Be the change you wish to see in 2022

Like it or not, 2022 is just around the corner, and if your plans for the new year involve bettering the world, there's no better place to start than your own community. The Left Hand Valley is home to dozens of non-profit organizations that are making a difference, and they need engaged volunteers to help them do it.

No experience is necessary; there's a position for you. By volunteering, not only are you helping your community, you'll also reap the benefits from connecting with others, learning new skills, feeling part of something larger than yourself, discovering a purpose, and becoming educated about your local area.

Here are a few organizations just a short distance from you – each one will be thrilled when you show up, pitch in, offer ideas, reach out your hand, and make it known you care. (Note: Many organizations have continued to rely on volunteers using COVD-safe protocols, while others have reopened and once again welcome participants. Please check with each organization to see what current opportunities exist for volunteers.)

NIWOT NEEDS YOU

Left Hand Grange This landmark building and organization is the oldest active Grange in Colorado and preserves the agricultural heritage of Niwot and the surrounding area. It remains an important local gathering place for events, meetings, and celebrations for citizens of all ages.

How to get involved: Become a member, offer to join the board of directors, help with maintenance of the building, and assist with events.

Contact: www.LeftHandGrange.org

Niwot Business Association (NBA) A group of local business people supporting the commercial and economic well-being of businesses and encouraging the preservation of the Niwot Historic District.

Ways to be involved: If you're part of a Niwot-area business, become a member and sign up to help with the organization's efforts. lend a hand for the many events the NBA organizes or supports, including the Holiday Parade, Enchanted Evening, and Rock & Rails Summer Concert Series.

Contact: www.Niwot.com/discover/associations/niwot-business-association

Niwot Cemetery Association More than 130 years old, the Niwot cemetery is an historical resting place for many Niwotians. While all of the plots are sold, some of the grave sites are not yet filled. Along with maintaining the heritage of the cemetery, there are still some administrative tasks to tend to.

How to get involved: Join the association or board and/or assist with maintenance and paying respect to veterans buried in the cemetery.

Contact: Call Mike Simmons at 303-775-4198.

Niwot Community Association (NCA) Niwot's advocate organization, keeping Niwotians informed on issues that impact them on a local level both in town and within Boulder County, interfacing with government agencies and providing a forum for discussion. Among other special events, each year the NCA sponsors and organizes Clean-up Day, the July 4th Parade, and National Night Out. The NCA also oversees the traffic control volunteers at events.

How to get involved: Become a member, attend monthly meetings, and become an elected board member.

Contact: http://www.Niwot.org

Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) Providing support and funding for cultural arts of all forms throughout town. Supports Niwot Children's Park, Whistle Stop Park, Niwot Sculpture Park, Eddie Running Wolf's Tree Carvings, and the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band. Along with other special events, the NCAA organizes and sponsors First Friday Art Walks, Let's Wine About Winter, Why Not Niwot Juried Art Show, and Rock & Rails.

How to get involved: Help with projects and events.

Contact: visit niwotarts.org for more information.

Niwot High School Education Foundation (NHSEF) Brings specific NHS projects and events to fruition and awarding grants to teachers and scholarships to students.

How to get involved: Volunteer at events or become a board member.

Contact: www.NHSEF.org

Niwot Historical Society (NHS) Committed to preserving, collecting and promoting the history of Niwot and the surrounding area, back to the days of Chief Niwot, including offering tours of the historic district and the Niwot Firehouse Museum, collecting photographs and artifacts, participating in celebrations, and hosting historical lectures.

How to get involved: Become a member, join the board of directors or a committee, and attend historical lectures.

Contact: http://www.NiwotHistoricalSociety.org

Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) Offers opportunities for kids age 4 to 18 to participate in baseball, softball, basketball, and flag football in the Niwot, Gunbarrel, and South Longmont areas on a year-round basis to encourage teamwork, improve skills, and build self-confidence.

How to get involved: Coach players, offer maintenance assistance, be a team parent, helper, member of the board or a league commissioner.

Contact: http://www.NiwotYouthSports.org

PeopleWeaver Local volunteers provide educational and economic assistance to impoverished Congolese girls and women in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help them escape extreme poverty and live fulfilling lives. PW is focused on providing education and assistance with food, reading glasses, malaria nets, medicine, communication tools, water pumps, and cooperative grain mills.

How to get involved: Website writer, promotional materials writer, grant writer, and fundraising

Contact: http://www.peopleweaver.org or Jeanne at 303-870-7125.

Rock & Rails Operated jointly by the NCAA and the NBA, Rock & Rails hosts a free weekly concert for the community on Thursday nights throughout the summer at Whistle Stop Park – 2022 schedule to be announced.

How to get involved: Event greeter, set up or break down, sell drinks to attendees. Be a greeter, help with set up or break down, work in the beer-wine tent. Children under 16 are needed to serve as "gargolyles," to help keep the concerts waste-free.

Contact: email [email protected] to volunteer and for more information, visit http://www.Niwot.com/events/rock-rails

Contact: email [email protected] to volunteer or visit http://www.Niwot.com/events/rock-rails

Rotary Club of Niwot Helps the community through service projects and by raising money for local charities. In addition to the many ways in which the group provides service to others, including students at Niwot High School, they organize several well-loved annual events such as the Peach sale.

How to get involved: Become a member, help with service projects, and attend a fundraiser.

Contact: http://www.NiwotRotary.org

NEARBY ORGANIZATIONS NEED YOU

Boulder County Volunteers: A myriad of either project-oriented or long-term opportunities to lend a hand to the Boulder County community.

How to get involved: The list of options is very diverse - work with community members or at parks and open space.

Contact: http://www.bouldercounty.org/volunteer

Cultivate Helping seniors, veterans and their families with necessary tasks such as grocery shopping, transportation to and from medical appointments, home repairs, yard maintenance, and snow shoveling.

How to get involved: Sign up to participate in the Carry-Out Caravan, SnowBusters, Fix-it , VetsGo, or YardBusters programs.

Contact: http://www.cultivate.ngo

Habitat for Humanity & ReStore Provides affordable housing and maintenance for low-income families in Longmont, Lyons, Estes Park and Dacono.

How to get involved: Help with home construction and maintenance, fundraising, offer administrative assistance, or work at ReStore in Longmont accepting donations, helping shoppers, and organizing the inventory.

Contact: www.stvrainhabitat.org or http://www.stvrainhabitat.org/restore

HOPE for Longmont A resource for the homeless population providing outreach, meals, shelter, clothing, and basic needs.

How to get involved: A variety of volunteer positions including bringing help to homeless on the streets, cooking meals for nightly dinners, working at nighttime shelters, sorting donations, and working at fundraising events

Contact: http://www.hopeforlongmont.org

Lefthand Watershed Oversight Center (LWOc) Monitors and protects the water sources and quality of the water that reaches over 20,000 water users in the watershed.

How to get involved: Volunteer to monitor water quality and work on projects that restore and protect the watershed.

Contact: https://watershed.center/

Longmont Humane Society Cares for the needs of homeless animals and helps to place them in good homes.

How to get involved: Feeding, walking, washing, and loving on the animals, fundraising, administrative assistance and more.

Contact: www.LongmontHumane.org

Meals on Wheels Supplies healthy hot meals and checks on elderly and disabled people in Longmont and Niwot, or in Gunbarrel and Boulder.

How to get involved: Volunteer to cook or deliver meals, join the board of directors

Contact: http://www.LongmontMeals.org or http://www.mowboulder.org

OUR Center Provides members of the community who need resources for housing, employment, meeting food and clothing needs, health care, legal needs, learning life skills, and a variety of support to become self-sufficient.

How to get involved: A variety of volunteer positions in the kitchen, market, clothing closet, picking up donations, and more.

Contact: http://www.OurCenter.org

Recovery Café Longmont Supports local community members as they rebuild their lives by breaking the cycle of addiction and overcoming crises or trauma.

How to get involved: Cooks, interact with participants as an ambassador, recovery teachers, committee team members and more.

Contact: http://www.recoverycafelongmont.org

Schools Every school needs volunteers. Call one near you to see where your skills and energy can best be put to use.

TGTHR (Formerly Attention Homes) Providing resources and guidance to support youth in vulnerable situations, particularly around shelter.

How to get involved: Overnight shelter, street outreach, meal preparation, offer staff support, transport participants, or perform building maintenance.

Contact: http://www.tgthr.org

Voices for Children (CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates) Provides trained Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers to work on behalf of abused and neglected children in Boulder County. Helps children to get and stay on-course with education and basic needs and gives children the benefit of a consistent positive adult in their lives.

How to get involved: Become a court appointed child advocate.

Contact:bouldervfc.org

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers Working on wildland conservation projects throughout Colorado and the northern Front Range, eliminating invasive plant species and improving wildlands through spreading seeds, planting trees, and trail maintenance.

How to get involved: Work on a current project in the field (clearing or planting vegetation), become a crew leader and community outreach.

Contact: http://www.wlrv.org

If you're looking for more ways to give your time, visit VolunteerMatch at http://www.volunteermatch.org