With the holiday break fast approaching, students with more free time and holiday spirit might look for opportunities to give back to their community. The Kirkwood Call found a few places in Kirkwood where students can donate time or resources during the next few weeks.

Nursing Homes in Kirkwood

Three Kirkwood nursing homes that welcome volunteers are Bethesda Dilworth Nursing Home, Manor Grove and Aberdeen Heights. At Bethesda Dilworth, students can work with the elderly residents, helping employees lead activities or playing holiday music on an instrument. Student volunteers can also work behind the scenes, decorating for the holidays or collecting items such as combs, toothbrushes, soap and lotion to put in residents’ Christmas stockings.

“It would make their holidays so much more enjoyable to know someone is out there thinking of them,” Theresia Metz, activities coordinator for Bethesda Dilworth Nursing Home, said.

Similar to Bethesda Dilworth, volunteers at Manor Grove can play games with the residents or simply visit and spend time talking to them.

The Kirkwood Public Library

Another place to volunteer in Kirkwood is the Kirkwood Public Library. Here, students can lead children’s activities such as story hour by reading the children books, help with computers, prepare crafts, read aloud individually or straighten and maintain the bookshelves. According to Courtney Flesch, who works in the library’s teen room, volunteers also post ‘book trailers’ to Youtube, create podcasts about the books teens can read, add to the teen blog and serve on the Teen Advisory Board. The Teen Advisory Board shares what they think other teens would want to see at the library.

Kirk Care

Finally, students can also help Kirk Care. Every year KHS holds a canned food drive to benefit Kirk Care; this year the drive went from Nov. 27-Dec. 6. But Kirk Care not only provides people with food; it also assist with utility bills, rent and school supplies. If students are too busy around the holidays to donate time, they can always send more cans to Kirk Care or donate money. Kirk Care especially looks for canned foods with high protein, such as peanut butter.

Other opportunities

There are other places to volunteer, too, like Guardian Angel Settlement Association, Kids’ Place, Peter and Paul Community Services, Shalom House, Kinship Circle and the World Bird Sanctuary. But whether or not someone volunteers at a place specifically in their neighborhood, Metz believes it is important to volunteer somewhere.

“Go, help make your community a better place,” Metz said.

To contact these places:

Bethesda Dilworth:  http://www.bethesdahealth.org/volunteer/

Manor Grove: http://www.manorgrove.com/contact/employment.html

Aberdeen Heights: http://www.aberdeenseniorliving.com/contact-us/

Kirkwood Public Library: http://www.kpl.lib.mo.us/teens_get_involved.asp

Kirk Care: http://www.kirkcare.org/