Children are the future, so why shouldn’t we strive to give them all the help that we can?
Here are some nonprofits that give back to children that you can volunteer for right here in Orlando.
- Kids Beating Cancer
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It’s the one word that no one wants to hear when they go to the doctor, let alone a child: cancer. The thought of Kids Beating Cancer sounds much happier and this nonprofit strives to find the cure for cancer. By taking care of some of the barriers to stem cell transplantation, Kids Beating Cancer hopes to help families survive the long journey of cancer treatment to a cure. The volunteer opportunities are vast—from fundraising events to office work, collecting donations to being at children’s events.
Similar Nonprofit: St. Jude Hospital
- Girls On the Run
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Luckily, volunteering with Girls on the Run doesn’t require running, unless you want it to! This nonprofit is dedicated to building strong girls by teaching them how to be healthy and confident in who they are. There are two ways to volunteer for Girls on the Run. You can choose to be a coach and work with a group of girls at an elementary school for 10 weeks and teach them all they need to live a good life, or you can lace up your shoes and volunteer to be a running buddy to support a girl on the run as she completes the symbolic race that she’s been training 10 weeks for. I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you which one includes the real run.
Similar Nonprofits: New Image Youth Center
- Early Learning Coalition of Orange County
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The Early Learning Coalition is dedicated to working with kids between the ages of 2–4, hence early learning. The goal is to provide every child the keys they need to be successful in our challenging world, and this nonprofit believes that the best time to start is before these kids officially start Pre-Kindergarten. By offering voluntary Pre-Kindergarten, all kids will have the opportunity to thrive in their future. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with kids, whether it‘s as a Book Buddy sending them books or as a guest reader in the classroom.
Similar Nonprofit: Just 1 Book
- Children Beyond Our Borders
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While their office name sounds like they would be located anywhere in the world, the home of this nonprofit is located right in the heart of Orlando. Children Beyond Our Borders works to provide education and empowerment to children who have dealt with social injustice here in Florida and beyond. Volunteers can contribute by tutoring on a weekly or monthly basis or choosing to go on a mission trip to facilitate educational workshops in Latin America.
- Children’s Miracle Network
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This is the one nonprofit that every UCF knight should know, because this is the largest philanthropic partner here at UCF. The Children’s Miracle Network is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the hospitals that they partner with so that they can provide the best care for these kids. Here in Orlando, Arnold Palmer Hospital is the one that benefits from the Children’s Miracle Network. Volunteers can either sign up to volunteer at the hospital, or as a UCF knight, you can sign up to participate in Knight-Thon, the 20 hour philanthropy event that UCF hosts for Arnold Palmer. Students spend the year raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network, and in the spring they stand for the kids in the hospital who can’t. It’s truly something to be do at least once before you graduate.
At some point in life, we were all children. Our childhood has played a role in shaping us to be who we are today. Imagine the impact you could have on a child’s life if you started volunteering now.
These nonprofits are right here in our backyard. If you got involved right now, you wouldn’t have to imagine the impact you could have for much longer.