexa, Merriam, Olathe, Overland Park, and Spring Hill.

Food Pantry

The Johnson County AHS is also always looking for volunteers in their food pantries in Gardner, Lenexa, and Mission. Volunteers can host a food/hygiene drive, help in the pantry by completing food orders, unloading/rotating donations, and picking up/delivering items. Each location is open Monday-Friday.

Office Administration

Last, but certainly not least, Johnson County AHS has a volunteer program at its central office in Olathe for those interested in office administration roles. These volunteers assist with data entry, filing, and answering phone calls. The central office is also open Monday-Friday.

Ask Our Advisors About Volunteer Opportunities

Many of the advisors and clients of Modern Wealth Management share a passion of helping others. We enjoy helping our clients accomplish their goals in retirement by giving them clarity and confidence within their financial life. But we care about much more than your finances at Modern Wealth Management. It means a lot to us when we hear stories from our clients about how they make a difference in other people’s lives through their volunteer efforts.

If you have questions about how you can make volunteering a bigger part of your retirement, let us know. There’s a good chance that our advisors have heard about a volunteer opportunity from a client that could be well-suited for you or at least get you thinking about similar opportunities. If you’re a Modern Wealth Management client, you can contact your advisor here to get a discussion started. We’re also happy to talk with you if you’re not a Modern Wealth Management client and see how volunteering could fit into your desired retirement. Reach out to us today by scheduling a complimentary consultation or 20-minute “ask anything” session with one of our CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals. We can meet with you in person, by phone, or virtually.

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The views expressed represent the opinion of Modern Wealth Management an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Information provided is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Modern Wealth Management does not accept any liability for the use of the information discussed. Consult with a qualified financial, legal, or tax professional prior to taking any action.