Calendar of Events

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that helps communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Activities of the American Red Cross Western North Carolina Chapter include: Blood Services, Training Services, Disaster Services, and Home Fire Campaign.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and one blood donation can save up to three lives. Help support lives in North Carolina by signing up to become a Blood Drive Volunteer today.  

Time Commitment:

Blood drives occur M-F and volunteers are expected to attend one blood drive a month to remain an active volunteer. This position is flexible as volunteers can sign up for shifts that work for their schedule and instructions for shift selection will be sent after responding to the opportunity.

Volunteer Roles:

• Warmly greet donors and assist with registration in reception area.
• Assist with initial intake and hand off through blood donation process.
  • Ensure donors have relevant information and all questions are answered appropriately.
  • Maintain proper sanitizing and cleanliness of reception and hospitality areas.
• Attend canteen area in support of donors.
  • Thank donors for their contribution.
  • Alert staff immediately if a donor shows signs of feeling unwell.
• Inform donors of current and upcoming donation promotions.
  • Make reminder/cancellation calls.
  • Reschedule donor appointments.
  • Perform follow-up activities as directed.

Volunteer Requirements:

• Modeling excellent customer service behaviors.
• Knowledge of technology needed for position (training provided)
  • Donor checkin, donor tablet, rapid pass, donor app.
• Comfortable working with people from diverse communities and backgrounds
• Dependable, punctual, and professional
• Adhere to all Red Cross guidelines
• Ability to remain calm in crisis situations
• Adhere to CDC safety guidelines regarding COVID-19 precautions
• Safety First! Our need for volunteers is constant and our guidelines reflect the latest CDC safety recommendations and follow the national and local government laws. COVID-19 vaccination will be required for in-person volunteer roles beginning January 3, 2022.

 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech) is a comprehensive two-year college and one of 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System, serving students in five locations in Buncombe and Madison Counties.  A-B Tech, through its dedication to student success, strives toward its mission to deliver quality education to enhance academic, workforce, and personal development. A-B Tech envisions changing lives and strengthening communities. 

We are seeking volunteers to help support our Veteran’s Cafe. A-B Tech recognizes that student military veterans benefit significantly from fellowship and networking with their peers. To meet this need, the College created the Vet’s Cafe, a supportive gathering place where students can relax, network, connect with resources, use a computer and enjoy complimentary coffee or pre-packaged snack. 

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Hosts, ensuring the Cafe is welcoming and supportive.
• Setting out snacks and coffee
• Helping students with computers, and tutoring/mentoring as appropriate
• Volunteers also act as a conduit between students and the A-B Tech Veterans Advisor to ensure students get all the support they need to succeed.

Time Commitment:

• 3 hours per shift (8am-11am, 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm 8am-5pm)
• 1 volunteer per shift, couples are welcome to volunteer together.

Qualifications:

• Must have patience and understanding while volunteering at the Cafe
• Military experience is preferred but not required
• Must be computer literate

Requirements:

• Must be 21 years old
• Complete volunteer application with A-B Tech
• Complete FERPA & HIPAA forms
• Submit to a criminal background screening
• Attend an in-person interview and orientation with A-B Tech Campus Volunteer Coordinator

Health & Safety:

• A-B Tech is following all CDC guidelines for higher educational institutions

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

ABCCM Crisis Ministry is an organization providing supports and resources to individuals and families in Buncombe County who are living with low incomes, are facing financial emergencies, or are struggling to meet their basic needs. The Crisis Ministry is a division of Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM), a nonprofit organization working in Buncombe County to address poverty, hunger, homelessness, and health care access. ABCCM is a family of Christian congregations in the Asheville-Buncombe County area organized to respond to emergency assistance needs in the community.

We are currently looking for compassionate volunteers to assist with supporting clients via phone and in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers will be working on site.

We are currently seeking volunteers to assist in the ABCCM Crisis Ministry office on Cumberland Ave. Shifts will run M-F from 8:30 am-4:30 pm and 12:30pm-4:30pm. Current urgent need is for Tuesday mornings 8:30 am-12:30 pm and Wednesday afternoons 12:30 pm-4:30 pm.

Volunteer Opportunity Includes:

• Communicate with clients over the phone and outside in person.
• Showing compassion to clients
• Listening to clients needs
• Communicating with ABCCM Crisis Ministry staff what the needs of the client are
• Assisting in writing food and clothing vouchers for clients
• Referring clients to NC 2-1-1 and other agencies for needs that ABCCM cannot meet

Volunteer Requirements:

• Excellent listening and communication skills
• Maintain professional boundaries with clients
• Ability to speak clearly and take notes of needs
• Maintain client confidentiality
• Comfortable being on the phone for shift duration (breaks between clients)
• Ability to remain calm during crisis situations
• Participate in training prior to beginning your volunteer shift

Health and Safety:

• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face covering, one of the below:
  • Bandanna covering nose and mouth
  • Cloth covering nose and mouth
  • Fabric or disposable face mask
• Asking volunteers to maintain physical distance of 6 feet or more when possible
  • Note: there are times when the volunteer task requires volunteers to engage closer than 6 feet. Please do not sign up if you feel uncomfortable.

Do you need help preparing your taxes? If so, Buncombe County Public Libraries can help. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in cooperation with the IRS, NC Department of Revenue, Buncombe County Library System, and Council on Aging, Inc. will offer free tax preparations for taxpayers of low and moderate-income, with special attention to those age 60 and older from Feb. 1-April 15.

You will need an appointment to speak with a tax help aide. At your appointment, you can drop off your tax documents and you’ll be given another appointment in about two weeks to pick up your paperwork and completed tax form.

How it works

1. Pick up a tax record envelope and instructions at Black Mountain, West Asheville, Weaverville or Pack Library during library hours.

2. Complete the Intake/Interview Booklet in your envelope by answering all questions. Then sign and date the last 3 pages. Place all your tax forms and any information relating to your tax return in your envelope.

3. Make an appointment to drop off your Tax Record Envelope and meet with a Tax-Aide volunteer.

West Asheville Library
Tuesdays, appointments available between 9am-12:30pm
To make an appointment at the West Asheville Library email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. If you don’t have access to email, someone at the library can email AARP for you. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.

Join us in the temperature-controlled Arena to walk on most Tuesdays and Thursdays! Admission is free, masks are required and social distancing will be practiced.

Each lap around the concourse is 1/4 mile and strollers are welcome. Representatives from St. Francis Sports Medicine will be on hand for each event and other health professionals- like dietitians- are frequently scheduled to attend. Free parking is available in the VIP lot off of Church Street.

Walk your way to wellness!

Showcase of Excellence features the exceptional artistic talent of high school students in our area. This premier event is a juried fine arts competition that offers young artists their first taste of a professional gallery environment. Cash prizes are awarded for the top student artists and teachers.

High school teachers in North and South Carolina are invited to submit their students’ best work in painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, and photography.

First Prize and Best in Show students are awarded a cash prize to encourage their artist pursuits. Winning teachers are awarded a Be Inspired Grant that they may use for classroom projects. These prizes are made possible by our generous donors.

The 2022 Showcase of Excellence will held from February 19 – March 12 in the Parker Gallery at TFAC.

Information about registration and Showcase rules can be found below.

Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere.  To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.

Requirements:

• Background Check
• Brief orientation prior to service
• Ability to Multi-Task
• Friendly Demeanor

Health & Safety:

• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
• Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance

• Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

  Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

  ---

  ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19.  Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration.  We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.

  Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness.  We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.

  We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village. 

$5 Highland pints

$5 Kids taco with chips and salsa Peace Love Tacos
$5 Kids nuggets & fries Buxton Chicken Palace
$5 Grassfed all beef hot dog with chips Farm Dogs
$5 Chicken & rice with veggies Bun Intended

$3.50 for a kiddie scoop or under $5 for a single scoop from The Hop!

Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 2:45-6pm
K-6th graders.
Does your child enjoy having fun and making new friends? Offering
arts, crafts, special events, homework assistance and more!
Families currently enrolled in the school system’s reduced or free
meal program, please contact your recreation center for discount
fee information.
Locations: Burton, Grant, Montford, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

Creative Peacemakers is an after-school program sponsored by St.George’s Episcopal Church serving children from the Deaverview Apartment Community. The mission of Creative Peacemakers is to bring peace to communities by helping children practice peacemaking through cooperative play, loving relationships, and creative expression. We provide opportunities for nurture, healing, empowerment, and building resilience.

We are seeking volunteers to assist us in our small after school program for children in West Asheville in low-income housing.  We provide a safe and nourishing environment, healthy snacks, and creative activities.  Our program currently meets during the school year on most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00-5:00pm.   You may volunteer for one or two days a week. 

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Assist with serving snacks
• Interact with children during activity time
• Supervise games and outdoor free time
• For people with background in education, there is also an opportunity to assist with curriculum development and program planning and administration

Requirements:

• Background check
• Orientation booklets will be provided
• Masks are required if unvaccinated

Location:

Deaverview Apartment Community Center
275 Deaverview Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806

Health & Safety:

• Hand washing stations are available
• Hand sanitizer is available

Montford Pre-Teen Afterschool Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021 – June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
5th-6th graders.
New program designed to meet the needs of your pre-teen.
Providing time dedicated to school assignments, life skills, arts,
communication, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and loads of fun.
Location: Montford

Teen Leadership Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
6th-9th graders.
Looking for a cool and enriching alternative for your Teen to attend
this school year? We offer creative activities, diverse projects,
field trips, and more.
Locations: Grant, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

Literacy Together (formerly the Literacy Council of Buncombe County) is a nonprofit organization working with children, youth, and adults to increase comprehensive literacy and English language skills through access to literacy resources and specialized instruction by trained volunteer tutors. Literacy Together relies on volunteer tutors to offer students personal instruction and high-quality materials through various programs.

The Youth Literacy Program is seeking tutors to meet with students K-5 twice a week for 50 minutes, between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. The Youth Literacy Program works with two after-school programs that primarily serve youth of color.  The two locations are in Asheville.

Youth Literacy tutors work with children from low-income families who read, write, and/or spell below their grade level. Tutors in this program complete an initial orientation and a 16-20 hours training, which includes some pre-course work and/or homework (short articles to read, short videos to watch). They then receive follow-up support and the option to attend in-service training throughout their tutoring commitment. Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.

Time Commitment:

• Twice a week for 50-minute sessions between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm.
• Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.

Requirements: 

• GED or High School diploma
• Excellent customer service skills
• Ability to work patiently with various levels of literacy skills
• Access to reliable internet
• Ability to navigate virtual meetings with minimal distractions
• Complete a background check

Training:

• Tutors must complete 16-20 hours of training prior to being assigned a student

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

Getting Back to the Basics/Project Lighten Up is a unique summer and afterschool educational opportunity for low-income and minority youth that supports students’ recreational and educational learning. We provide meaningful educational support and develop self-esteem in a positive environment through mentoring and enriching activities.

Project Lighten Up is seeking in-person volunteers to assist students attending the afterschool program during the school year with spelling and reading 1-2 times a week for 1 hour.  

Time Commitment:

• Commitment to a 5-week session
• Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 1 shift per week
• Volunteers choose from one, 1-hour session per week OR two, 30-minute sessions per week
• Volunteer shifts are Tuesdays & Thursdays between 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Please arrive 15 minutes prior to shift start for health screening and transition time

Requirements/Training:

• Respond above to the opportunity
• Answer all health/safety and opportunity related questions prior to submitting your response
• Phone interview with the program director
• Volunteer application
• Complete a background check
• Attend training by program staff
• Adheres to all CDC guidelines and safety protocols

Skillset: 

• Enjoys working with youth in different grade levels
• Enjoys working in a learning environment
• Remains patient and calm with students experiencing technical or learning challenges
• Demonstrates a positive attitude and empathy for students and Lighten Up team
• Non-judgmental, fair, firm, and friendly
• Models excellent verbal and non-verbal communication

Health/Safety:

• Health and safety screening prior to every shift start:
  • List of health and safety questions asked
  • Temperatures taken
• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face covering (masks available upon request)
  • Fabric or disposable face mask
• Asking volunteers to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or more when possible
  • Note: there are times when the volunteer task requires volunteers to engage with students closer than 6 feet. Please do not sign up if you feel uncomfortable.
• Volunteers will be asked to adhere to proper hand hygiene

Join us in celebrating Christie’s Lighting Gallery LLC and their 14 years of business in WNC and Upstate SC with a Ribbon Cutting!

Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere.  To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.

Requirements:

• Background Check
• Brief orientation prior to service
• Ability to Multi-Task
• Friendly Demeanor

Health & Safety:

• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
• Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance

• Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

  Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

  ---

  ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19.  Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration.  We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.

  Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness.  We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.

  We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village. 

Join us online for a presentation and discussion about life for transgender people and misconceptions that they face.

The Seminars for Humanity series will focus on topics that are frequently misperceived and difficult to approach. Each seminar will be presented by a professional on the subject and allow attendees to ask questions and express opinions in a non-judgemental atmosphere.

This seminar will be presented by Takira Rose.

To attend, email [email protected] for the Zoom link.

As American forces withdrew from Afghanistan last summer, preparations were already underway to resettle many Afghans in the United States. In this ongoing process, several individuals and families have been relocated to western North Carolina. This is not the first time, however, that displaced groups have found a home in the mountains. From the Waldensians who founded the Town of Valdese in the 1890s, to Lao, Hmong, Ukrainians, and other groups resettling after the Vietnam War and other global developments, many displaced individuals seeking better lives have established homes and communities in WNC. This event aims to tell their stories in light of the present moment as we witness another humanitarian crisis and war on Ukraine.

About the Speakers:
Reverend Dr Kevin Frederick is a retired Presbyterian Pastor who served the Waldensian Presbyterian Church in Valdese, NC, for 13 years from 2007 to 2021. He had served churches in Tennessee, Mississippi, and North Carolina before coming to Valdese. As an educator and a historian, he researched extensively the 850-year history of the Waldensians and spent three months on a sabbatical in 2015 researching that history in Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland. In 2018, he authored the book, With Their Backs Against the Mountains: 850 years of the Waldensian Witness. He has spoken numerous times on Waldensian history and continues an affiliation with the Waldensian Museum in Valdese.

Katy Clune is the Virginia state folklorist and director of the Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities. Previously, she worked as director of communications for Duke University’s arts initiative and as communications manager for The Textile Museum in Washington, DC. She has a MA in folklore from UNC Chapel Hill and a BA in art history from UC Berkeley. As the child of a foreign service officer, Clune grew up mostly overseas, but now calls Charlottesville, VA, home. Clune notes that Morganton, NC, is a city of about 16,500 tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains—and since the end of the Vietnam War, a growing number of first- and second-generation refugees and immigrants from Laos call it home. Clune will share an overview of her MA thesis research completed in 2015 that illustrates, through the experience of the Phapphayboun family, how traditional foodways help strengthen and maintain Laotian identity in this new context thousands of miles away from Laos.

Noele Aabye serves as the Refugee Resettlement Case Coordinator for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte in its Western Region Office in Asheville. She started on August 30, 2021 and oversees the Afghan evacuee situation for Catholic Charities in Buncombe County. She served at Pisgah Legal Services for six years prior to coming to Catholic Charities.

Jesse Boeckermann is the Western Region Director of Catholic Charities, which helps people in need in the 12 westernmost counties of North Carolina from Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Yancey Counties and all counties west to the borders. Jesse started at Catholic Charities in January of 2021.

The Western Region Office of Catholic Charities has been doing refugee resettlement work for over five years in the Asheville area, serving refugees from eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia, Moldova) and central America, including Guatemala. As the refugee resettlement placement program in Asheville, Catholic Charities was tasked with resettling 40 Afghan evacuees starting in October after the Taliban took over Afghanistan this summer. Our refugee resettlement staff of three people and overall Western Region Office staff of eight employees and two interns have work tirelessly over the last five months to serve the Afghan evacuees with housing, food, clothing, transportation, and a variety of other services to help them transition to life in the United States and the Asheville area.

Oksana Love emigrated from Lviv, Ukraine to western North Carolina with her family in 2001. She recommends these organizations to aid and assist current Ukrainian refugees and those affected by this war:

• RAZOM: The current emergency response is focused on purchasing medical supplies for critical situations like blood loss and other tactical medicine items: https://razomforukraine.org/razom-emergency-response/
• The Department of State conducts a fundraising campaign to address the humanitarian needs of the people affected by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Funds collected through the GoFundMe platform will be distributed to reputable relief organizations identified and vetted by GoFundMe as well as organizations recommended by the U.S. Department of State. The private sector and the general public can help the people in Ukraine by visiting http://ow.ly/i2VI50I5m5U.
• World Central Kitchen: WCK serving thousands of meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as those who remain in the country: https://wck.org/
• The Ukrainian Red Cross: All funds will be used to help those in need, affected by armed conflict, blood collection, mobilization of volunteers and resources, and emergency activities: redcross.org.ua/en/donate

Tickets: By donation. Please consider a donation of $5 for WNCHA members/$10 for general admission. Several no-cost, community funded-tickets are available as well. Donations will be shared with Catholic Charities to support their work with Afghan refugees. For other ways to support this mission, see https://ccdoc.org/images/ForStaffOnly/Volunteers/Supporting_Afghan_Evacuees_-_Current_Update.pdf

Register: https://www.wnchistory.org/event/wncha-history-hour-refugees-and-resettlement-in-wnc/

Viewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and available to watch on our website.

(Images: Waldensians in Valdese for the first Christmas in 1893, from Maxine McCall and Kays Gary, What Mean These Stones?: A Centennial Celebration of Valdese, North Carolina (1993); A Pi Mai (Lao New Year) celebration in Morganton, NC, photo by Katy Clune)

Western North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humaniti

No reservations needed, just get ready for a good time and a chance to win some Down Dog prizes!

Join us every Tuesday night for Trivia!

Trivia will run from 7-8:15 pm. We will be capping the teams at 20 and teams will not be able to join after 7 so make sure to arrive early to secure your spot!

No reservations needed, just grab your thinking caps and get ready for a good time and a chance to win a $10, $20, or $30 gift certificate to Down Dog!