There are Many Ways Walnut Hills Serves The World
Walnut Hills' foundation is built on helping others. Here are a few of the other long and short term opportunites we are connected too.
Long Term Opportunities to Serve
- Children and Family Urban Ministries: CFUM addresses the concerns and conditions of school-age children, youth, and their families in the neighborhoods of the near north side of Des Moines. CFUM serves meals at breakfast and supper year-round, hosts after-school and summer youth programs, and in other ways responds to the needs of children and their families in our community. There are many opportunities to volunteer through the meal programs (Walnut Hills serves supper on the 3rd Tuesday of each month), through the after-school program, and for special events. For information go to www.cfum.org, email info(at)cfum.org, or call 515-282-3242. To assist with the supper that Walnut Hills serves at CFUM , contact Pam Deeds - pam(at)whumc.org or 515-270-9226.
- Circles of Support: The Circles of Support program is designed to help at-risk families break the cycle of poverty, improve their quality of life, ensure successful life paths for their children and help make them successful social and economic participants in the Greater Des Moines community. Volunteers are trained as “allies” to mentor families and help them focus on strategies to escape poverty, ensure children are ready for and succeeding in school and to provide children with the tools they need to become successful adults. For more information or to volunteer, contact Julie Spong at 515-242-7587, or julie.spong(at)dmps.k12.ia.us.
- The Connection Cafe Lunch Program: The Connections Café is a free lunch program established by four of the Downtown Des Moines churches. Along with the aid of other outreach groups, approximately 200 lunches are supplied from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the Community Center at 7th and Grand Avenue on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Volunteers are needed to provide ingredients, to help put lunches together and to serve them. Call Lynn Heuss, Project Coordinator, at 515-771-1481 for more information.
- Goodwill Indrustries Day Activity Volunteers: Clients in Goodwill’s Day Activity Program are in need of volunteers to chaperone outings. Outings typically last an hour or two in the middle of each day and include fun activities like bowling and shopping. The program is built to help individuals with mental illness to build social skills. Come weekly, monthly, or at your leisure! Call Andrea at 515-265-5323 for details.
- Trauma Dolls: This ministry is a partnership between Walnut Hills, Silvercrest, and the Northwest Des Moines Kiwanis Club. The group meets every Friday morning from 10:30-11:00 a.m. at Silvercrest to stuff trauma dolls which are then delivered to area hospitals and agencies for children who are preparing for surgery or in some way affected by a trauma in their family. For more information contact Pam Deeds at 515-270-9226 or pam(at)whumc.org
- Urbandale Caring Corps: Volunteers are always needed for various activities, including office work, passing out flyers for special events, transportation assistance, shopping & errand assistance, yard work, and tutoring. Contact the Caring Corps office at 515-278-3999 or caringcorps(at)aol.com for more information.
Short Term Opportunities to Serve
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North Central Jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission website, www.gbgm-umc.org/northcentralvim/about_us.html.
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