Volunteer with KAN
We are working to create innovative and meaningful ways for people with IDD to have a real impact on our community, regardless of one's level of ability, just like Margot! We have carefully selected and adapted each of the opportunities described below
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They include work that can be broken down into sub-tasks to match a person's interests and abilities.
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They occur in places that are more comfortable to work in (for example, avoiding crowded and noisy settings) and that whenever possible include access to bathrooms and a place to take a break
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They involve materials that minimize safety concerns
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They provide the flexibility people with disabilities often need, to do the work on a schedule and at a pace that works for them
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We focus on work that is truly volunteer - e.g., that does not take away from the potential for a paid position, and that is also done by volunteers without disabilities
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We identify when the work can be done by an individual working with an aide, when it can accommodate a small group, and when there are opportunities to work alongside volunteers without disabilities
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Check our our blog on the magic of mulch, illustrating how we review volunteer activities to find a good fit. In each case, we are eager to work with you, drawing on our training and experience to discover how to adapt to your interests and abilities!
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Mulch newly planted trees in the park
Together with
Do you want to help the environment by improving a riparian corridor, and do you enjoy being in the fresh air? Do you think you can learn to rake, use a pitchfork, prepare cardboard, or carry crates? Are you able to work for at least an hour a week (weather permitting), or join us for an event working alongside other volunteers? We are happy to provide you with the training and materials needed to apply the magic of mulch. Combine the work with a walk in the park, time in the playground, or another visit to Kennett for a great outing. Contact us to learn more about how you can volunteer as an individual, come with a group of students or clients, or make it part of a special event!
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Together with
Label books for
Kennett's PULLS
Do you want to help put more books into the hands of more children in Kennett. Generous donations have provided us with hundreds of new books waiting to be labeled before we distribute these through Kennett's Pop Up Lending Libraries (PULLs). Can you pull a label from a page and place it on the inside cover? We are happy to drop off labels and books with an individual to complete in their home, or with a classrooms interested in helping us. Contact us to learn more!
Prepare cardboard for mulching
Together with
Do you want to help the environment by improving a riparian corridor or helping to preserve trees as described above? Help us to apply the magic of mulch to newly planted trees by preparing the cardboard we need... you just removing tape and labels, and cut these into smaller pieces. We are happy to drop off cardboard boxes with you and then pick them up once prepared. Contact us to learn more!
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Together with
Bag rice for distribution to families
Do you want to help Kennett families struggling to put food on the table by helping Kennett Area Community Services (KACS)? Can you measure out a cup of rice at a time? Apply a label to a paper bag? If so, you can help to prepare some of the 40-50 bags of rice that Margot assembles for distribution each week. This work can be completed at our house on historic East Linden (licensed as a food re-packaging site). We can accommodate an adult working with an aide for 30 to 90 minutes at a time, 2-3 days/week as needed. Combine it with other volunteer work at KAN or another outing in Kennett - we are steps away from the YMCA, library, and park. Contact us to learn more!
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Assemble bags of groceries for families
Together with
Are you a youth with a developmental disability who wants to help tide Kennett families over the holidays while schools and and KACS are closed? Do you want to learn how to pack a bag of groceries (maybe with some help)? If so, you can help to pack some of the 200 bags of pantry items we hope to give out to families over the winter break (click here to learn more). This work can be completed wherever you want: we will bring you the bags to pack and the pantry items to fill them with; we will suggest how to structure this as a "lesson" for your students or clients; we can provide you with a trained special education teacher or occupational therapist to show you how, and; we will pick up the packed bags when you are all done. And we will make sure that others know how you have helped! We are looking for help through December 20 - contact us to learn more!​