Calendar of Volunteer Events Background Image

Calendar of Volunteer Events

CONTACT, HOURS & APPOINTMENTS

 

Join the MiraCosta College Community and Discover the Power of Service!

Download a digital volunteer booklet to record your hours of service. Students are encouraged to submit their volunteer hours to servicelearning@miracosta.edu so they can be entered into the service database. By entering their hours into the volunteer database, students can be provided with a Service History Report that can be used for applying to scholarships, transfer applications, etc. To request a Service History Report, email servicelearning@miracosta.edu and include your name and SURF ID.   

2024 STREAM Festival - Volunteers Needed!

This year, the 19th Annual MiraCosta College STREAM Festival is taking place alongside The Festival de Música Latina on Sunday, May 5th. The STREAM Festival will run from 12pm-3pm and the Festival de Música Latina continues until 5pm.

During the STREAM Festival, we welcome MiraCosta Students, Staff, Faculty, and local Community Partners to host fun, hands-on STEM, Reading, and Art-related activities to engage the PreK-8th grade community and their loved ones. 

We need the support of volunteers to help make the festival a success!

Sign-up to volunteer

Volunteers Tasks include

  • Set-Up Crew
  • Student/Faculty Presenter Check-In
  • Community Partner Presenter Check-In
  • Community Registration Area (Spanish speakers needed)
  • T-Shirt Table
  • Presenter Snack/Lunch/Supply Area
  • Area Lead
  • Fill-In Presenter
  • Clean-Up Crew

Volunteer Shifts

  • 9:00AM-1:00PM
  • 12:00PM-4:00PM
  • 9:00AM-4:00PM

Spring 2024 Spartan Service Saturdays

Join us for one or more Spartan Service Saturday Projects!  All you have to do is sign-up, show up, and be ready to help the community. Earn volunteer hours (not for a course) or service learning hours (course-connected).

Only 20 volunteer spots available per project. Snacks and limited water provided; bring your water bottle. Limited transportation available; first come, first serve.

Register for projects

Date: April 27, 2024
Time: 9am-12pm
Organization Name: Ivey Ranch Park
Project Name: Outdoor Beautification
Location: Ivey Ranch Park, 110 Rancho del Oro Dr. Oceanside, CA 92057
Description: Outdoor activities such as gardening, landscaping, painting, small repairs, etc.
Volunteers requirements: Close-toed shoes and long pants required. Preferably clothes that can get dirty. Volunteers will need to register online ahead of time. A link can be provided.

Date: May 18, 2024
Time: 11am-2pm
Organization Name: Pride by the Beach Festival
Project Name: Festival Prep & Pack Day
Location: 3220 Mission Ave #2, Oceanside, CA 92058
Description: Volunteers will help with making volunteer gift bags and help pack and organize for the pride by the beach festival.
Volunteers requirements: Wear closed-toed shoes and comfortable clothing

One-Time Volunteer Opportunities                      

The Black Alliance is hosting a Block Party & Resource Fair on Thursday, April 25th from 1:30-5pm and they need volunteer support! They are in need of 5-10 volunteers to help with set-up, registration, food distribution, and clean-up. They need support anytime between 11am - 5pm. To sign-up, please use the following link: https://forms.gle/ECZsSoCNSNDkwznQ8

MainStreet Oceanside is looking for volunteers for their Taste of Spring event. Taste of Spring:  A spring tasting and shopping event created to support local restaurants, retail businesses, breweries, and wineries by encouraging residents and visitors to eat and shop locally. This sweet and savory event featuring Downtown Oceanside restaurants and shops, as well as Oceanside breweries, wineries, and artisan sweet makers, will take place in the Downtown District on Saturday, April 20 from 2-5 p.m. We will need volunteers to help, and the various tasting booths and sip stops along the pathway of this event. Volunteer tasks include beverage serving, food service, placard marking, check in, and general help. Volunteers may wear regular attire to the event. Volunteers helping in the beverage serving position must have current valid ABC training to serve alcohol.  If volunteers have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to call our office at (760) 754-4512 or email Sharon at sharon@mainstreetoceanside.com. The volunteer application: https://app.betterimpact.com/Application?OrganizationGuid=d0a2d8d4-2d6d-43b2-b672-06f7e4960069&ApplicationFormNumber=1

Casa de Amparo is looking for volunteers! Come join us at our Annual Meet the Chefs Event on Sunday, April 28th at the Hilton Del Mar. We have different volunteering opportunities starting with set-up, helping run the auction, selling raffle tickets, breaking down, & so much more! Shifts start from 9:15am and run up until 7:00pm.  Please reach out to Yesenia for more information at yrosas@casadeamparo.org. To learn more about Casa de Amparo, visit https://www.casadeamparo.org/.

Pride by the Beach is in need of volunteers to help spread the word about the event! They will be handing out flyers and flags to businesses throughout downtown Oceanside to let them know about Pride by the Beach. To sign-up, contact Roxanne Deatherage at Pridedirector@pridebythebeach.org or 760.994.1690.

Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito is in need of volunteers. Commotion is our annual fundraiser that happens on May 5 at Music Box in Little Italy, San Diego. This event is a Youth Rock Concert where our Rock Bands have the opportunity to perform on a professional stage. We need volunteers to help with check in, run the visual elements (slide show), help backstage with tuning and preparing the Rock Stars for their set, selling raffle tickets, photographers, videographers, and an Emcee for the event. All volunteers must attend the volunteer meeting at 8am. For questions and to sign up, contact Pam Curtis at pcurtis@bgcsandieguito.org or 858.755.9371. For more information, visit https://bgcsandieguito.org/.

On-going Volunteer Opportunities

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation is looking for volunteers from Mon-Sat 9am-4pm: landscaping, trail maintenance and administrative work. We are an environmental non-profit with lots of ongoing projects with the community and at our Discovery Center. Please reach out to find out further volunteer opportunities! For more information contact Carly Shields at carly.shields@aguahedionda.org or 760.804.1969. Visit our website at https://www.aguahedionda.org/.

BCDI - Community Roots Farm is looking for volunteers to help with farm-related tasks like weeding, planting, and organizing. Opportunities for different abilities and interest. Hours are Wednesdays 10a-12p, Thursdays 3-5pm, and Sundays 11a-2pm. Sunday, December 18 we are co-hosting a Tamale making event with Mira Costa and need extra help from 12-7pm (includes clean up after the event). Volunteer opportunities through December but closed on Sunday the 25th. You can come with or without gardening experience! We recommend bringing water and close-toed shoes for safety. For more information contact Amanda Jordan-Starks at volunteer@plantspeoplecommunity.org or 619.838.8849. Visit our website at communityrootsfarm.org.

Brother Benno's Foundation welcomes students to volunteer with their thrift shop located at 3955 Mission Avenue in Oceanside. Volunteers are needed to assist with multiple projects at the shop, including sorting donations, receiving donations, assisting customers, and cashiering. They also need assistance gathering donations and conducting fundraisers for necessary items. Please contact servicelearning@miracosta.edu for support on conducting a  fundraiser or contact Helen Parsons at helenparsons75@outlook.com to learn about other ways you can support Brother Benno's.

Casa de Amparo is looking for volunteers to help in admin with tasks such as filing, stuffing envelopes, helping organize spaces and soliciting items for our auctions and for the youth in our program. You will receive one on one training when needed and we are very flexible so we are willing to work with you to fulfill your hours. These tasks will take place in our San Marcos facility at 325 Buena Creek Road San Marcos, CA 92069. After events, we need assistance with inputting items onto our database so this is something that will require a training but can be done remotely. We have Wine Drop Parties each month and this is where a donor hosts a small party with light appetizers and beverages. The guests entrance ticket is a bottle of wine, and this wine gets put into our silent auction. The money we fundraise goes straight to our youth, so we are always looking for bartenders, check-in assistants, etc. These Wine Drop Parties are typically located in San Marcos, Carlsbad, & Rancho Santa Fe but varies. We offer several volunteering opportunities throughout the month so please reach out if you have any questions. For questions, contact Yesenia Rosas at yrosas@casadeamparo.org or (760) 566-3560. Visit our website at https://www.casadeamparo.org/. 

Children's Paradise is looking for volunteers to support teachers in their classrooms with activities and students engagement! We serve ages infant to school-age and have 6 locations in these areas: Escondido, Vista, and Oceanside. Children's Paradise is open Monday through Friday from 6am to 6pm. For more information, contact Jasmine Reaves at Jreaves@childrensparadise.com or 760.407.8500. Visit our website at Childrensparadise.com.

Community HousingWorks is offering virtual volunteer opportunities (shifts are generally Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and  Thursday). Volunteers are needed between the hours of 3 pm-6 pm, with the average session lasting 1 hour. Study Stars is an Expanded Learning Program, serving Community HousingWorks resident youth in K-5th grade. Study Stars focuses on working collaboratively with adult volunteers, resident teen leaders, and community partners in providing academic support, community building, enrichment opportunities, and building school connections for our young residents. Within the Study Stars program, volunteers lead virtual activities like reading/games, storytelling, homework tutoring, and community-building activities. Volunteers can work one-on-one or with small groups of students to ensure the kids remain on task and prioritize effectively. Volunteers also have resources at hand to help youth look up information and problem solve various difficulties. This opportunity is 100% virtual. The following information is required in order to begin volunteering at CHW: Complete Volunteer Application online, Background Check & Sign Volunteer Forms, and the cost to get the basic live scan is $17-$25 (but once it is cleared, CHW will reimburse the cost you are able to submit for reimbursement once you begin your service). Connect with staff and schedule Virtual Training! To learn more email volunteer@chworks.org and to sign-up, go to https://chworks.org/volunteer

Helen Woodward Animal Center is looking for 18+ students who may be interested in volunteering their time at our center at the Admin office-to work up at our front desk-we have two different shifts—Tuesday’s- 9-1, and 1-5. For more information and to sign up, please contact Mark Maxwell at 858.756.4117 ext. 370 or markm@animalcenter.org.

Lived Experiences is seeking on-site volunteers each Monday of the month from 8am-10am/4pm-7pm to help. We need help picking fruit to helping us unload and distribute food. For more information, contact Oscar Ortega at oscarin@livedexperiences.org or 619.368.3790.

Solana Center for Environmental Innovation needs volunteers to assist with their Food Cycle Program! "Our Food Cycle program allows community members who can’t compost at home to still divert their food waste. Our triple bin aerated static pile system is on a precise timeline to get food scraps cooking and turned into finished compost to be sent back out into the community as fast as possible. Our team of volunteers is instrumental in this process! Every month we need help building a new pile from the collected food waste. Join us at this event and learn about composting and the amazing bokashi method of composting. In this event you will assist with mixing fermented food waste with mulch, coffee grounds, water and other composting process ingredients (this is stinky! must be comfortable with strong smells), piling mixture into our aerated static pile bin, washing food waste collection buckets for redistribution. Volunteers must wear clothes to get dirty in! Gloves will be provided but feel free to bring your own. Volunteers are encouraged to bring reusable water bottle – we have plenty of snacks! All experience levels welcome! Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age. All volunteers under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian fill out the registration form on their behalf. Please sign up EACH member of your group. Volunteers must be willing to do hands-on work with worms and other compost critters! Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds and be able to be physically active for 3 hours (but with lots of breaks!). This is a smelly event! Volunteers should be ok with the smell of food waste. For more information and to sign up, contact Liz Davis at liz.davis@solanacenter.org or 760.436.7986 Ext. 707. 

UURISE is seeking volunteers to assist with Office Admin Support, which includes filing, copying & scanning documents, and organizing physical files and creating ESPI binders. This is an in-person/on-site opportunity. We do not require a background check, but volunteers must complete the volunteer application and orientation. This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in Social Work, Pre-Law, Political Science, Human Development, and/or anyone who has a passion for Immigration Justice. To learn more, contact Gladys Guzman Guizar at gladys@uurise.org or 760.477.7537. Apply to volunteer.

Additional Ways To Serve Your Community

Here are other ideas and ways to promote a culture of service. You can still be socially connected while staying physically distant from our community partners--be an advocate or speak up on behalf of your favorite non-profit during this difficult season we are all experiencing.

  • Share with us how you're giving back. Tag us at @mcc_servicelearning and use the hashtag #MiraCostaSpartansGiveback
  • Create a supply drive for one of the many MiraCosta Community Partners, take a look at the list of approved sites for ideas, or feel free to reach out to any of the Service Learning & Volunteer Center Staff.
  • We realize that as college students you might not be in a position to give financially, but your voice is just as important.
  • Highlight your favorite organization on your social media pages, and share their fundraising opportunities and remember that - no amount is too little and nonprofits need our support.
  • Write a positive online review to a local restaurant that is still open for curb side services or deliveries.
  • Combat loneliness by reaching out to a classmate, peer, neighbor, relative, seniors, or veterans.

Resources to seek service opportunities

  • VolunteerMatch
  • Idealist
  • San Diego Food Bank is accepting volunteers on-site and in the community.
  • Botanical Community Development Initiatives
  • American Red Cross: Find out ways you can support or donate blood.
  • MiraCosta College English Language Institute: College students are needed to interact with international students. College students must be willing to carry conversations in English and encourage international students to practice their English. This is a perfect service opportunity for students wanting to learn about other cultures. For questions, contact Zakia Farouq at zfarouq@miracosta.edu or 760-622-8770.