‘Tis the season to give back
If you’re looking for a few ways to give back this holiday season you have options within W&L. You can check out Campus Kitchen, Nabors Service League or any of the other service organizations found here. However, if you want to help out in the Lexington/Rockbridge community then check out the following to get some inspiration.
Want to help people in need? Check out: Rockbridge Area Relief Association
A food pantry serving those in need in Rockbridge county that also supplies monetary aid, their official motto is, “provid[ing] emergency assistance when help is needed to meet life’s basic needs of food and safe, warm shelter.” They have active volunteers that help restock shelves, unload food, etc. and the shifts are often 1-3 hours a week. You can learn more about volunteering and how to sign up here and while you’re at it check them out on Facebook and Instagram for even more news about what they’ve been up to.
More of an animal person? The SPCA is probably for you
The SPCA, for those who don’t know, is an animal shelter. There are SPCAs all over the country and they are great places to adopt your next pet. The SPCA always needs volunteers to play socialize with cats and to walk dogs. Socializing with cats is exactly what it sounds like. Being with them helps the cats develop personalities and adds to their overall happiness. So you help cats become more adoptable while getting to snuggle and play with them. I’d say that’s a win-win. If you’re more of a dog person then you can volunteer to walk a dog. Like the cats, volunteers help the dogs become more social and happier, which makes them more adoptable, and they become leash trained. A short orientation is involved before working with the animals but that’s it! To learn more go to the SPCA website.
For those who want to help the economic development of Lexington, you should think about volunteering with Main Street Lexington.
Main Street Lexington is a non-profit that works to support downtown shops, restaurants, events and the overall appearance of Lexington. Founded in 2013, Main Street Lexington has founded 24 businesses and hosted 17 events. Volunteers can help in a number of ways like working for a current Main Street Lexington committee, such as Economic Vitality or Design, work on an event planning committee or volunteer at an event. It’s a great way to help keep Lexington the vibrant community we all love. Check out Main Street Lexington on Facebook and Instagram and find out more about volunteering here.
P.S. The Jingle Bell Run is happening on December 3rd! Put on by Main Street Lexington, the 5k supports local business and costumes are encouraged!
Love kids? You should think about helping at one of the local elementary schools.
You can work one-on-one with a student or help in one of the after school programs. There are a lot of different options when it comes to tutoring/volunteering at a local school. If you’re interested contact Alison Masson (massona18@mail.wlu.edu) and find out more!
If you’re interested in the arts and culture then look into helping out with the LexCollective.
LexCollective was founded earlier this year and works to make Lexington the place to be, work and live. They aim to market Lexington to Millennials by highlighting all the art, culture and entrepreneurship opportunities the town has to offer and create events. This is a great way to get involved with the town and community by showing how great Lexington is. If you’re interested contact Jamie Goodin at jgoodin@wlu.edu.
Happy Holidays and get out there and volunteer!
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