Make Lasting Holiday Memories With These 5 Volunteer Opportunities In Princeton

PRINCETON, NJ — Volunteering is a meaningful way to connect with neighbors in Princeton and make lasting holiday memories for both yourself and the people you help.

Volunteering also fosters a sense of shared responsibility and purpose, leading to a more vibrant, resilient, and engaged community with a higher quality of life.

Many of the organizations that make life better in Princeton depend on volunteers, including educational programs, advocates for youth in the foster care system, and others.

Here are five ways to volunteer in Princeton:

Princeton-Blairstown Center

For more than 115 years, the Princeton-Blairstown Center has provided adventure-based, experiential education to youth from historically marginalized communities. What began in 1908 as the Princeton Summer Camp run by Princeton University students and faculty has evolved into an outdoor education center with a wide variety of year-round programs serving nearly 6,000 young people each year.

The Princeton-Blairstown Center is seeking volunteers to assist with events and organizing community service projects. If interested in learning more about these opportunities, contact Caitlin Ryan Persche at cryanpersche@princetonblairstown.org or visit princetonblairstown.org.

Princeton Nursery School

Princeton Nursery School (PNS) is an educational preschool and child care facility for children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 5 years.

Celebrating nearly a century of service to the community, it is the mission of Princeton Nursery School to provide a quality preschool education program and child care for families in need, providing a diverse environment and a broad array of support services.

Volunteers support the many facets of our school’s mission of providing high quality early childhood education and supportive family services that are affordable. Typical volunteer opportunities include serving as Classroom Assistants, supporting at special events for students and families, assisting with school building projects. For more information, visit princetonnurseryschool.org/volunteer.

Housing Initiatives of Princeton

Assist local individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity build toward a sustainable future via stable housing, better employment, and a network of support services.

There are a variety of volunteer options. For more information, visit housinginitiativesofprinceton.org.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of South-Central New Jersey

CASA of South-Central New Jersey advocates for children and youth in the foster care system to have their needs met and their rights protected. Our dedicated staff and well-trained volunteers connect each child in our care to resources that support their healthy growth and development, and advocate for the child’s well-being and best interests.

CASA has been best described as the “eyes and ears” of the court and often acts as the “arms and legs” of an overworked child protective system.

From helping siblings find permanent homes together, to helping a child access needed services, to uncovering information that helps reunite a loving family, volunteer advocates make an incredible difference to the lives of abused and neglected children.

As a system, CASA provides significant cost savings to the taxpayer by ensuring children are placed in the most appropriate home possible and as quickly as possible.

CASA volunteers are appointed by the Family Court Judge to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. For more information, visit casasnj.org.

HomeFront

HomeFront’s mission is to end homelessness in Central New Jersey by harnessing the caring, resources and expertise of the community. They lessen the immediate pain of homelessness and help families become self-sufficient.

They work to give clients the skills and opportunities to ensure adequate incomes, and they work to increase the availability of adequate, affordable housing. They help homeless families advocate for themselves individually and collectively.

HomeFront began as a group of volunteers and caring volunteers continue to make their work and programs possible. Dedicated individuals and families, schools, houses of worship, community organizations and fellowships, government agencies and the business community provide generous donations of time, resources and expertise to help HomeFront families. For more information, visit homefrontnj.org.

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