Community Service

[Drewbacca]

Seconded.

[Nomi]

Local animal shelters/ASCPA, hands-down. They're always completely understaffed and in need of supplies if you care to donate or get an item drive together. Shit like bleach, towels, bowls, animal food. They'll take absolutely anything. Just going in to help clean up and play with the animals a bit can make a huge difference. Those animals didn't do anything to deserve where they ended up, and most don't have a good outlook, so giving them some play time can really feel nice.

[The_Meach]

There's a real need for CASAs (court appointed special advocates). As a CASA, you advocate on behalf of a kid going through the foster care system. When the kid's case comes up in (family) court, the judge looks to you as an impartial observer who gets to tell the court what the best option for the kid is; ie, return them to their birth parent, new home, or same home, etc. You're not a social worker and you are NOT the kid's Big Brother. You're there to watch out for the kid's long-term interests.

About 40 hours of training, then you get assigned a kid.

Not to sound like an asshole, but this being TNL I need to mention it: this is serious business and CASAs play a big role in the future of a kid's life. That's a lot of responsibility.

http://www.nationalcasa.org/