Volunteerism is an important quality to have in any person’s life. No matter how little or big a task you do, it is important to get involved in your local community no matter where you live. Buffalo, New York, and its surrounding areas is a location of vast volunteer opportunities. Here are two highlight opportunities that appeal to a wide range of individuals:
Upstate New York Transplant Service (or UNYTS), headquartered in Downtown Buffalo offers community blood services (including a blood bank) and eye, organ and tissue donations throughout the Western New York area. According to the UNYTS website, “As recently as 1997, Upstate New York Transplant Services had just 200 donors; in 2007 the organization surpassed 1,000.” UNYTS is one of the largest transplant services and blood donations in the area, and is a great way to get involved.
Upstate New York Transplant Services offers a vast amount of volunteer opportunities including office work, helping update the UNYTS Facebook and Twitter accounts, or helping at blood drives. To get involved with UNYTS, please contact Ryan Daley at 716.566.3928 or [email protected], or fill out a general interest form under the “get involved” section of the UNYTS website.
Another great way to get involved in Western New York is through the Rivera Theatre in North Tonawanda. The Rivera Theatre was first built in 1926 to house the Mighty Wurlitzer and was a big hit during the Great Depression. “The Riv” was refounded and restored in 1988 by the Niagara Frontier Organ Society and provides a variety of rich entertainment including concerts, movie nights, and organ concerts played on the famous Mighty Wurlitzer.
There are vast amounts of ways to volunteer at the Rivera Theatre. You can work backstage, at the snack counter, doing office work, as a ticket taker and more. To become involved you should fill out an application form found on the Rivera website. After that, mail it in or take it directly to the Rivera located at 67 Webster Street in North Tonawanda.