Where Children Can Volunteer in Dover, New Jersey

A great way for your teen or child to spend the summer is by volunteering. The values they learn will be priceless and they will pick up needed skills for everyday life. Many colleges and employers look for volunteer work as a means of reference of character. Although volunteer means no paycheck, an invaluable lesson about how to help another in need will be taught and hopefully absorbed.

There are many places in Dover & Morristown, New Jersey, to volunteer, but these three are specifically for pre-teen or teenagers.

The first is the Morris County Park Commission. The program is called Adopt-a-Park, their address is PO Box 1295 and located in Morristown NJ. This opportunity is great for the pre-teen looking for some responsibility this summer. Your child has to be at least 12 years old. Their responsibilities will encompass caring for their specified section of a trail in one of Morris County's parks. This is great for someone who loves to be outdoors or looking to enter the agricultural and environmental field. Being outdoors is a great way to spend the summer & get a tan while helping out our parks. The person to contact for this position is Janet McMillan at 973-326-7604, also see www.morrisparks.net

The second opportunity is at Head Start and their program is the Community Program of Morris County. They are located at 18 Thompson Avenue, Dover, NJ with locations in Morristown as well. This opportunity is for a high-school aged teenager with the minimum age being 15 years old. This organization serves the local community by providing child care, educational programs, teaching families in adversity to be families. Since it a non-profit organization they will have fund-raising & donation drives to participate in this summer. This is a great opportunity for any teenager whether they need the experience or not. A real sense of pride comes along with helping people in need and it simply feel s good to give back to the community. The person to contact is Ginger Bronner and her phone number is 973-989-1430.

Third is an opportunity to volunteer for Hope House. They are located right inside Dover, NJ on Belmont Avenue. Depending on the position the individual is taking, there may be some adult supervision required. Similar as above, they need help keeping up the maintenance of the building on the interior and exterior. This organization also needs volunteers for child care services and sorting donations of clothing and food. Hope House insists on treating all of their clients with dignity and encourages the individual to get on their feet by offering clothing, food & services. Teenager can learn valuable lessons from the clients they serve as well as being a part of and organization like Hope House. The person to contact is Ann Tognaand her phone number 973-361-5555 ext. 145. You can also look on www.hopehousenj.org

Youth who volunteer do not only learn valuable lessons in leadership, but can discover new paths to a career, as well as having fun and making friends in the mean time.