As we enter the second month of this new year, you may be looking for new ways to make the most of your time, or maybe you are just looking for something new to try. If this sounds like you, you might consider volunteering in our community. Volunteering can be a great way to not only get involved with our community, but also to learn new skills, meet new people, and form connections that could help you in your future career. 

One very popular and rewarding form of volunteering is helping animals. There are plenty of opportunities for you to spend some time volunteering with animals here in Grand Forks. You can volunteer through Circle of Friends Animal Shelter, where you can devote your volunteer time to help give their animals the great life they deserve while also meeting other like-minded animal lovers in the process. You could also volunteer your time to Journey Home Animal Rescue by simply just taking dogs for walks, or by doing something more hands on with transportation or with helping to plan events 

If you are not interested in volunteering with animals, you may consider trying something else like maybe volunteering at the public library. Here you would be working alongside people who know their way around the library and who would most likely have a lot to teach you. While volunteering, you will get to help with various special projects. The YMCA also offers a large variety of different volunteer opportunities. These range from mentoring young children, assisting in planning events, assisting faculty, and so much more. Along with this, Grand Forks Parks and Recreation are always looking for people to volunteer to assist in planning activities and programs. 

If you are interested in volunteering somewhere that deals with the arts, there happen to be plenty of opportunities for that as well. The Empire Arts Center takes volunteers for ushering, ticket taking, cleaning, and special projects. Along with this, the Grand Forks Historical Society also takes volunteers for various tasks. If you are interested in helping put on theater productions, the Fire Hall Theater is always looking for volunteers to help them with their shows. 

These are just a few highlighted local volunteer opportunities, but if you are interested in looking for other opportunities, you may consider checking out the Grand Forks is Cooler website. They have a whole list of different places that are always looking for volunteers. Volunteering can be incredibly rewarding, and I would encourage everyone to make time to help their community in whatever way they can. Whether you need volunteer service hours for academic purposes or if you just want to do something new in your spare time, volunteering can be extremely beneficial to you and your community, and it is worth looking into and giving a chance. 

Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].