Volunteering

Volunteer and community service is essential for a successful application. It demonstrates your character and desire to give back to your community. Volunteering can be clinical, like helping at a hospice or becoming an EMT, or non-clinical, for example, tutoring or helping at a church.

Students can also be personally enriched by clinical and non-clinical experiences. Choose experiences that you enjoy, and try sticking with what moves you the most. Commitment to a specific experience over a prolonged period of time carries weight with admissions committees and allows you to make an even more significant contribution to something you care about. Leadership roles also impress committees and foster personal development.

Local Volunteering Opportunities

Aspirus At Home

Volunteers provide support and respite care at the home of individuals and families receiving hospice care. Some examples of duties include visiting with and reading to patients, writing letters for patients, performing household duties and shopping for patients.

Aspirus Hospital

Make a positive impact by providing compassionate care to those who need medical services. Volunteers service areas such as admitting, hospital gift shot, information desk, medical records and other areas as needed or matched to your skills and interests.

Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter

The Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter offers a safe place for victims of domestic violence and their children. A volunteer helps residents and their children by being an empathetic support person. There is a 16-hour volunteer training that is required. Volunteer schedules are set monthly. Volunteers are also needed for childcare during support group.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

This program aims to help inspire children to realize their full potential and build brighter futures by providing strong and enduring, professionally-supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. Due to COVID 19: Switching to an "E-Mentoring" Model. Volunteers are now utilizing virtual/remote methods to stay connected with kids.

Copper Country Habitat for Humanity

This is a non-profit, Christian housing organization. Volunteers will help out with construction, painting, cleaning and winterizing of homes for local low income families.

Copper Country Humane Society

Play with the animals, walk shelter dogs.

Dial Help, Inc. Houghton

Dial Help offers confidential, non-judgmental services for crisis support, mental health and more. Learn new skills and support the community. All volunteers are trained on opportunities including: Crisis line and other support, advocacy, youth services, administration, grant writing, outreach, community events, substance abuse prevention and building & grounds maintenance.

Keweenaw Land Trust

The Keweenaw Land Trust is a community partner protecting land, water, and quality of life through conservation, stewardship and education. Volunteers may help build trails, work on restoration projects, help control invasive species of plants and encourage native ones. Volunteers may also work on newsletters and the website, record-keeping and correspondence, conduct membership campaigns, write grant proposals, and other responsibilities.

Little Brother's Friends of the Elderly

This is a national network of non-profit volunteer-based organizations committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. Current volunteer opportunities include telephone reassurance, friendship mail, and grocery shopping and delivery. There are also some in-person opportunities like medical transportation and other essential services.

Omega House

Omega House offers peaceful, end-of-life care. Volunteers play an important role at Omega House, make a great difference in the end-of-life care and play a vital role in their team. Seeking volunteers to assist with any number of patient and family needs-ranging from social visits to preparing meals to lawn care and snow removal.

Right Start UP

Right Start UP's mission is to promote healthy physical and psychological development of children and families. Works with children, youth and families to create educational, health promotional and violence-prevention programs. Volunteers will assist where needed and will spend time playing with babies and children offering their support.

U.P. Health System-Portage Hospital

No matter what your skills and interests, you can provide a helping hand for their patients. Volunteers serve all sorts of functions throughout their facilities. This includes: Hospice, Information Desks, Guided Rose Gift Shop, PortagePointe (assist with planned activities, visiting and reading) and knitting.

Western UP Food Bank

The Western UP Food bank relies on volunteers who have decided they want to take part in the effort to solve hunger in Western Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Volunteers might repack and sort food in the warehouse, pick fruits and vegetables for the food bank or help with clerical work in the office.

Other Volunteering Opportunities

Crisis Text Line

Crisis counselors answer texts from people in crisis, bringing them from a hot moment to a cool calm through active listening, collaborative problem solving, and safety planning. This is a 24/7 text line for people in crisis in the US. The service is powered by volunteers who work remotely.

Not seeing the volunteer opportunity that's right for you, you can find more here.