Volunteers with fundraising or business experience and computer skills are invited to work on a flexible basis in their homes, typing letters or grant proposals and assisting with publicity. People willing to provide a long-term commitment are preferred. 4800 Fillmore Ave. After training, which is scheduled for early and mid-September, volunteers give talks about panda biology, research and conservation to visitors. The time commitment is three three-hour shifts per month, weekdays or weekends, for one year.
Volunteers also attend monthly meetings.
The National Center for Therapeutic Riding, in Burtonsville, seeks volunteers to work weekdays with children and horses in a riding program. The children have mental, psychological or physical difficulties, and the therapeutic riding program builds confidence and athletic ability. Mentors meet weekly with families, usually headed by a single mother, and help them deal with challenges as they move off welfare and become self-sufficient. Mentors work with mothers to help them develop problem-solving skills, create budgets, prepare for jobs and become effective parents. A criminal background check is required.