Volunteer from home, earn service hours
Students in grades 7–12: You can help others without leaving home and earn volunteer hours, too! This online teen volunteer program is completely flexible: no library card required; no application or training; volunteer when it fits your schedule; no minimum or maximum hours. Do what you can, when you can! And you'll make a positive difference in the world.
Spring program runs from January 10 through April 14, 2023.
How to Volunteer
How to volunteer
- Browse the "volunteer activities" listed below.
- Choose a project that interests you.
- There is no minimum or maximum for the number of activities you complete to earn hours.
- Follow the directions for completing the activity on the organization's website.
- Take a photo or screenshot of your finished volunteer project (e.g. drawing, transcription, coloring project, letter, card, etc.). You don't have to be in the photo!
- To get credit for your volunteer activity you must submit a Service Projects form.
- Upload a photo or screenshot of your volunteer activity to the form. If you do not submit a form, you will not receive any credit or hours for your volunteer work.
- Submit all forms no later than Friday, April 14, 2023.
- Staff will review all submissions before awarding service credits or validating hours after the end of the program.
- The library cannot supervise and fulfill court mandated community service hours.
Service Hours & Certificates
Service hours
Service hours will be totaled for all volunteers who successfully complete activities and submit all forms after the program ends on April 14.
Certificates
Certificates will be emailed to the email address we have on file. It includes your name, total hours that you volunteered, and the coordinator's signature. Email Diane Presta at jrvolunteer@vapld.info if you did not receive your certificate or have any questions.
Verification
Volunteer hours can only be verified after the program ends on April 14. After you receive your certificate, you or your school representative may email verification forms or links to Diane Presta at jrvolunteer@vapld.info.
Volunteer at Home: Activities List Spring 2023
Volunteer activities
- Choose from a variety of volunteer activities below that can be completed at home or online.
- Follow the directions for the activity in the description or on the organization's website to complete your volunteer work.
- Check the requirements for each individual activity on how to earn volunteer hours listed in the descriptions below.
- Please read each Volunteer Activity description and requirements carefully to earn volunteer hours.
All volunteer activities require you to submit a Service Projects Form for volunteer hour(s) approval and validation.
How this works:
For Example:
The "By the People" activity earns you 2 volunteer hours each time you transcribe a document. If you transcribe three (3) documents, complete and submit three (3) Service Projects Forms (one for each document) to earn 6 volunteer hours.
The "Cards for Hospitalized Kids" activity earns you 1 volunteer hour each time you decorate 1 card. If you decorate 5 cards, submit five (5) Service Projects Forms (one for each card) to earn all 5 volunteer hours.
- By the PeopleHelp the Library of Congress make documents searchable in their catalog. Assist in transcribing original items, many of which have never been transcribed before. Anyone can transcribe and an account is not needed.
Earn 2 volunteer hours for each document transcribed. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for each document transcribed. - Cards for Hospitalized Kids
Brighten a child's day! Create as many handmade, uplifting cards as you like to be sent to kids in hospitals. Visit the website for more details and instructions.
Decorate 1 card to earn 1 volunteer hour. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for each card you made. - Cards of HopeCreate birthday cards for kids in foster care and brighten their day. Cards should be handmade and not store bought. Please use cardstock or construction paper and not regular paper.
Make 1 card to earn 1 hour of service. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for every card made. - Color a SmilePrint out and color pages from the website: your finished pages are sent to senior citizens and troops overseas. Follow the instructions on the website for mailing completed pages.
Color 1 page to earn 1 volunteer hour. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for each completed coloring sheet. - Free Rice GameHunger is one of the most pressing problems in the world today. The United Nations has created an interactive game to raise awareness and inspire conversation. For every question you answer correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated through the UN's World Food Programme. Visit freerice.com or download the app on your device and choose a knowledge category. Optional: You may join the Vernon Area Library group by creating an account, navigating to freerice.com/groups, and entering the group code: A47SHV8X.
Earn 1 volunteer hour for every 1,000 points. Take a screenshot showing your current game score to include with your form. Submit 1 Service Projects Form form for every 1,000 points you earn. - Liberation Library BookmarksLiberation Library needs bookmarks! Every book they send to incarcerated youths includes a personalized bookmark. Bookmarks must not include stickers, tape, or glue. Bookmarks can be made using pens, pencils, crayons, markers and the like.
Make 4 bookmarks to earn 2 volunteer hours. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for every 4 bookmarks you make. - Love for Our Elders
Make someone's day a little brighter! Handwrite letters to residents in senior facilities.
Write 1 letter to earn 1 volunteer hour. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for each letter written. - Project GutenbergWith the goal of creating the world’s largest digital library, the project's current collection contains more than 60,000 free books. Volunteer proofreaders help build the library. To volunteer, register for a free account on the site.
Earn 2 volunteer hours for each volunteer session. Submit 1 form for every session. - Reading Recommendations
Share your love of reading and create a themed book list. These book lists will help us create future book displays and book lists for the library. You can use one of the themes below or use one of your own, You can even create read alikes for your favorite book.
Book lists must have at least 5-10 titles. All titles should be suitable for readers in grades 7-12, owned by the library and are in either the Junior High and/or the Teen collection. Make sure to include a brief description of each book (a good place to find a summary is on the database Novelist). Some suggestions for themes are: Mental Health Awareness Month; Graphic Novels/Manga; Science Fiction; Fantasy; Historical; Horror; Humor; Biography/Memoir; Mystery. Get creative and create a visual list with graphics, such as an infographic, bookmark, flyer, etc. using Canva.
Earn 1 volunteer hour for each book list. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for every book list. Upload completed book lists to your Teen Volunteering Online Service Projects Form for the photo requirement. - SciStarter Citizen Science CampaignHelp scientists collect and analyze data to advance science research. You'll contribute to a globally acclaimed, online science hub where more than 3,000 projects are searchable by location, topic, age level, etc. Optional: You may register for a free account to keep track of your progress. Visit scistarter.org/finder and search for a campaign. Read your campaign’s instructions and participate.
Participate in a campaign for 1 hour to earn 1 volunteer hour. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for every hour of a campaign completed. - Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription CenterLearn how to transcribe historical documents and use biodiversity data to make these records more accessible.
Earn 2 volunteer hours for each document transcribed. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for each document transcribed. - ZooniverseZooniverse provides research opportunities in a variety of topics including the sciences and humanities to "unlock and contribute to new discoveries." Volunteer opportunities include transcribing historical documents and helping scientists spot things in space. Register for a free account to choose your project.
Earn 2 volunteer hours for every 20 classifications completed. Submit 1 Service Projects Form for every 20 classifications completed.
Service Projects Forms
When you finish an activity...
- Include a photo/screenshot with every form
- No limit on the number of volunteer activities/forms
- Submit all forms no later than Friday, April 14, 2023
Questions? Contact coordinator Diane Presta at jrvolunteer@vapld.info or call 224-543-1485 during library hours.
Summer 2023
Returning in Summer 2023
If you'll be in grades 7-12 for the 2023-24 school year, apply to be a Junior Volunteer! You'll help with the popular Summer Library Club by signing up patrons and presenting rewards when they complete activities.
Starting April 3rd, visit guides.vapld.info/teenvolunteers for the link to access the application and for more information about the program.
Volunteers will be chosen via lottery from all qualifying applications. If you are selected, you'll receive an email from the library no later than Friday, April 21st.