One Website is Your Key to Volunteer Opportunities in Dubuque

Early this week, I had the pleasure of attending my first ever Young Professionals Dubuque (YPD) luncheon at Q Casino. Affiliated under the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, the function provides young professionals the opportunity to network and connect in the Tri-States.

For this luncheon, the guest speaker was Katie Wiedemann, former KCRG-TV news reporter and current Vice President of Development for United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States. In addition to talking about her past and present career, Wiedemann mentioned to the attendees that anyone looking for volunteer opportunities in Dubuque and the Tri-States should look to one website that has it all of those very opportunities neatly categorized.

That website is VolunteerDBQ.com, a comprehensive space that lists a plethora of organizations that are actively seeking volunteers. The site is neatly categorized, with volunteer opportunities related to education, health, income, and more. There are also resources for families available. You can even search by organization too!

You will need to set up an account, but that takes just seconds, and streamlines your ability to connect and access the site.

When I was about 13-years-old, and still too young to work a retail job, my mom insisted I volunteer at a food bank not only to gain interpersonal experiences, but to see how some families in our area weren't as well-off as us. It was an enriching experience. I'd spend my days with an older gentlemen, traveling to local grocery stores to pick up food for the bank. Other times, I'd assist folks waiting in the lobby, direct traffic in the parking lot, and help people shop.

I volunteered at the food bank multiple days a week for two consecutive summers. I couldn't have asked for a better pre-work experience, so to speak. I'm glad my mom pushed me to do it. If I ever have kids, I would pass on the same advice to them: I'd let them choose an organization for which to volunteer, and hope they get a similar experience/feeling that I did.

Visit VolunteerDBQ.com to see all the available opportunities in the area!