Date of opportunity: Sat, May 19, 2012
Coinciding with Historic Preservation Week, this FREE and award-winning event gives children and families an entertaining and educational introduction to the building trades and our community’s rich heritage in architecture and historical preservation. It provides an educational and discovery-based introduction to the tools and skills that help to build a community. The Orpheum is looking for volunteers to help attendees at the Building Fair get a hands-on experience in both the art and science of the "built" environment. Under the guidance of volunteers in more than 20 ’city-based’ activities, Building Fair features activities for the whole family and offers unique opportunities to explore carpentry, painting, engineering, conservation, transportation, science, and the arts.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Fri, July 27, 2012.
There is an on-going need for a long-term committment helping in Champaign County’s adult day care - The Sunshine Center. Seniors who would not be safe at home during the day while families work come to the day care. It is a social club, games, singing, exercise and healthy meals. The right person would be able to come in one day a week for either a morning or afternoon. Please do not "sign up" for this, but contact Jim and jhronek@co.champaign.il.us.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Fri, May 31, 2013.
The Adult Services department is in need of three volunteers for assistance with routine library functions. Volunteers assist staff with maintenance of materials, book collections, withdrawn books, etc. Volunteers will also assist in general clerical activities that involve use of library databases and Microsoft systems such as Excel and Word. Students in Graduate School of Library Information Science are preferred.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Mon, September 30, 2013.
Help SHARE help horses by assisting us with our afternoon chores. Every evening we dump and refill waters and distribute hay and grain to stalls and bring in approximately 35 rescue horses awaiting adoption, being rehabilitated, or in santuary care. We hope to get at least 2 people each day of the week, for example, volunteer to help with our Monday evening feedings. If you’re a family or a larger group, the more the merrier. We also have an morning feeding which is a separate opportunity. We try to manage scheduling our volunteers through this website, so if you’re interested feel free to email for more information, or go to this site to sign up: https://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/643913/login/
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Sat, June 30, 2012.
*Our upcoming event...BLUES, BREWS and BBQ FESTIVAL JUNE 29-30, 2012*
Join the fun! There are volunteer opportunities for people of all interests and abilities.
Volunteer Descriptions
In order to continue to keep the BBBBQ Festival free to the public, it is imperative that we gain support from volunteers and non-for-profit organizations.
ACCESS: Assist people with disabilities in a variety of situations. Post signs, maintain access areas, ability to push wheelchairs over rough terrain, ability to work extensively with the public, have a commitment to teamwork and posses a sense of humor.
*If you need special assistance, call 217-359-6960 or email us at specialassistance@fluidevents.org
BEER TENT SERVER- Fill beer cups, serve alcoholic beverages and collect tickets for said beverages. Recognize and refuse alcoholic beverages to inebriated patrons. Maintain cleanliness of beer tent area and restock beverages after use. Must have a valid driver’s license and be at least 19 years of age.
VENDING COORDINATOR ASSISTANT- Help coordinators to set up booth spaces, welcome vendors and assist vendors in finding their assigned booths. Help vendors with whatever they need to ensure a simple and easy set up. Help food vendors with specific needs during the festival, making sure all prices are clearly marked and displayed, dispensing of ice to the vendors and keeping track of number of bags sold, check to make sure site is tidy and trash/recycling are put in appropriate containers, and supervise clean up at the end of the festival.
BEFORE & AFTER: Assist in setting up and tearing down banners, barricades, poles & displays, deliver and collect tables & chairs, assist as needed with signs, set up pop up tents, and drop electrical cords. Must be physically fit, be able to work in extreme heat, be able to work early and late hours, and lift over 50 lbs.
BOX OFFICE (Food & Beverage): Provide customer service, event information and make change and sell Food & Beverage tickets. Coordinator reserves the right of approval on all volunteers. Prior cashier or bank teller experience a plus but not required.
MERCHANDISE: Volunteers will assist at artists or BBBBQ merchandise booth. Stock and oversee tables of merchandise. Assist customers and check out customer purchases. Retail knowledge and cashier experience is helpful but not required. (Merchandise crew is chosen pre-festival. There are only a couple of openings for this crew. If you are interested please make a note on your application).
LOUIE’S PLAYLAND: Assist in supervising Louie’s Playland with children’s activities. Will help facilitate kid’s programs throughout their shift, and make sure parents do not leave their children unattended. Volunteers should be comfortable working with children and with assisting in various children’s programs (Background checks may be required for this area).
HUMAN RESOURCES: The central nervous system of BBBBQ Festival, working around the clock with radios and phones, to keep key personnel connected and vital information flowing. Assist in greeting & checking in the arriving volunteers, vendors and artists. Assist in signing out and checking in hand held radios. Knowledge of tax forms, excel and word a plus but not required. Must enjoy working with people. Strong verbal communication skills with a professional and outgoing demeanor.
ELECTRICAL CREW: This committee brings the electrical power to the festival. They will cover exposed power lines to avoid tripping hazards. This committee’s job is to lay down the cables from the access points to the place where it is needed as well as install any necessary distribution boxes. After the festival we also pick up cables and boxes, clean them off, and pack them away until next year. This requires some heavy lifting, lots of walking, lots of hand work, and some working on heights and overhead. Prior experience in this line of work is preferred but not required.
FIRST AID: Required to have an EMT license, a cell phone and a valid driver’s license. Provide minor first aid when needed. After each call, restock and replace used supplies, cleans all equipment following appropriate disinfecting procedures, and carefully check all equipment to ensure availability for next response. (Will need to provide copy of EMT and driver’s license).
BBBBQ MARKETING: Preparing and implementing marketing work to promote the festival including: creating posters, putting up fliers and distributing festival guides. All the work on this committee will be done in advance. Some volunteers will be asked to come in to the Fluid Events office. Computer, Internet and social media experience a plus but not required.
INFO BOOTH: Booth attendants provide detailed information about the music line up, artists and the BBBBQ festival, as well as provide directions and pass out printed materials to festival attendees. Be knowledgeable of the Champaign-Urbana area. Oversee lost and found. Help direct volunteers to appropriate check in locations. Keep information booths stocked, cleaned and organized. Creating a positive impression of both the festival and performers is critical to this role.
SECURITY: Traffic & crowd management, gate assistance, and facility security. Watch for vandalism and improper behavior. Requires a mature, calm and responsible individual. Many assignments require extensive walking. Prior security experience highly recommended but not required. Teams will be assigned on a first come first served basis.
ARTIST HOSPITALITY: The hospitality room is an area where artists can take a break and re-fuel. We need people to make coffee, ensure that the food and drink is available to the artists and keep the area clean. Look after the artist per their contract (Rider) This area is also used for an instrument check, so our performers can leave their instruments in a safe place while they enjoy the festival. Must be willing to be flexible with shift scheduling and work additional hours as needed. Requires good humor, high energy and a team attitude! Prior experience with festival or concert hospitality preferred but not required.
ARTIST TRANSPORTATION/RUNNER: Transport artist & equipment onsite & off, to airport & hotels while also running errands such as getting groceries and dropping off laundry. We need licensed and insured drivers for this job. Must use own insured vehicle, have a valid driver’s license and a current form of insurance. Requires vehicles with 5+ seats, Vans or SUVs preferred . High energy and knowledge of Champaign and Urbana is a must.
GREEN TEAM: Collect items from the festival grounds to help keep the festival site clean and make routine rounds to empty trash cans.
JOATMON-(Jack-of-all-trades, master-of none)- Flexible hours, many different tasks. Act as a fill-in at sites that need assistance during the festival. You never know where you’ll be assigned with this one. Requires physical vigor, not necessarily great strength.
BACKSTAGE ASSISTANCE - Lifting, carefully moving equipment, high energy environment. Requires co-operative, hardworking people who take direction well. Music/backstage experience preferred. Must be 19 years of age or older.
FRONT GATE OPERATIONS: Welcomes guests, takes donations and hands out event information/schedules. Help to maintain gate security. Preferred to have knowledge of the local area. The amount of donations raised at the BBBBQ festival depends on the involvement of our gate volunteers. Enthusiasm is a must!
RUNNER: Will be running errands and assisting in anything to help the festival run smoothly. We need licensed and insured drivers for this job. A valid driver’s license is necessary.
Volunteer Orientation:
It is beneficial and necessary of all volunteers to attend the volunteer orientation. This event will provide you with all the necessary details of the Festival and will allow you to meet other volunteers. Attending this training will be vital to understanding your volunteer role and other logistics that are pivotal to the success of the festival. Other arrangements can be made if you cannot attend the orientation.
Attendance:
Since we truly rely and depend on each person’s commitment as a participating volunteer, we ask that all volunteers please arrive on time to any event (at least 10-15 min. before assigned time). Timeliness has proven crucial to maintaining organization and it insures that this event will be successful. For any last minute emergencies or if you cannot show up at your assigned time, please contact Tara Martin at 217-359-6960 ASAP. Thank you in advance for your time!
FESTIVAL COMMITTEES – VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Each year, The Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival looks for individuals to volunteer during this exciting event! The BBBBQ has repeatedly been complimented for Festival volunteers on their commitment and passion. Our volunteers make up a large portion of the Festival staff and help to manage this BBBBQ weekend. We value and depend on each and every volunteer, as they are an integral part of the production and success of this event. We look forward to working with you! In order to get to know you and your preferred placement preferences for the festival, we ask that you please fill out a volunteer application. We are accepting applications on February 10th, 2012. Email volunteers@fluidevents.org for more information.
Volunteer as a team! Recruit a group from your office, church, school, or social organization for a fun and rewarding experience and also as a unique team building exercise. Please contact the Tara Martin at 217-359-6960 for more information.
Our volunteers are known by guests as always having smiles on their faces and displaying a pleasant attitude at all times! We look forward to continuing that tradition.
Volunteer Benefits & Perks:
-Festival T shirt and a limited edition, numbered and signed by the artist, poster (with a minimum of a three hour shift)
-Festival T shirt, a limited edition, numbered and signed by the artist, poster and a BBBBQ Mug (with a minimum of a four hour shift)
-Festival T shirt, a limited edition, numbered and signed by the artist, poster, a BBBBQ Mug, and a meal ticket (with a minimum of a six hour shift)
Arrival and Check-in
Please keep in mind that you MUST check in at the festival headquarters BEFORE beginning your volunteer shift. Please try to arrive about 10-15 minutes before your shift begins to find a parking spot and orient yourself around the festival grounds.
All volunteers must have one form of ID and their social security number or you will NOT be allowed to participate.
NOTE: It is essential that our volunteers fulfill their commitment. Ask your coordinator, Tara Martin, for particular shift arrangements ahead of time. With the exception of unforeseen emergencies, if you do not fulfill your 2012 volunteer commitment, we won’t be able to accommodate you in the future.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Sat, June 30, 2012.
The Board of Directors of Rape Advocacy, Counseling, & Education Services is seeking interested candidates. The Board provides administrative oversight of the agency via their monthly meetings. Board service includes membership in one of two committees: Development or Finance. Both committees are also open to interested community members who are not wishing to serve on the Board.
Board meetings are held on weeknights with the majority on Thursdays. However, dates and times are currently scheduled on a meeting to meeting basis to ensure a quorum. Development Committee meetings are held the fourth Thursday of the month at noon. Finance Committee meetings are on an as needed basis, but meets more often during the spring for budgeting purposes.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Thu, August 30, 2012.
During "pack-a-thon" sessions volunteers from our community read letters from Illinois inmates and choose books from our collection of donated materials to send to inmates at no cost in response to their requests, package those books and help move and sort incoming book donations. Most volunteers find that spending an hour or more doing this activity, then lending a hand for a few minutes on a small clean-up task is a very rewarding way to balance their time with us.
We encourage you to bring a snack or some music to share and to try out any of our three weekly sessions which may work for your schedule. We focus on offering a quality volunteer experience without the need to make a commitment. The first time you show up, you just need to arrive at the beginning of the advertised time slot and introduce yourself as a new volunteer. Our session leader will give you a short orientation and have you engaged in meaningful work within minutes. After that you are welcome to come back as often as you’d like and stay as long as you want.
Families, church groups, service organizations and other groups are welcome though we ask that if you’d like to bring more than 4-5 people we prefer some advanced notice and are also happy to tailor a volunteer opportunity to suit your group. People from 12-90 years of age should be able to fully participate, however our facility is located in the lower level of our building and there is no elevator or wheel chair ramp.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Mon, December 31, 2012.
The Central Communications Department is looking for volunteers to assist responding to patient Call Lights during the early morning shifts. Skills needed to qualify include the ability to answer call lights in a friendly voice and to use a touch screen PC to send patient requests. This is a very user-friendly system! Training will be provided.
Volunteer shifts are needed Monday- Friday from 7- 9am, year round. Volunteers may be of any age ranging from High School to Adult Volunteers. Volunteer opportunity involves primarily sitting at a work station.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Mon, December 31, 2012.
Volunteers assist Children Services staff with office projects including preparing for programs, drafts and shelving children books. Students in Gradulate School of Library Informaiton Science are preferred.
This opportunity is ongoing and runs until Wed, September 19, 2012.
Volunteers answer a 24-hr crisis line.
40 hour training to learn how to respond to calls to a 24-hour crisis line. Training covers how to respond to calls from individuals in Champaign County who are in need of support, resource information, and active listening. Sessions include anxiety, substance abuse, psychosis, personality disorders, bi-polar disorder, grief and loss, relationships, and medications and their use for mental health. Volunteers are supported by a qualified clinician on-call at all times.
After each presentation there will be role plays to understand how to respond to the specific calls.