The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 17, 2022, marks the 27th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Andover’s public schools have combined efforts to bring multiple volunteer opportunities to its families.  Browse the options below and click on each opportunity for more information and to sign up/contribute.

Do you know of an opportunity that isn’t listed here?  Submit new volunteer options to us here.  If you participate in one of these events/drives, take a picture or a video and send it to us!  We’ll showcase your efforts on the website.  Have any questions?  Visit our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) or contact us at info@apsserviceday.org.

We are aware that inclement weather may make several of the projects below difficult on Monday, January 17th.  Please stay safe and do not put yourself at risk.  While some day-specific events may be canceled, we wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that opportunities do not have to be fulfilled only on this day.  We encourage you to sign up and complete your day of service on the day of your choice whenever possible if Monday’s weather causes an issue for your volunteer opportunity of choice.  

Each opportunity below will begin with a signup request looking for a Project Ambassador: an individual and/or group that will lead the initiative (coordinating with the organization, organizing the volunteers, etc).

Once an opportunity has a dedicated Project Ambassador, a new signup request will become available seeking volunteers.  We are currently accepting TWO project ambassadors per opportunity.  If you would like to signup as an ambassador specifically for your group only and no other volunteers, please reach out to us at info@apsserviceday.org for more information.

Any opportunity marked with a red star is recommended for older kids and/or adults only.  See each opportunity’s detail for more information.

Thank you to Project Giving Kids for their help in compiling many of the opportunities listed below.  Volunteer opportunities that they helped orchestrate are denoted with their logo.  For more information, click below:

Download, print and distribute our flyer today to help us spread the word!

Help build, paint and other tasks for affordable homes on Lupine Road.

ANDOVER COMMUNITY TRUST CONTACT

Denise Johnson, Executive Director
director@andoverclt.org, 978-276-9228

PROJECT AMBASSADOR

Lenka Phelps
lenka.phelps@gmail.com

                  

Collect food and arrange neighborhood food drives
for the Merrimack Valley YMCA Food Pantry.

             

Help with farm clean up and care for miniature horses at Lifting Spirits Farm.

Unfortunately this opportunity has been canceled for Monday, January 17th.
Thank you to those of you who volunteered!

PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Lauren Kosky-Stamm
koskystamm@gmail.com 

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Collect and deliver clothing for Lazarus House.

PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Maureen Smith
maureen.smith@freechristian.org

. .    

Coordinate neighborhood cleanup initiatives throughout the town.

PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Rebecca Lackey
roche.rebecca@gmail.com

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Purchase/hold a drive for supplies and put together game bags for local seniors.

               .      

Purchase/hold a drive for supplies and put together toiletry bags for local seniors.

               .       

Join a virtual farm team to read and collect pledges for all the pages read.

               .    

Make tie blankets for babies, pets or troops.

               .    
For Room to Grow to Benefit Babies: https://www.projectgivingkids.org/activities/make-a-nosew-baby-blanket/
For Soldier's Angels to benefit troops: https://www.projectgivingkids.org/activities/blankets-needed-storebought-handmade-or-nosew/

Make cards and write letters to local senior citizens.

PROJECT AMBASSADORS:

Dianne Caraviello
dcaraviello@aps1.net

Joyce Leary
joycenl@comcast.net

      .      .    

Collect and deliver used bikes.

PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Michael Silverman
silvermanmc@gmail.com

               .      

Volunteer to help settle Afghan refugees.

               .     

Collect and deliver food to Neighbors in Need.

               .     

Help coordinate various drives and support for families in Bangladesh.

               .    

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WANTED: Clever sleuths for our history organization! Newspaper researchers and oral history interviewers for a variety of topics related to the following Andover themes:*the history of the Civil Rights Movement

  • the history of the Civil Rights Movement
    (what happened here in Andover)
  • the history of community service
    (e.g. local Boy Scout/Girl Scout projects)
  • the history of fundraisers
    (e.g. 4 th of July fireworks in Andover)

The result of the sleuthing community service project could be having your article published on the History Center’s Substack newsletter, History Buzz, which has over 2,200 subscribers. Because the content is always available it’s a great way to highlight your research and writing skills. History Buzz publishes twice a week. The sleuthing project is to search through original old newspapers or find them digitally through Memorial Hall Library or Newspapers.com. You could also conduct oral histories (interviews) of local notable people who have contributed somehow to our themes. After researching and/or interviewing, write a one-page summary of your findings. Similar to submitting an article to a newspaper or magazine, you can submit your one-page story to the History Center for possible publication on History Buzz.

CHOICES FOR THEMES:

  • CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT: How was Andover involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s? Who was involved – are they still alive to speak with in order to gain personal perspective? What did they accomplish and how? What sorts of opposition did they come up against?
  • FUNDRAISING: Research organizations like the Red Cross – what was done locally to support the troops during the World Wars, the Armenian crisis or the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic? What about local fundraising methods utilized by organizations like Quota Club, Service Club, the old November Club, Lazarus House or your own church or temple, such as the Christ Church Thrift Shop in downtown Andover.
  • COMMUNITY SERVICE: Community service is not a new concept. Many businesses, churches and schools have held community service days in the past. What have those project days entailed and who was participating? Research and speak to A.V.I.S. or other land and water protection organizations such as Andover Trails, Foster’s Pond Organization, Bay Circuit Trails, or Harold Parker Forest. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have long histories of creating and participating in community service events – where have they undertaken their Eagle Scout projects?

PERHAPS YOU HAVE ANOTHER TOPIC THAT INTERESTS YOU?

Collect and host a sale of gently used stuffed animals.

               .      

Knit, Crochet or Craft for Isolated, Older Adults.

               .      

Write thank you notes to soldiers.

               .     

Coordinate the baking and selling of dog biscuits to raise funds for the MSPCA.

               .      

Coordinate drives to collect household goods for the
Welcome Home project based in Newton.

               .     

Coordinate drives to collect goods (furniture, mattresses,
blankets, etc) for Household Goods in Action.

               .      

Coordinate drives to collect furniture, blankets, mattresses and other
household items for New Life Furniture Bank in Walpole.

               .      

Coordinate the collection of travel size, full size, and hotel bottles
(new and unopened) of hygiene products.

               .      

Have one or two Porchfests (or Lobby Fests if too cold outside)
on your day of service, great for high school kids!

               .       

Paint Kindness Rocks and place them when spring arrives!

               .    

A Jared Box is a plastic shoe box filled with games, toys, activities
and notes for a child undergoing medical treatment in a hospital.

PROJECT AMBASSADORS:

Marianna Connolly
mfador@gmail.com

Julie Bosworth
julie.e.bosworth@gmail.com

   .    

Welcome Snack Bags for Families Staying in Boston for medical purposes.

               .    

Make a Craft for Kids in Hospital - all ages, all ideas of crafts.

PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Beth Dunne
dunne.beth@gmail.com

     .     

Benefits kids who have lost a parent and are part of Wildflower
nonprofit that helps them afford summer camp.
Recommended for high school kids.

PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Andrea Famiglietti
andrea.famiglietti@andoverma.us

Krista Paminger (AHS Freshman Board Only)
krista.paminger@andoverma.us

    .    

Make gratitude art for your local firefighters.

               .      

Help collect used crayons to keep them out of landfills.


PROJECT AMBASSADOR:

Eleanor Storch
eleanorstorch@gmail.com

             

Collect cell phones, tablets and MP3 players to
drop off in Reading or Middleton.

               .      

Use your talents, creativity, kindness and compassion to work on a project with tangible results to benefit families and/or neighborhoods of your choice, by working with Aaron's Presents. This is only available for students in K-8.

PROJECT AMBASSADORS:

Michelle Penney
penney.sd@gmail.com

           .      

Create baking boxes for homeless shelters.

This is being sponsored by both the Kindness Collaborative and Project Giving Kids.

         

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