With the winter season just around the corner, Westborough prepares to host many volunteer opportunities for its residents to take part in. Whether you are a high school student in need of hours for National Honors Society, or interested in looking for ways to give back to the community around the holidays, these local volunteer opportunities may be perfect for you.
The Turkey Trot
At 9 a.m., on Saturday, November 23rd, the Westborough Education Foundation will be hosting their 11th annual 5k Turkey Trot race, which starts, and ends, at the Westborough High School lower parking lot. Along with such a popular event, comes the need for many volunteers. Help for set up prior to the race, as well as help during the event, is welcome. Potential jobs include directing traffic in the Westborough High School parking lot, helping out with the Kids Fun Run on the track, and guiding runners along the race course. For those interested in volunteering, make sure to contact the organizers at [email protected].
Westborough Civic Club Tree Sales
The Westborough Civic Club is a nonprofit organization that donates its sales from fundraising events back to the community, through scholarships for graduating high school students, donations to the Westborough Food Pantry, and contributions to organizations like Westborough Connects. One of the Civic Club’s most popular events, their annual Christmas tree sales, will be held from the Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/28), through the weekend of December 21st, right outside of Hastings Elementary School, which is located at 111 East Main Street.
Available shifts typically run anywhere between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteers are expected to help package and load Christmas trees onto cars. Therefore, come prepared with gloves for handling the trees, and appropriate outdoor clothing for the cold weather. If interested in this volunteering opportunity, send an email to [email protected] for more details.
Westborough Wallabies: Special Olympic Basketball
For over 20 years, the Westborough recreation department has teamed up with the Westborough Wallabies, a program of the Massachusetts Special Olympics, to provide athletic opportunities to athletes ages 7 and up, who face intellectual disorders. This winter, the Westborough Wallabies will be hosting Special Olympic basketball at the Westborough High School gymnasiums. Practices run on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., with the first session on January 4th, and the final session on March 8th. The goal of the Special Olympics is to pair each athlete with a volunteer, who will provide support to the athletes as they practice their skills.
Please note that in order to volunteer, basketball experience is not necessary. What is necessary, however, is registration for the program through the Westborough Recreation Department. Access to the registration site, along with more information about the program, can be found here: https://westboroma.myrec.com. Simply go to this website, click on the “programs” button, and hit the “Unified Sports” option that appears under the winter category.
Westborough Public Library
For teens interested in organizing events, books, and creating social media posts, being a teen volunteer at the Westborough Public Library may be a good choice for you! In order to become a teen volunteer at the library, you must be a high school student. If so, you can sign up to become a member of WAVE (Westborough Awesome Volunteer Member). In order to become a WAVE member, email [email protected]. Once these steps have been completed, you will be able to attend WAVE’s afternoon meetings for more information. Not only do the meetings count for service hours, but they are a great way to become connected with additional service opportunities through the Westborough Public Library. For more details on how to become involved, as well as information on upcoming events, feel free to explore the library’s website, https://www.westboroughlibrary.org/.
Westborough is certainly not limited to the volunteer opportunities listed above, however if you are a high school student in need of, or interested in, volunteering opportunities, these are a great place to start!
