CALL TO ACTION: Manassas Museum needs summer volunteers

Good morning Prince William and happy Father’s Day! After you’ve enjoyed your special day, please consider helping out the Manassas Museum with outdoor landscaping tasks such as trimming bushes and sprucing up various historic areas in the near future. To save money, all of our landmarks could use a little tender loving care from a few committed volunteers. And they also have fun volunteer opportunities for teens age 16 and older to help with half-day camps throughout the summer. These specialized camps include Civil War boot camp, archaeology and quilt camp. This is a great way to build your resume and have fun. Please call Nicole at 703-257-8264 for more information.

Now that it’s officially summer vacation, the Independence Empowerment Center is looking for a teen proficient with Microsoft Excel and Word to help build a database for their Annual ADA Fair from now until July 25. This is a wonderful organization located by Prince William Hospital and also affords you a great opportunity to strengthen your skills and resume. Please call Stephanie at 703-257-5400 for more information. Also if you just want to help this wonderful organization for one day, please mark your calendar for July 25 at the Loy E. Harris Pavilion in Old Town from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help set up, man information tables or help with the silent auction. This promises to be a fun and busy day.

Father Ramon runs a wonderful summer program for kids in the Georgetown South Community to compliment his tutoring program done during the school year. Volunteers are needed on Mondays from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from noon to 6 p.m. for field trips and Fridays noon to 4 p.m. to help with the activities geared at making summer a productive, safe and fun time for all kids. Please call Father Ramon at 703-965-1093 for more information.

If you’re like me and a little slow in getting closets cleaned out and organized, the folks at House of Mercy hope you can accomplish that mission soon! They would love your donations of summer clothing for kids especially girls ages 6 to 12, but all is very welcome. Non-perishable food for their food pantry is also accepted. House of Mercy is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is at the old SERVE facility, 10043 Nokesville Road, Manassas.

Speaking of basic needs please don’t forget about the good things being done by the Streetlight Community Ministries in Woodbridge. This wonderful organization provides a warm meal to those in need every Wednesday evening and opens their food pantry to families on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It doesn’t get any easier to help another by just lending a couple of hours. Please call Bonnie at 703-491-2288, Ext. 231, to set your schedule.

Last but certainly not least, we here at the Voluntary Action Center are gearing up for our big dinner dance event — Christmas in July on July 31. This wonderful evening supports the Un-Trim-A-Tree Holiday Gift Program for needy kids. We’ll have dinner from the Macaroni Grill, dancing by the St. Thomcats, great raffle items with a live and silent auction. All for just $50 a ticket. The worldwide timeshare auction item can make your dream vacation come true. Please call Diane at 703-369-5292, Ext. 207, for more information and to purchase your ticket. I promise you will have tons of fun.

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at the Voluntary Action Center.

» Diane can help senior volunteers with Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at 703-369-529, Ext. 207.

» Shelley can help with 1-800 volunteer opportunities at 703-369-5292, Ext. 201.

» Sue can help you with the Medical Reserve opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at 703-369-5292, Ext. 204.

» Bonnie can help you with all other opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at 703-369-5292, Ext. 202.

Also visit http://www.volunteerprincewilliam.org.

Mary Foley is executive director at the The Voluntary Action Center in Manassas.