There are many volunteer opportunities in the Midsouth area. The City of Memphis Office of Youth Services hosts tutor/mentor sessions each week at the Memphis library. However, I am not familiar with the City of Memphis Office of Youth Services. You can meet Monday through Thursday from October 2018 to April 2019. This volunteer opportunity would involve working with one to three students on homework, academics, study skills, time management, mental health wellness, and civic engagement. The tutor-mentor must commit to 120 minutes of tutoring per week and one off-site activity with youth at a museum. To volunteer, you can contact Morgan Opgennorth by phone number or email, which are clearly stated on volunteermemphis.org. Tutors must attend the initial tutor-mentor training as well as ongoing support and development. To volunteer, you must have skills in general education, mentoring, and tutoring. This opportunity is something I would be very interested in because it helps to better the youth in my city, and I love working with children. I have also been a tutor before so I think this is something that would help me to become a better tutor. This organization helps to develop the youth of low-income communities. Through this opportunity you would work with the youth of the Boys and Girls Club.

Another volunteer opportunity is the Food Pantry at the First Congregational Church. The food pantry is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 am to 1 pm. This organization works with the Mid-South Food Bank to provide food to food pantries in the Memphis area. The Food Bank supplies most of the dry and canned goods to the pantry, but they also work with community partners such as Panera Bread, Whole Foods, and several farmer markets to offer baked goods and seasonal fresh produce. To volunteer, you can email Rachel Oberg Volunteers are responsible for stocking shelves, prepare and sort bags, organized and sort donated food, bag and sort produce and bread donations, help clients select groceries, and assist elderly/disabled clients with the shopping process. There are no specific requirements to be a volunteer at the food pantry. This is something I would be interested because it is a good way to give back to the community.

Hi, I’m Alana Bell a student at the University of Memphis in the Intro to Public Administration course. So far, we have learned some new information about non-profit organizations and how to run them. We have learned the major functions of nonprofits. Nonprofits provide services, accommodate diversity, undertake experimentation, provide freedom from bureaucracy, guard societal values, and advocate for the underrepresented. There are 27 different types of non-profits, and they can be divided into 6 different areas– Public Good Theories, Theory of the Commons, Trust-Related Theories, Entrepreneurship Theories, Stakeholder Theory, and Interdependence Theory. We’ve also learned about how nonprofits are governed. There is a balance between the board of directors and ceos of non-profits. Each have their own duties and functions, but ultimately they work together to make their non-profits as successful as possible.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton