VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities to learn while serving the community are available now with a variety of organizations:

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency at 600 S. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles, is looking for volunteers or interns to assist in the agency’s daily activities. The areas of need are telephones, night help line, clerical, data input, group facilitation, special projects, research, fund-raising, public relations, marketing and evaluation for the council’s high school peer assistance program. Bilingual personnel are especially needed. For information, call the council office at 1-800-433-0406 or 384-0403.

Volunteers are being accepted for the October docent training class for the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve. Deadline to register is Sept. 21. Training will include lectures, slides and discussion of the plants and ecology of the wetlands and upland of Madrona Marsh and how to present this information. No teaching or science background is required--just an interest in nature, a desire to learn more about it and a wish to share the world of nature with others. The classes will be coordinated by Torrance city naturalist Walt Wright and the Friends of Madrona Marsh. It will meet at Torrance City Hall Annex, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance. Training will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon on all Tuesdays in October, beginning Oct. 2, and on two Saturdays, Oct. 13 and 27. To register call 618-2998 or 32-MARSH.

Men and women are invited to apply for docent training at Wilmington’s Banning Residence Museum, the restored 19th-Century home of transportation and harbor pioneer Gen. Phineas Banning. A choice of weekday or weekend training classes will be offered, beginning Sept. 29 and Oct. 3, for 10-week periods. Applications will be taken until Sept. 15. Training includes professional lectures on 19th-Century history, architecture, decorative arts, textiles, commerce and trade, Southern California growth and development, and instruction in making presentations about the house, stagecoach barn and grounds. After the first year, docents may participate on the museum’s curatorial and educational program committees. The museum welcomes people with a variety of backgrounds, especially those who are bilingual. For information call 548-7777.

The Volunteer Center, South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach, maintains a file on organizations needing volunteers and helps match men and women with interesting and fulfilling positions. For information about any of the following openings, call the center at 212-5009. Some volunteers prefer to work at the center itself, at 1230 Cravens Ave., Torrance. People are needed there to help the placement coordinator respond to inquiries, refer prospective volunteers and provide information on the center’s program. Training will be provided for these positions, and hours can be arranged for the volunteer’s convenience. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Other agencies seeking volunteers through the center include:

The Long Beach facility of the USO: To help military personnel and their families find employment, child care and social services. Volunteers are also needed to assist callers through the new “USO CARES” telephone information service, scheduled to begin in October. Training will be provided by the USO in Long Beach.

California Social Welfare Archives of USC: The agency is working to identify and assemble a collection of materials reflecting the history of social welfare in California. People who have worked in the field and have books, publications, studies, articles and other materials related to this field are invited to share their information.

Torrance-Lomita Meals on Wheels: Summer substitutes to help provide meals to the homebound. Drivers and riders are needed from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and cooks and packers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon. Even one day a week would be helpful. The office is in Torrance near the Del Amo Center.

South Bay Senior Services: Mature volunteers for a variety of duties, including clerical work. Senior Services has a Telecare program, in which volunteers call senior citizens regularly to check on their health and let them know that someone is interested in them. These calls can be made from the volunteers’ homes.

The J. Paul Getty Museum: The Malibu attraction needs eight to 15 new volunteers to serve as orientation docents. Docents work two to three hours a week introducing the public to the museum and its varied services. Some docents work at the information desk and gift shop. Reliability is essential, and availability on weekends and foreign language skills are desirable. Thirty hours of training are provided for responsible and challenging positions for people interested in the arts.

Toberman Settlement House, San Pedro: Baby-sitters are needed to watch children while their mothers attend English as a Second Language classes; ESL classes are held Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, and volunteers can schedule times convenient for them.

Federation Headstart: A retired carpenter or handyman is needed at the agency’s Carson headquarters to build simple storage units.

Catholic Charities: Volunteers to assist in refugee resettlement programs, to serve as tutors, help with orientation activities, and organize and participate in support groups for families from Pacific Rim countries and other parts of the world.

Normandale Senior Services: Two people to work once a week picking up donated food that is distributed to home-bound, low-income seniors. Volunteer should have a pickup truck and be able to lift as much as 50 pounds. The agency will pay mileage costs.

El Segundo Public Library: Volunteers needed for variety of postions, such as assisting professional staff, helping in the Children’s Room, sorting donated books and shelving books and other materials. Hours can be arranged to suit volunteer’s schedule. Teen-age volunteers are welcome but must have parental approval.

Torrance Convalescent Center: Singers, entertainers and people who play musical instruments are sought to entertain residents. Volunteers may also help by reading, writing letters, serving refreshments and assisting with arts and crafts projects.

For information on any of the volunteer opportunities offered through the Volunteer Center, call 212-5009 or inquire at 1230 Cravens Ave., Torrance.

The International Services Office at Loyola Marymount University is recruiting community volunteers to work on special projects that serve Loyola’s nearly 250 foreign students, faculty and staff members, who represent 60 countries. The office helps members of the international community with immigration matters, coordinates all campus and community services available to them, serves as liaison with sponsoring agencies and foreign governments, and promotes interaction between internationals, the university and the community. Senior citizens, church groups and other community organizations are encouraged to volunteer. For information or to volunteer, call 338-2937. The university is at Loyola Boulevard and West 80th Street, Westchester.