NORTH HILLS COMMUNITY OUTREACH HTTP://NHCO.ORG/412-487-6316
Local Organization Offers Volunteer Opportunities Across Allegheny County
Open Your Heart to a Senior is celebrating National Volunteer Month this April by opening their doors to volunteers.
Open Your Heart to a Senior is committed to helping senior citizens live safely and independently in their own homes throughout Allegheny County. Volunteers can help by providing transportation to medical appointments and grocery shopping, telephone reassurance calls, friendly home visits, yard work and simple home repairs.
Allegheny County boasts one of the highest populations of senior citizens in the United States. The time commitment is flexible and the need is ongoing in every Allegheny County community:
- Shopper – Two to four times monthly; one to two hours per trip
- Driver – One to two hours per trip
- Weekly or Biweekly Friendly Visitor – One to two hours per visit
- Telephone Caller – Thirty minutes per week per care receiver
- Safety for Seniors – Five hours on a Saturday for training and safety checks
- Handyperson and Yardwork
- Snow Shoveler
- Mail Assistant – Two to four hours monthly
- Office Help – Three hours weekly
Safety for Senior Days also will held March 24 and April 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. After an hour long training session, volunteers will pair up to visit two senior citizens’ homes and evaluate each home for common fall and fire hazards. Registration is required for all trainings.
- April 17 at 6:30 p.m. – UPMC Lighthouse Pointe at 500 Chapel Harbor Drive in Fox Chapel
- April 28 at 1 p.m. – Family Services of Western PA at 6401 Penn Ave., 2nd Floor in East Liberty
In 2011, 378 volunteers served more than 1,350 care receivers throughout Allegheny County. Volun- teers contributed approximately 12,500 hours on behalf of the region’s vulnerable seniors throughout 2011.
For more information, on volunteering, visit www.openyourhearttoasenior.org, call 412-307-0071 or toll-free at 866-467-0888 or email at seniors@nhco.org.
About Open Your Heart to a Senior
Open Your Heart to a Senior is a signature initiative of the United Way of Allegheny County, with Family Services and North Hills Community Outreach as the two leading partners. Together these two organizations have over 600 volunteers providing non-medical care for seniors, to keep them living safely and independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Transportation to medical appointments and grocery shopping, telephone reassurance and friendly visiting, yard work and simple home repair are the most frequently requested and provided services.
An Initiative of United Way of Allegheny County in cooperation with Family Services of Western Pennsylvania and North Hills Community Outreach