Service Opportunities

Become a Challenger Buddy and help bring the joy of baseball and sport to students with a variety of disabilities! Preferred volunteer registration deadline is March 1st, so sign up ASAP!

Challenger Little League Baseball offers a non-competitive, co-ed, adaptive Little League Experience to young athletes (5-21) with physical and/or intellectual challenges. To do so, Challenger requires a large number of "Buddies" to assist athletes with skills, and ensure player safety. The 2025 season begins on March 16th and goes to May 18th (a service hour deadline extension may be requested of Mr. Cheney in the CN Christian Service Office if some of these hours will go past May 1, 2025 - the usual deadline). 

To sign up and for more information click this link to view the flier, which also links to the volunteer  registration form.

Want to volunteer at the Charles M Schulz Museum? Ongoing opportunities with a great group of volunteers and staff. Three and a half hour shifts available on the weekends. Volunteers go through a training program and are asked to make a one year commitment, of at least one shift per month minimum. Special event volunteer opportunities are also available for students who are trained and in the system. Job references available for experienced and responsible volunteers.

To volunteer, click here to access the volunteer application page. For volunteer questions contact Anna Toso: anna.toso@schulzmuseum.org, or (707) 284-1271. 

Visit the Volunteer Page and fill out the volunteer application for ongoing volunteer opportunities at the Children's Museum.

Opportunities include: Volunteer Museum Docent, Administrative Support, Special Event Staff, Gardening Support, Group Volunteering Opportunities. Opportunities are ongoing.

Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area is seeking volunteers for the new Santa Rosa Office.  BENEFITS IN VOLUNTEERING: Gain new experiences in a fun and rewarding environment! Volunteer with friends and build new connections! Looks great on college, job, or grad school applications! Hands-on learning with instant feedback! Make a difference in the lives of others.

• THRIVE – Meets weekly – 1 afternoon/week during session
• as well as various events throughout the year
• Conveniently located at: 6593 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park

Here are some specific opportunities happening now or starting soon:

THRIVE Program (W/Th - Rohnert Park) – A weekly 1.5-hour program for teens & adults with Down syndrome to help strengthen communication, creative expression, motor skills, and friendships. Volunteers assist our facilitators, help with activities (such as games and art projects), and act as peer mentors in a fun, engaging environment. 

 Music Therapy Groups - (Begins April 12th - Rohnert Park) – Volunteers engage with participants, encourage creative expression through music and movement, and assist with set-up and breakdown. No musical experience needed—just bring your enthusiasm! Group sessions will be held on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

 Local Tabling & Organization Events – Help spread awareness about DSCBA at community events, resource fairs, and charity fundraisers! Volunteers will help set up booths, engage with attendees, distribute materials, and promote involvement. Some upcoming events include the Challenge Air Fly Day at the Charles Schulz Airport, our City Lights and Starry Nights Annual Auction at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, and our T21 Fun Run at Spring Lake.

 Teen & Young Adult Connection Groups (Begins April 19th - Various Locations)  – These social meet-ups foster friendships, fun, and connection between our participants and their families. Volunteers will assist in group activities such as art, games, or outings. 

Click here to view a flyer with this information. 

To learn more about how you can make a difference, please contact Lilia Epstein: lilia@dscba.org

Come glean with Farm to Pantry and help those in our community who are experiencing food insecurities receive fresh produce from our local farms. FTP rescue produce on farms and backyards and share it with marginalized families mostly in Sonoma County. 

• All high school grades are welcome. 
• Note: This sort of gleaning harmonizes with or echos God's law in the Old Testament about not harvesting a second time, but leaving what was left for the poor (see Leviticus 19:9-10).

Visit the Volunteer Gleaners page and sign up to glean produce with Farm to Pantry. Questions?  Call: 707-955-9898; or email: gleaning@farmtopantry.org

Food For Thought is a nonprofit organization that provides healthy, life-saving groceries and meals to our neighbors in Sonoma County affected by serious medical conditions. In the last year, Food For Thought has provided 300,000 healthy meals to more than 6,000 of our neighbors in need. 

Many of FFT volunteer activities take place at our facility in Forestville, along with some opportunities to participate in Food Drives in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Petaluma. Most volunteer opportunities can accommodate high school students at any age. In particular, we would love to have your help in the food bank packing up groceries for our clients, in the garden growing organic fruits and veggies, or collecting food donations at food drives on the weekends! 

For more information and to volunteer contact Liv Chaaban, 707-887-1647 x109 or LivC@FFTfoodbank.org, or visit Volunteer opportunities at Food For Thought 

Connect with a great community of people and horses by assisting with adaptive horseback riding at Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center!  Complete the Giant Step’s Volunteer Application on their website (http://www.giantstepsriding.org/volunteer-application/).

• No prior horse experience is required.
• Volunteers come from all skill levels and training is provided.
• Ongoing volunteer opportunities available.

For questions, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Elise, at elise@giantstepsriding.org.

Kidstreet is looking for volunteers in the following areas: volunteers who are great with social media to help them increase their social media presence on a new platform; anyone interested in helping with their yearbook; and finally, volunteers who are interested in sports, dance, and/or cheer if anyone has those abilities. All volunteer slots are during after-school hours.

Kidstreet serves students in TK-6th grades, most of whom are students from low-income backgrounds, foster situations, situations where CPS is involved, experiencing homelessness, or just needing more hands-on experience within a family-oriented elementary school. 

Covid-19 Vaccination, booster shots, and TB Test Required. To volunteer contact Angel Gray at 707-525-9223 x100, or Angeld@kstreet.org.

The Family Resource Center is always looking for volunteers for our online tutoring program.  Opportunities include virtual online tutoring through Zoom, serving children in K-6th grades in Sonoma Valley. A one-hour-per-week commitment is requested. 

Visit www.supportingourstudents.com for more information. To volunteer contact Thailia Ruiz at: thalia@laluzcenter.org.

Masteryhour.org is a non-profit project which provides free math tutoring to K-12th grade children via zoom.  We were founded during the pandemic and have found there's still a huge, ongoing need to help children catch up in math.  We need more volunteers to help us meet the needs of the millions of families who are struggling to catch up on learning as schools re-open.  We provide free training so no experience is required. Tutoring with masteryhour.org is much like being a homework helper for a younger sibling or a peer! 

Interested tutors can learn more or apply at masteryhour.org/tutor

The Redwood Empire Food Bank serves anyone and everyone who is facing food insecurity. The Redwood Empire Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization serving Northern California. Since 1987, the Redwood Empire Food Bank has provided food and nourishment to those facing hunger—serving more than 100,000 children, families, and seniors in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties. With over 300 direct service distributions and 150 partnerships with other hunger-relief organizations, all residents facing food insecurity have access to more than 450 weekly and monthly distribution sites across the five counties. 

All volunteers are required to register for the shift ahead of time so we can limit the number of volunteers per shift and keep our activities spaced at least 6 feet apart. Our warehouse volunteers work outside under a large tent. We do not have an age limit for volunteers, but we ask that each volunteer be individually registered for the shift and that an adult accompanies those 13 and under. Volunteers 14 and up are welcome to volunteer independently. Our warehouse volunteers have been helping pack emergency food boxes and bagging fresh produce. Our distribution volunteers help with loading boxes of food into people's cars as they drive through. We recommend students try one of each and see what they like best. It is also meaningful to see the full circle of packing produce as well as distributing it to those in need. 

Volunteer in the Warehouse    Volunteer in Distribution    You may also contact Volunteers@refb.org.

Volunteer at Renaissance Healing and Learning Center in Cotati to assist in providing Hippotherapy (therapy with horses) to those in need of physical therapy. Renaissance Healing requires a two-hour orientation initially (which can count toward service hours), after which volunteer opportunities are available weekdays and weekends.

To volunteer contact Fran Judd at: 707-664-8919, Renaissancept@yahoo.com, and visit: www.rhlc.net

From picking up trash to removing invasive species, volunteers are essential to our success. Russian Riverkeeper coordinates community volunteers, schools, and businesses throughout the year to help protect the watershed. Volunteering with Russian Riverkeeper will connect you with a community of people who care deeply about the environment of Sonoma County. Signed safety waiver required. Visit this website to access the safety waiver and to sign up to volunteer: www.russianriverkeeper.org/volunteer/

Volunteer to be a part of The Salvation Army tutoring and mentoring program. Read the full description of the program and sign up to volunteer for by clicking here. 

The Salvation Army's Tutoring and Mentoring (TAM) Program is a free, after-school program serving 'at-risk' students in first through sixth grades. The TAM Program is an after-school program designed to serve Sonoma County students with academic support and school readiness.

Contact Hemily Clement, Corps Program Assistant: hemily.clement@usw.salvationarmy.org, or call 707-535-4243 for questions or to volunteer.

Contact Special Olympics for current coaching opportunities. Reach out now to volunteer and coach these unique athletes. Please email Heather Bond at: specialosonoma@gmail.com

The Vineyard at Fountaingrove Memory Care (200 Fountaingrove Parkway Santa Rosa, CA 95403) is excited to have the support and involvement of students from Cardinal Newman High School. The Vineyard at Fountaingrove provides assisted living, and memory care services to elderly residents in a homelike and family-friendly environment. Students will be working with Erin Kottman, our Life Style Director. She is in charge of planning and organizing social and activity programs for our residents. Students will be directly interacting with residents, supporting and engaging with them in social and activity programs such as adaptive sports games, table games, arts and crafts, reading groups, and socials. To volunteer please contact Erin Kottman at: Activities@vineyardatfountaingrove.com