The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake provide afterschool activities for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care (only at the Sugarhouse location for ages 4-12). The clubs serve over 15,000 kids in locations across Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties each year.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake provide afterschool activities for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care (only at the Sugarhouse location for ages 4-12). The clubs serve over 15,000 kids in locations across Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties each year.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake provide afterschool activities for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care (only at the Sugarhouse location for ages 4-12). The clubs serve over 15,000 kids in locations across Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties each year.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake provide afterschool activities for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care (only at the Sugarhouse location for ages 4-12). The clubs serve over 15,000 kids in locations across Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties each year.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake provide afterschool activities for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care (only at the Sugarhouse location for ages 4-12). The clubs serve over 15,000 kids in locations across Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties each year.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of South Valley provide afterschool activities at 11 local schools for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care. The clubs serve over 11,200 kids at three South Valley locations each year. Members can receive up to two free meals every day.

Meeting rooms and gyms at the clubs can be rented out for private and community events. Call for information and reservations.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of South Valley provide afterschool activities at 11 local schools for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care. The clubs serve over 11,200 kids at three South Valley locations each year. Members can receive up to two free meals every day.

Meeting rooms and gyms at the clubs can be rented out for private and community events. Call for information and reservations.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of South Valley provide afterschool activities at 11 local schools for school-aged youth (including teens), full-day summer programs, and licensed child care. The clubs serve over 11,200 kids at three South Valley locations each year. Members can receive up to two free meals every day.

Meeting rooms and gyms at the clubs can be rented out for private and community events. Call for information and reservations.

The Charity Guide website offers a wealth of information and ideas for families looking for ways to serve and volunteer. Visitors can pick up suggestions on how to make the most of small gestures (how to make a difference in 15 minutes, an hour, or on vacation), and how to leverage a birthday party to remind kids (and adults) that giving really is better than receiving.

Cheerful Givers provides birthday gift bags for kids ages three to 12, distributing them at shelters and food pantries. Families can hold a Birthday Bag Blitz to put together gift bags, based on recommendations provided on the website.

Color a Smile's mission is a simple one - generate cheer by gathering children's drawings to distribute at nursing homes, attach to Meals on Wheels deliveries, and more. The result? A perfect opportunity for kids to generate good cheer by doing what they do best - putting crayon to paper and creating. Children can send in their own original drawings, or color in one of the printable pages available on the website.

Drawings (and donations, if you're so inclined) can be sent via mail to:

Color a Smile

P O BOX 1516

Morristown NJ 07962-1516

The Community Writing Center (CWC) is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Salt Lake Community College. It promotes the improvement of writing abilities for personal, economic, and social goals.

All Salt Lake residents can receive free, 25-minute, one-on-one collaborative writing assistance by appointment. Residents of all ages can bring any type of writing (resumes, essays, short stories, letters, etc.) for helpful feedback in a supportive environment. Just call to make an appointment, or submit work via the CWC's website.

On-site writing workshops are offered to all SLC area residents. These workshops range from one two-hour meeting to several weekly meetings. Workshops cover topics such as resume writing, civic writing (letters to public representatives/letters to the editor), newsletters, poetry, and fiction writing. The workshops are offered free-of-charge or on a sliding scale.

The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to maintain and improve the environmental health of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons through public education and stewardship. The foundation partners with many local organizations, including Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, Solitude Mountain Resort, the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities.

The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation's Public Lands Information Center provides people with information on the US Forest Service, SLC watershed, fire conditions, Utah state parks, the National Parks Service, the Bureau of Land Management, hiking trail conditions, OHV travel maps, recreation conditions, fall colors, wildflower blooms, and winter camping permits for the Spruces Campground. The information center is located within REI in Salt Lake City.

The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation offers a variety of winter and summer outings to introduce the public to the amazing natural world that surrounds the Salt Lake Valley. Check the website for a schedule of events. Snowshoeing treks, wildflower walks, night hikes, and wildlife discovery walks are some examples of their offerings.

If people want to get more involved, the foundation is always looking for volunteer help on their projects. Call or go online to find out more.

Global Citizens Network sends short-term teams of volunteers to communities in other cultures. Participants immerse themselves in the culture and daily life of the community and partners with a local grassroots group to meet local needs.

Trips last one, two, or three weeks, depending on the site, and each team is led by a trained GCN team leader. Volunteers can be ages eight and up; a parent or guardian must accompany kids under the age of 18.

Habitat for Humanity is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to building simple, low-cost homes by forming partnerships with low-income families in need of decent and affordable housing. The organization believes homeownership is a vital step to help families break the cycle of poverty and contributes to pride in families and communities.

You don't need to be an expert in construction or a committee subject area to help out. There are many tasks that require only a willingness to learn and work with others. However, kids must be 16 years or older to help on the construction sites, and there must be one adult at a work site for every two kids. Due to the wonderful popularity of Habitat for Humanity, there is generally a two- to three-month wait to volunteer on a construction site.

HawkWatch International (HWI) works to monitor and protect hawks, eagles, other birds of prey, and their environments through research, education, and conservation. Through these programs, HWI promotes an ethic of ecological sustainability and conservation for this generation and for generations to follow.

HWI was founded as a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in 1986.

HWI can frequently be found out in the community presenting raptor programs. Some places the public can see Hawkwatch programs are at summer camps, scout troops, libraries, nursing homes, youth shelters, and museums. The GoCityKids calendar often lists these appearances.

Field Trips are offered on a monthly basis. Each field trip is designed to offer a deeper understanding of raptor identification, handling, or ecology. Previous field trips have included visits to HWI research sites, raptor wintering areas, and other areas frequented by raptors. Educators at six fall research sites and one spring research site teach visitors about raptor migration, raptor ecology, and identifying the raptors that are migrating overhead.

HawkWatch International also brings live raptors into local classrooms to teach kids about birds and to get them excited about the field of biology. The program content relies heavily on the methods and results of HWI's migration monitoring research.

Call or visit the website for more information about Hawkwatch International and its program offerings.

The not-for-profit Humane Society offers information about pet adoption and boarding, dog training classes, pet loss support groups, and help in locating lost animals.

Local branches of the Society are often educational places to visit. The cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and rodents appreciate the attention, and children - who must remain under adult supervision at all times - can show them some love. Adults can usually remove the animals from cages or pens for one-on-one interaction in visiting rooms.

Volunteer opportunities: can be found on the website, or visit or call your local chapter for information.

The not-for-profit Humane Society offers information about pet adoption and boarding, dog training classes, pet loss support groups, and help in locating lost animals.

Local branches of the Society are often educational places to visit. The cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and rodents appreciate the attention, and children - who must remain under adult supervision at all times - can show them some love. Adults can usually remove the animals from cages or pens for one-on-one interaction in visiting rooms.

Volunteer opportunities: can be found on the website, or visit or call your local chapter for information.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Place for Family Community Service in Salt Lake City, the not-for-profit Humane Society of Utah offers information about pet adoption and boarding, dog training classes, pet loss support groups, and help in locating lost animals.

Humane Society locations are often educational places to visit. The cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and rodents appreciate the attention, and children - who must remain under adult supervision at all times - can show them some love. Adults can usually remove the animals from cages or pens for one-on-one interaction in visiting rooms.

Volunteer opportunities can be found on the website, or visit or call your local chapter for information.

Idealist is an interactive website where families can locate local volunteer opportunities. You can even sign up to receive daily alerts about new opportunities matching your interests.

Kindred Spirits is a non-profit arts organization where children partner with a parent or other important adult in their lives to collaborate and make works of art while learning about art history and diversity. Workshops are offered throughout the year. Creations from past workshops include pop-up books, kites, mosaic wall art, digital photography, and tire swings. At the end of the sessions, public receptions or performances are held so the young artists and their works of art can be celebrated.

Programs are designed especially for children with diverse disabilities, their families, and their friends. Children with special needs work side by side with children without disabilities, creating an environments where all students, regardless of their skills and abilities, learn about art and each other.

Workshops vary in price, depending on materials needed. Advance registration is required for most sessions. Scholarships are sometimes available, but workshops are usually quite inexpensive.

Check the website for a list of current workshop offerings, prices, registration information, and dates.

Kindred Spirits is a non-profit arts organization where children partner with a parent or other important adult in their lives to collaborate and make works of art while learning about art history and diversity. Workshops are offered throughout the year. Creations from past workshops include pop-up books, kites, mosaic wall art, digital photography, and tire swings. At the end of the sessions, public receptions or performances are held so the young artists and their works of art can be celebrated.

Programs are designed especially for children with diverse disabilities, their families, and their friends. Children with special needs work side by side with children without disabilities, creating an environments where all students, regardless of their skills and abilities, learn about art and each other.

Workshops vary in price, depending on materials needed. Advance registration is required for most sessions. Scholarships are sometimes available, but workshops are usually quite inexpensive.

Check the website for a list of current workshop offerings, prices, registration information, and dates.

Make a Child Smile, also known as MACS, provides support to children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses and their families. Families looking for an opportunity to volunteer can visit the MACS website and learn about featured children and their illnesses, then send cards, letters, and small gifts to the featured children and their siblings through postal mail.

Each child's mailing address can be found on their story page, right next to their picture.

March of Dimes is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Volunteering opportunities and ideas are described on the website, from organizing fund-raising walks to letter campaigns. The website also provides link to local chapters.

Activities for youth volunteers to learn, serve, and lead are available through the Team Youth program.

Meals on Wheels provides meal services for senior citizens in need, and offers great opportunities for older children and families to explore community service and volunteering.

Visit the website to find opportunities near you.

Operation Goody Bag is designed to express appreciation for the sacrifices made by America's first responders, and to develop in students an awareness of the value of service.

The program ships brown lunch bags, hand colored with patriotic themes and filled with candy, gum, a personal letter, original poetry, and puzzles to US military personnel as well as local Fire, Rescue, Ambulance, and K9 organizations, Veterans' Homes, VFW Posts, military hospitals, and US military academies.

Information about how to help, including donating, creating brown bag art, and writing letters to be included in the bags, can be found on the website.

One child's great idea - "What if every child gave up one birthday, just one, by giving instead of receiving? How many sick children could we help?" - has grown into a non-profit dream.

Children register with the Fund, select a hospital where children are treated that will benefit, ask friends to bring a check for the hospital to the birthday party, then make a date with the hospital to present the donation.

The Fund sends participants an official Peter Pan Birthday Club Certificate and Order of Pan crest pin. Children and teens who participate are also eligible for consideration for induction into The Second Star to the Right Hall of Fame.

The Points of Light Foundation and the Hands On Network connect individuals to local volunteer opportunities that match their interests and skills.

The Kids Care Clubs initiative gives young people a jump start on becoming active in their communities, providing children in elementary and middle school with ideas and a framework for organizing volunteer programs. Each month, the website posts different service projects, which include step-by-step instructions, compassion and issues education, meeting activities, additional resources, and information on possible service partners.

The Points of Light Foundation and the Hands On Network connect individuals to local volunteer opportunities that match their interests and skills.

The Kids Care Clubs initiative gives young people a jump start on becoming active in their communities, providing children in elementary and middle school with ideas and a framework for organizing volunteer programs. Each month, the website posts different service projects, which include step-by-step instructions, compassion and issues education, meeting activities, additional resources, and information on possible service partners.

Need to raise money for your school? Tired of bake sales? PTO Ideas is dedicated to helping weary Parent-Teacher organizations revitalize the fund-raising process.

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the oldest and largest children's and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. Through community volunteers in every state and US territory, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books and literacy resources each year.

Volunteering opportunities abound, particularly for high school and college students who can donate time to read to and teach young children. Check the website for local programs.

Rebuilding Together's mission is to preserve affordable housing by bringing volunteers and communities together to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners.

The organization's signature event, Rebuilding Day, takes place each year in April, but affiliates work year round in many parts of the country, delivering emergency services, home modifications, and green building to conserve energy and consumption.

There are more than 245 Ronald McDonald Houses in 26 countries, offering support and practica