Getting started is easy!

Start by clicking here to complete Hands On Atlanta’s online orientation.  Once you’ve finished, you’ll be prompted to create a profile in our database which will allow you to register for Hands On Atlanta’s upcoming service projects and events.

Please read below to learn more about Hands On Atlanta’s signature programs and annual events.
 

Citizen Projects

Hands On Atlanta offers more than 250 service projects for volunteers to get involved in every month. These projects, hosted in partnership with nonprofit agencies ands schools, impact the educational, economic, health and environmental well-being of the Greater Atlanta area.

Volunteers may serve individually or with their families, friends or co-workers. Volunteers may also create and/or lead their own service projects.  To become a Hands On Atlanta Project Coordinator, contact Genora Crooke, Community Outreach Coordinator, 404-979-2820 or PC@handsonatlanta.org  

TeamWorks!

Make friends while making a difference!

TeamWorks! is an adult service program for volunteers interested in participating in a variety of group projects over a two-month period. TeamWorks! is a great way to meet new people and sample service projects throughout Atlanta.

The TeamWorks! experience begins with a kick-off event where participants form teams, participate in teambuilding activities and choose service projects. The teams then compete to perform the most hours of service by having the most team members participate in 4-6 volunteer projects during the round.

Midway through the round volunteers gather at a local sports bar or restaurant for the Mid-Round Mixer. Finally, at the end of the round, all the teams gather at a closing project where volunteers get a chance to share their experiences and brainstorm additional steps toward building a better community, and the teams are recognized for their service.

springBoard

springBoard, Hands On Atlanta’s skill-based volunteer initiative, enlists the talents business and technology professionals to provide pro bono consulting services for nonprofit organizations. Teams of two to three volunteer consultants work with an agency for one to three months to complete projects such as: strategic planning, basic website construction, development of human resource standards, and more.

springBoard volunteers have provided valuable services for organizations such as the Latin American Association, Open Hand and DeKalb Council for the Arts. To get involved in springBoard, contact Andrea Thomas, Associate Director of Community Partnerships, 404-979-2876 or Springboard@handsonatlanta.org.

Discovery

Hands On Atlanta’s Discovery program is a volunteer-led Saturday tutoring and enrichment program that supports Monday – Friday instruction through homework assistance, tutoring, educational games, mentoring, and enrichment through field trips and service-learning projects. Sessions occur biweekly on Saturdays during the school year at local elementary schools.  

A primary goal of the Discovery program is to get as close to one-on-one volunteer to student ratio as possible to allow for more individualized attention and to develop mentoring relationships between students and adult volunteers. Students are divided up by grade level and the activities for each grade are planned by grade captains who manage the classroom activities.  

The Discovery program is led entirely by volunteers who serve as school, grade and classroom captains. For more information about the Discovery program, please visit handsondiscovery.handsonatlanta.org or contact Andrea Thomas, Associate Director of Community Partnerships, 404-979-2876 or Discovery@handsonatlanta.org.

Reading Adds Up

Help an elementary child succeed in school! As a Reading Adds Up volunteer, you’ll be paired with a second- or third-grade student to provide tutoring and mentoring to help improve your student’s literacy and math skills. Volunteers meet with their student once a week for an hour, usually during their lunch hour, during the school year. To become a Reading Adds Up tutor, email rau@handsonatlanta.org.

Hands On Atlanta AmeriCorps

The Hands On Atlanta School-Based AmeriCorps program is a commitment that can change your life. You’ll have the chance to build leadership skills while making Atlanta a better place. During a term of service, you will receive a weekly living allowance, health coverage and student loan deferment. Upon completion of your term of service, you will receive a $5,350 educational award for college, vocational school, graduate school or to pay back student loans. 

As an AmeriCorps member, you’ll serve your community full-time, for 10 months. You’ll use your talents, energies, and idealism to support a dynamic program that will address the most critical needs of Atlanta’s schools. On any given day, AmeriCorps members serve as reading/math tutors and volunteer coordinators, plan after-school enrichment programs, train and manage volunteers, integrate technology into the classroom, renovate school campuses, lead literacy efforts, encourage parental involvement, build corporate sponsorship, support P.T.A. efforts, establish mentoring programs, and integrate an ethic of service through hands-on community projects. By providing individual assistance to students and facilitating volunteer involvement in the educational process, communities will be strengthened from the inside out.

For more information contact Makini Austin, AmeriCorps Recruitment Coordinator, at 404-979-2790 or Americorps@handsonatlanta.org.

Annual Events

Hands On Atlanta’s signature days of service raise awareness of the need for volunteer service 365 days a year. These events are a great way to involve large groups of people in community service, build teams, generate goodwill and encourage future participation.

Our annual events include:

Hands On Atlanta Day
Every year, on the first Saturday in October, thousands of metro area residents celebrate community building through service on Hands On Atlanta Day.  Volunteers beautify nonprofit agencies, schools and neighborhoods, and learn about year-round opportunities to make a deeper impact in the educational, economic, health and environmental well-being of our communities.

Save the Date!
20^th annual Hands On Atlanta Day
October 2, 2010, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Summit
Hands On Atlanta youth and family volunteers take a day on, not a day off every King Holiday during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Summit.  The day begins with the Freedom Rally, a civic education forum, where participants learn from veteran and contemporary civil rights activists. After the rally, volunteers get involved in dozens of service projects at sites that have significance to Atlanta’s civil rights movement.

All Hands On Atlanta Day and King Holiday projects are planned and led by volunteers like you!  To become a Hands On Atlanta Project Coordinator, contact Genora Crooke, Community Outreach Coordinator, 404-979-2820 or PC@handsonatlanta.org.