Emily Mlynarek ’14 | Staff Writer

At the Spirit of Giving Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 5, representatives from over 50 community organizations came to educate potential volunteers on how to get involved, SERVE representative Alicia Carlisle said.

At the district-wide event, elementary students packaged meals for Kids Against Hunger and tied fleece blankets for adult and pediatric patients at Beaumont Hospital. Soup for the Soul was served by local restaurants as well, Carlisle said.

The event was hosted at Grosse Pointe North’s gymnasium, and students could talk to representatives from organizations ranging from Wigs 4 Kids to the Red Cross.

For more information about opportunities to volunteer, contact [email protected] .

Wigs 4 Kids.

This foundation provides wigs for children suffering hair loss from cancer treatment or alopecia. Because of this organization, getting a wig is no cost to the families.

“It’s very important that these children feel good about themselves,” said advisory board member Sue Bielat.

Student volunteers can fundraise or sponsor a child receiving a wig. To get involved, students can fill out an application and attend an orientation at the Wigs 4 Kids center in Harper Woods.

For more information, contact the Wigs 4 Kids office at (586) 772-6656.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

This is a school and youth program that helps to raise funds for childhood Leukemia and Lymphoma research. Students at both Grosse Pointe North and South can get involved by participating in the “Pasta for Pennies” fundraiser, Carlisle said.

“It’s all about kids helping kids,” said Carlisle. “We would not be the organization we are without all of our amazing volunteers.”

For more information about how to get involved, contact Alicia Carlisle at (248) 581-3912.

Ronald McDonald House.  The Ronald McDonald House of Detroit offers a safe and comfortable “home away from home” for families of sick children, and in some cases for the children themselves. Each year, about 100 families with hospitalized children stay at the house that is located adjacent to Children’s Hospital of Michigan, representative Irma Hudson said.

“This is a unique program that gives volunteers a reality check because there are a lot of families and children facing life changing situations brought on by illness,” said Hudson.

Students can become a guest services volunteer, clean up at the house, help with meal preparation, provide community outreach, engage in special events and tasks. If volunteers prefer a less hands on task, they can collect pop can tabs for the foundation.

To get involved, contact Irma Hudson at (313) 745-5909 or [email protected].

 Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.

For those interested in supporting a community tradition, the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House offers several programs that students can participate in, volunteer coordinator Debbie Griffith said.

In particular, the house is looking for volunteers for the production of the Fairytale Fest on Saturday, June 29. This would involve making costumes, arranging settings and other tasks for the production.

“This is a great way to contribute in your community in a variety of ways,” said Griffith.

For more information, contact Debbie Griffith at (313)-884-4222.