On Campus:

Docent Program at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science

Got free time?  We need your assistance and accept volunteers of any ages for the ROBERT MONDAVI INSTITUTE, among graduates as well as retirees, friends and neighbors to give tours of the buildings and the Good Life Garden! 2-3 volunteers can team up until they graduate as “Docent”. When you feel comfortable, you become a “Docent”! Special volunteer opportunities will be offered to anyone in the docent program for The RMI’s public events.

Most tours take 30 to 45 minutes at the most. The actual training is short and easy with a tag-along tour and the tour script. No pressure…

We need a lot of people on the docent list as people are busy and being volunteers we understand your priorities: you will all be on-call. Help once a year or once a week: whatever fits your availability! We are grateful for your participation. Contact Karine at the RMI executive offices: 754-6349, or email khiolle@ucdavis.edu

UC Davis Arboretum

At the UC Davis Arboretum, we rely on volunteer support in every area of operations. Volunteers donate more than 15,000 hours of service each year! As a volunteer, you can learn new skills, meet other people who share your interests, and feel wonderful about supporting the work of the Arboretum. Whatever your skills or interests, the Arboretum welcomes you.

Prospective garden, nursery, education, and curatorial volunteers participate in a seven-week training class that prepares them for their volunteer experiences at the Arboretum. Following the general training, they receive specialized training for their specific volunteer program.

The Arboretum also welcomes volunteers who prefer to work on short-term projects. We schedule volunteer workdays several times a year for planting or garden clean-up projects. Many service organizations enjoy coming out for a day of work in the garden. We also work with volunteers for special projects in garden design, computer programming, marketing, graphic design, photography, and other fields.

For more information about the volunteer program, please contact us at (530) 752-4880 or arboretum@ucdavis.edu.

UC Davis Staff Assembly

Staff Assembly is currently seeking members for our Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee elected by you – the Staff Assembly – provides guidelines for other Staff Assembly committees and serves as a staff advisory committee to UC Davis administration. The Executive committee appoints employees to task forces, receives staff employee suggestions for staff benefits, and acts as a voice for staff on campus and the University-wide administration. Some members of this committee can also act as ex-officio members of standing committees, attending their meetings. One hour meetings are held once monthly.

 
Positions on the following committees are available:

- Thank Goodness for Staff Chair
- Citations for Excellence Chair
- Staff Insurance & Retirement
- Membership Chair
- Marketing Chair
- Emergency Management
- Diversity & Community
- Sustainability
- Work Life
- Technology
- Housing Chair
- Scholarship
- Human Resources Chair
- Health and Safety

Staff Assembly is always welcoming new members to the Executive Committee. If you would like to be involved in planning and attending events, have new ideas and opinions, or are concerned with staff interests on and off campus, then the Staff Assembly Executive Committee has a place for you.

If you are interested or would like to attend one of our meetings, please contact Tiva Lasiter, Staff Assembly Coordinator at tlasiter@ucdavis.edu.  If you have a specific area of interest, please state your interest area and the best method to contact you.

Off Campus:

Helping people in need:

Short Term Emergency Aid Committee

The mission of STEAC is to provide immediate short-term assistance with basic necessities to Yolo County families and individuals with income below the poverty level. Assistance may include help with rent, utilities, furniture, clothing, food and other basic necessities. STEAC is committed to enlarging the social awareness of the community and to providing opportunities for local citizens to help others in need.

Volunteers are needed to meet with clients to fill food orders from the STEAC food closet, located in Central Davis. Other work includes cleaning and stocking shelves, sorting, picking up food donations and taking food to the warehouse. Flexible shifts are available.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Susan Simon in the STEAC office at 530-758-8435 or send her an e-mail at ssimon@steac.org.

Davis Community Meals

Davis Community Meals is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide low-income and homeless individuals and families with housing, food, and human services to help them rebuild their lives. The organization provides a Resource Center, Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Program, free meals, Supportive Housing Program, and Cold Weather Shelter.

At our meals programs, volunteer groups and individual volunteers are needed for our Tuesday evening meal and for our Saturday lunch. Volunteers are needed from 9 am to 11:30 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm on Tuesdays and from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays. Volunteers help prepare the meals, set up the dining hall, serve the meals and clean up the kitchen and hall at the conclusion of the meal.

Our Shelter and Transitional Housing program at 1111 H Street needs volunteers during the evening hours from 6 pm to 11 pm each evening and on Saturday and Sunday Mornings. The volunteers assist with doing client intakes, ensuring residents are safe and that shelter rules are followed, and working with our residents.

For more information about volunteering please call (530) 220-4089

Citizens Who Care

Citizens who care provides social support services to older adults and their family caregivers through In Home, Convalescent Hospital and Time Off for Caregivers programs. These services are provided to residents of Yolo County and neighboring communities by trained, caring volunteers with the support of our professional staff.

Some of their programs include: in-home services to give breaks to caregivers and give friendly visits to isolated elderly people, convalescent hospital visitation, and pet visits.

For volunteer information please contact Ellie Slaven at (530)-668-8780

Wildlife:

Yolo Basin Foundation

Yolo Basin Foundation is a community based organization to assist in the establishment of the Yolo Wildlife Area. A principal goal of the Foundation is facilitating environmental education in the Yolo Wildlife Area

Get involved and have fun too! Join the Yolo Basin Foundation’s family of volunteers and meet great people, increase your knowledge of various habitats and native wildlife, and give to your local community. There are multiple areas where you can help out. Whether you thrive on dynamic interactions with adults and children or prefer to share your expertise in a much needed administrative roll, we have a place just for you.

Yolo Basin Volunteers also have the unique opportunity to participate in specialized trainings as well as go on fun and informative field trips both at the Yolo Wildlife Area and surrounding local areas.

Call Sarah Ross today at (530) 757-4828 to become a Yolo Basin Foundation volunteer!

Animals:

Yolo County SPCA

The mission of the Yolo County SPCA is to improve the welfare of animals in the community through programs that promote the adoption of homeless animals into permanent, loving homes; humane education; spay/neutering; and the trapping, altering, and releasing of feral cats.

Volunteer opportunities include: working with the Yolo County Animal Shelter, fostering animals, providing educational activities for school age children, assisting with animal placement at Petco, helping out at events, socializing animals, providing pet therapy visits to local convalescent homes and more.

If interested please email volunteer@yolospca.org or call (530)-304-2041

Horseplay Therapeutic Riding Center

The nonprofit Horseplay Therapeutic Riding Center, which is affiliated with NARHA, offers a year-round therapeutic recreational horseback-riding program for special needs children and adults. Riding develops strength and balance, and increases self-esteem, benefiting individuals with conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, Down Syndrome, autism, brain injury or head trauma, visual and hearing impairments, mental or learning disorders and muscular dystrophy.

Volunteering: No experience with special needs children or adults is required--just patience and enthusiasm!

Our next volunteer orientation is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. at the Horseplay barn, 5949 Silveyville Rd., Dixon. Please call, 707-447-8733, if you're interested in attending.