At the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and WyomingNews.com, we believe everyone – regardless of income level, age, education, etc. – can and should give something to those in need. And we believe that when that happens, everyone benefits.

That’s why we created “Everyone gives, Everyone gains,” a continually updated list of ways you can help groups in southeast Wyoming by donating your money, time or items. We’re also building a network of people who are willing to volunteer their skills so those in need can tap into the talents available right here in our area.

To add an item to the WTE’s “Everyone gives, Everyone gains” list, e-mail assistant managing editor Brian Martin at EveryoneGives@wyomingnews.com or send it to Everyone gives, Everyone gains, c/o Brian Martin, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, 702 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001.

Help needed to wrap, deliver daffodils

What: People are needed to help wrap and deliver daffodils for the annual American Cancer Society fundraiser.

When/Where: Wrapping: 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, March 16 at First United Methodist Church’s Allison Hall, 108 E. 18th St., Cheyenne; Delivering: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 17

Who to call: For more information or to sign up to help, call Dee at 635-4064.

More information: Daffodil purchases help fund American Cancer Society cancer research, education, advocacy efforts, and programs and services.

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

For 24-hour cancer information, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

VA seeks drivers to take vets to appointments

What: The Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Disabled American Veterans Transportation Program are looking for local volunteer drivers to help take veterans to and from their VA medical appointments.

When: Now

Where: Volunteer drivers will work out of the DAV office at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center, 2360 E. Pershing Blvd., Cheyenne

More information: Those interested in volunteering will need to complete an application, pass a physical (medical) exam, TB test and a background check, all to be provided at no cost to the applicant.

To volunteer: Call the Cheyenne VA Voluntary Services office at 778-7317 to volunteer.

Make-A-Wish Foundation seeks local volunteers

What: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wyoming is currently looking for volunteers in the Cheyenne area.

When: Now

More information: Since 1985, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wyoming has been granting wishes of Wyoming children between the ages of 2-1/2 and 18 with life-threatening medical conditions. The organization does not consider the child’s background, beliefs, income or any other demographic factor.

The foundation also has participated in “Wish Assists,” in which wish kids from around the country and the world who want to visit Wyoming make trips to Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, make dinosaur digs, visit guest ranches or simply come to see snow.

Volunteering with Make-A-Wish is not time-consuming – you choose the level of input you feel is right for you. No amount of time or service is too little.

To volunteer or for more information: Contact Pam Jones, volunteer/events coordinator, at 1-888-WYO-WISH or by e-mail at pjones@wyoming.wish.org. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wyoming’s Web site is http://wyoming.wish.org/.

Volunteers sought for youth leadership event

What: Wyoming Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership seminar seeks volunteers for next summer’s event.

When: June 17-20

More information: HOBY is an international program that provides leadership training, service-learning and motivation-building experience to high-school sophomores selected by their schools to attend local HOBY seminars. The program helps students recognize their leadership talents and apply them in becoming effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace and community.

How you can help:

Responsibilities and requirements for each position include:

General volunteers:

Organizing speaker panels and planning leadership building activities

Recruiting schools and students to participate

Assisting with fundraising and gathering donated items, or helping with tasks during the actual HOBY event. Volunteer dates depend on the assigned responsibilities of the volunteer.

Junior Staff

Must be HOBY alumni

Junior staff assists the seminar planning committee and facilitators with facility setup and cleanup, serving as seminar greeters, leaders of cheers and more

Provide a positive role model of volunteerism to younger peers

Ensure a sophomore student from their school is registered to participate in the seminar

Junior staff will be needed for the entire event

Facilitator

Leads an assigned student group within Wyoming HOBY

Must be at least 21 years old and does not need to be HOBY alumni

Will directly interact with students

Create a culture that provides a positive experience where HOBY students feel encouraged to participate freely in discussions, build upon their leadership qualities, work as a team within their groups, and set and realize goals at the seminar and beyond. Facilitators will be needed during the entire event.

For more information: Call or e-mail Annie Wood at 777-2844 or annie.wood@wybusiness.org, or Brandon Marshall at 777-2820 or Brandon.marshall@wybusiness.org.

Friday Food Bags program continues

What: Holland and Hart Foundation’s Friday Food Bags Program

When: Now through the end of the 2009-10 school year

How the program works: The program distributes food bags each Friday of the school year to Cheyenne children who are at risk for hunger, since weekends are often the times youngsters are most vulnerable to being without food.

How you can help: You can either volunteer to help assemble the free food bags starting Tuesday at the old Dinneen Motors showroom or donate money for the program to buy food.

For more information: For more information or to volunteer, call Lynda Zeringue at 778-4242.

Homeless group needs help, cash, sleeping bags

To volunteer: The Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless is in need of volunteers to work from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays at the Welcome Mat.

To donate cash: The coalition is raising funds to finish the day-care center for homeless and low-income children at the Richards Center. Donations can be mailed or taken to 907 Logan Ave., and the check should be marked “For day care.” Donations also can be made at www.firstgiving.com/wch.

To donate/help make sleeping bags: The coalition is in need of donations of sleeping bags and volunteers to make sleeping bags. Donations should be taken to 907 Logan Ave. between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

For more information: Call Virginia Sellner at 634-8499.

Volunteers sought for book club for homeless

What: Volunteers are needed to help explore the possibility of creating a book club for the homeless.

When: Now

Where: Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, 907 Logan Ave., Cheyenne

More information: Welcome Mat volunteers have spent many hours listening to different clients discuss books they were reading or had read. A recent article in the Boston Globe reported that the club in the Boston area was quite successful.

For more information: Call Virginia at 634-8499.

Habitat seeks volunteers to help build homes

What: Habitat for Humanity of Laramie County seeks volunteers to support its mission of building affordable housing

When: Starting May 2, normal construction hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and 12-5 p.m. Sundays

Where: Various locations in Cheyenne; two 1,100-square-foot homes will be located in the new Habitat for Humanity subdivision on Messenger Court

More information: Construction of Cheyenne’s first Women Build home gives women volunteers the chance to learn new skills in areas such as roofing, drywall and framing. Volunteer opportunities also are available on a second home, currently under construction by students at Cheyenne’s Central High.

For more information: Volunteer opportunities for businesses, churches and other civic groups are available during the week with prior arrangement by contacting Josh Nicholas at 214-1457 or josh@cheyennehfh.org.

Project 1,000 needs money, materials, help

What: Project 1,000, an effort to provide one neck cooler and one helmet cooler to each Wyoming Army and Air National Guard soldier and airman as they depart next month to the Middle East

When: Help is needed now to finish making these items before the deployment.

What you can do: Money is needed to help buy materials for volunteers to make these comfort items. Materials to be bought include broadcloth material, thread, cord to attach the helmet cooler to the helmet, polymer beads and baggies to place them in.

These items also can be donated. Scrap broadcloth for the helmet liners, white or beige thread, and muslin or cotton in light tan (to match uniform) 45 inches wide would be welcomed.

In addition, individuals and groups are sought to volunteer to sew, raise funds and package these items for troops.

Who to contact: Project 1,000 is the brainchild of Larry Sprague, a retired Air National Guard member and current civil service employee at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Contact him at larry.sprague@bresnan.net or 307-286-1015 to help out.

Mended Hearts seeks volunteers to give support

What: Mended Hearts, a national heart patient support group affiliated with the American Heart Association, seeks local residents to help with its patient-to-patient visitor program.

When: Year-round

How it works: Heart patient volunteers, specifically trained and accredited by the local chapter of Mended Hearts, visit other patients – either before or after surgery – during hospital stays and occasionally at home. Visits also may be made to non-surgical patients such as those diagnosed with angina, hypertension or heart attack.
Last year, accredited volunteers nationwide made more than 212,000 visits to heart patients, their families and caregivers in person, online or by phone.

Group meetings: Cheyenne Mended Hearts Chapter 132 meets the first Monday of every month October through May from 6-7 p.m. at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center-West meeting rooms. There also is a family picnic/walk in June at Lions Park and another picnic/walk in September at the Wyoming Hereford Ranch.

For more information: Call the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Cardiac Rehab staff at 307-633-7060 or nationally at 1-888-432-7899 or visit the Web site at www.mendedhearts.org.

Special Friends seeks volunteers to work with kids

What: If you have a skill or a talent that you would like to share with kids, contact Sally Meeker, volunteer coordinator at Special Friends.

More information: Special Friends is a mentoring program that has a waiting list of kids in an Outreach Program. Volunteers can be scheduled in on a Wednesday night to share with the kids.

Who to contact: Special Friends, 1328 Talbot Court, Cheyenne; 307-637-6480.

Volunteers, money needed to help homeless families

What: Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help homeless families with children get back on their feet, is seeking volunteers to help staff the program and provide financial support.

When/where: Seven days a week, 365 days a year is when the families need help. Volunteers serve in the evenings, overnight and on weekends.

Daytime drivers also are needed to get people to work and appointments. CIHN is headquartered at Grace United Methodist Church, and works with several other area churches. Help is needed at all sites.

How to donate: Call CIHN at 772-8770 to sign up for a volunteer training.

To make a financial donation to help a family in need, send checks to 2950 Spruce Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82001.

More information: Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network provides assistance with employment searches, temporary housing and meals in churches, accessing social services in the community and case management. For more information, go to http://www.cheyenneinterfaith.org.

Meals on Wheels seeks volunteer delivery drivers

What: Meals on Wheels has about 15 open delivery routes and is looking for both permanent and substitute drivers to deliver one route one day per week.

Meal pick-up time is between 10:30 a.m. and noon.

Volunteer commitment: One to one-and-a-half hours weekly.

For more information: Call Charlotte Dockter, volunteer coordinator for Meals on Wheels, at 635-5542 between 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Internet searches earn money for charities, schools

When: Year-round

What: Using GoodSearch or Search and Give online can earn points that translate into monetary donations for a variety of local organizations and schools.

What you can do: To participate, sign up at www.goodsearch.com or www.searchandgive.com. GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo, while Search and Give is linked to Microsoft and MSN.

More details: The Wyoming Community Foundation has linked with GoodSearch, while a long list from Cheyenne (including a variety of schools and charitable organizations) have linked with Search and Give.

Knitting, crocheting

When: Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon.

Where: Ewe Count, 819 Randall Ave., Cheyenne.

What: Volunteers can work on any of the following four projects:

Warm Up America is a charitable foundation for knitters and crocheters to make 7-inch-by-9-inch blocks. These blocks are assembled into afghans, which are then donated locally to the COMEA House, The Salvation Army and Home Away From Home. Find out more at www.warmupamerica.org.

Caps For Kids is in partnership with Save the Children. We make caps to be given to the less fortunate. Locally caps have been given to STRIDE Learning Center to be distributed in their Thanksgiving baskets, among other places.

The Red Scarf Project gives scarves to orphaned teens attending college. These scarves are distributed nationwide on Valentine’s Day. Find out more at www.orphan.org.

Prayer shawls are being made to be distributed to the nursing homes. Find out more at www.friendshipshawl.org.

In the past 13 years, Franz said, more than 350 afghans and 500 caps have been donated.

For more information: Call Penny Franz at 638-1148.

American Red Cross volunteers

When: Year-round; offices are open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

What: The American Red Cross is in need of volunteers at all levels. Volunteers may come in for as little as two hours a week to do office work, train to be a member of the Disaster Action Team, teach CPR classes or serve on the leadership council.

Contact: The Red Cross office is at 3619 Evans Ave. Call 638-8906.

Boys and Girls Club volunteers

When: Center open 3:30-7 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on weekdays when school is out for the day.

What: The Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne, a youth development center serving youth ages 6½ and in first grade through high school, is looking for volunteers in a variety of areas, including:

Working with youth – Volunteers can help out as little as two hours a week helping youth at 1700 Snyder Ave. Help with homework, reading to children, sharing cooking skills, preparing snacks, sharing your personal hobbies or interests are among the possible activities.

Skilled labor – To prepare two new program rooms for use at the Snyder Avenue facility, the club needs people who can paint, people who can set up a new tech center with new computers, people who can build countertops for those computers and someone who can do minor electrical work.

To learn more: Contact Gordon Eldredge, executive director, at 778-6674.

Special Friends mentoring

When: The next orientation training for screened volunteers is March 3 from 6-9 p.m.

What: Special Friends is recruiting adult role models to be friends with children ages 6-14 from low-income, single-parent families. Mentors spend three to four hours a week for nine months to a year with a child who also has completed the Special Friends screening process. Seventeen children are on the waiting list. Males and couples are especially needed to provide friendship to boys ages 6-11 who need positive male role models.

To learn more: Contact Special Friends at 637-6480, 1328 Talbot Court, attend the Jan. 29 information meeting, or e-mail Sally Meeker at smeeker@cheyennecity.org.

Computer teacher needed

When: Thursday mornings

Where: Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, 907 Logan Ave., Cheyenne.

What: A volunteer is needed to teach beginning and intermediate computer classes on Thursday mornings for the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless.

Who to contact: Virginia Sellner, 634-8499.

Desk work, serving meals to homeless residents

When: Now

Where: COMEA House and Resource Center, 1504 Stinson Ave., Cheyenne

What: COMEA currently has a variety of volunteer positions available, ranging from front desk work to serving meals.

Contact: Emily Downey, 632-3174, to arrange a visit.

Fundraisers needed

When: Now.

What: Community Care Concepts, a new nonprofit organization in the Cheyenne community, needs people willing to help create fundraisers for its projects. Currently, the organization is solely focused on helping the Cranmore family.

Todd Cranmore has been diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, is on full disability and currently is only able to walk short distances. At some point, he will be confined to a mobility scooter or wheelchair, so the five-member family’s house needs to be made handicapped accessible and have larger bedrooms. Money also is needed to help the family connect with city water and sewer if annexation is approved.

To learn more: Contact Amy Clark-Walters at 307-214-1460 or information@communitycareconcepts.org.

Student tutoring/mentoring

When: Year-round

What: Volunteers are needed for the GEAR-UP program to serve as tutors to work with low-income students in seventh through 12th grades. These Laramie and Albany County students also need mentors to work with them one Saturday a month as they learn about life skills and prepare for their college careers.

Hours: Variable – call for details.

Contact: Assistant outreach coordinator Lauren Jones, 432-1665 (office), 286-0681 (cell) or lajones@lccc.wy.edu, or assistant outreach coordinator Nicole Pritchard, 432-1664 or npritcha@lccc.wy.edu.

Library volunteers needed

When: Year-round

What: The Laramie County Library System welcomes people of all ages and skills to help on special projects or on a regular basis. The library currently needs volunteers to run the book sale room and to provide regular tours to the community, in addition to general tasks throughout the library. Additionally, the library invites volunteers ages 12-18 to help with Youth Services.

Hours: Flexible.

Who to contact: Julie Eatmon, the library’s volunteer coordinator, 773-7224 or e-mail jeatmon@lclsonline.org.

Applications are available at all three library locations or online at http://lclsonline.org/using/volunteers.