This Saturday, the Greenwood Senior Center is hosting the second annual Local Giving Fair, where you can talk to representatives from 20 local non-profits, and help support needs in our community. Make a donation and you’ll receive a card and impact statement to give someone as a gift.

The Local Giving Fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There’s live entertainment and yummy treats.

The volunteer group Vision Greenwood Park has just won a Seattle Parks and Recreation Denny Award for Outstanding Volunteer Stewardship.

The group has spent several years working to improve Greenwood Park. Their latest project is the new Community Garden, which is almost completed. VGP won the Community Stewardship Award.

“It is always difficult for us to choose winners,” Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams said in a press release. “All of our volunteers make valuable contributions for which we are deeply grateful. Our intention is to single out those who whose work builds community, inspires others, and improves lives.”

From the press release:

Vision Greenwood came together in 2008 with the idea to develop and expand Greenwood Park. Since that time, they have energetically pursued a vision of Greenwood Park that serves more of the community. In addition to putting in more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service, they have applied for and received more than $180,000 in grants; and have raised $18,000 through community fundraising and events. With the monies raised so far, they have designed and constructed a 40-plot P-Patch, and installed an art wall featuring sculptures along the street in a creative move that links the historical Interurban trolley line with the current bike route.

Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Nov. 29. Congratulations to Vision Greenwood Park!

The Seattle Public Library is looking for volunteers to help maintain the grounds at several neighborhood branches this summer and fall. Volunteers will weed, rake leaves and pick up litter.

While the Greenwood Library does not need gardeners, the Broadview Library, north of Greenwood at 12755 Greenwood Ave. N., does. So do Ballard, Fremont, and several others in other parts of the city.

Gardening at the Library is an opportunity for friends, families and company teams to volunteer together. High school students can obtain service-learning hours for graduation requirements. Student volunteers must be at least 15 years old.

The time commitment is flexible. Volunteers can sign up for gardening work parties throughout the summer and fall, or assist with a one-time project. Work parties will be scheduled between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

For more information, contact Anne Vedella, volunteer services coordinator, at anne.vedella@spl.org or 206-386-4614. Volunteer applications can be downloaded from www.spl.org (select Support Your Library and go to the Volunteer Opportunities page).

If you’re at least 13 years old and interested in becoming a Salmon Steward, there’s a training session at Carkeek Park on Saturday, Oct. 16.

(It’s) a great way to learn about salmon and your park, get experience with small-scale public speaking, be a naturalist – teacher for a few hours, or get service learning credit. If you have interest in other areas of the park, this may be a new way to share your love of a park and other unique features you care about.

Salmon Steward training is from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center, 950 NW Carkeek Park Road. The training is free; bring a sack lunch and your calendar to sign up for four, three-hour docent shifts in November and December.

For more information or to sign up, call 206-684-0877. Register at least one week in advance.

The Vision Greenwood Park Steering committee is asking for people to volunteer hours for the park’s improvements that will happen soon.

We need your help to make the expansion and enhancement a reality by pledging volunteer hours; these volunteer hours are an important component of our grant requirements. Please complete this 3 minute survey to indicate your willingness to volunteer. We especially welcome your input between now and Sunday, April 11th at 5pm.

Discovery Park in Magnolia is looking for people who want to be park docents. The docent coordinator tells us that many of the current docents come from our neighborhood.

Docents lead many of the programs here at Discovery Park, including teaching school groups, tots, families, seniors, and more! We provide our docents with extensive training in Northwest natural history and interpretation techniques so they can feel comfortable venturing into the world of education at a park. Docents are the reason that Discovery Park is able to provide so many educational programs to the public. They are able to help children touch their first sea star or hear a red-winged blackbird by the ponds. They teach the importance of our natural world through games, sensory activities, and FUN!

Training for the Docent Class of 2010 begins Feb. 24, and applications are being accepted through the end of January. You can contact the docent coordinator at 206-386-4237 for more information, or download an application.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association needs volunteers to help with the development of a new PNA website and the implementation of a Salesforce CRM database.

Web Developer: We are looking for an experienced web developer to help implement a new design for the PNA website (Phinneycenter.org). The ideal volunteer could devote as much as 10 hours/week over the next 2-3 months to help execute and build the backend. You would work in collaboration with PNA staff and other volunteers who have been working on a digital marketing strategy, content, and overall design of the new site.

IT Consultant: We are seeking a database volunteer with Salesforce expertise to help consolidate and integrate several different database functions with our new Salesforce program. If you are an IT professional and have experience integrating Salesforce and complex databases, we could use your help.

Please contact Alex Eckardt at 206-783-2244 or alex@phinneycenter.org for more information.

The PNA Soup Kitchen is providing its special Thanksgiving meal on Wed., Nov. 25. The Soup Kitchen needs donations of cooked, sliced turkeys, juice or sparkling cider and store-bought or homemade pies.

They also need donations of ham, pies and juice for the Dec. 23 Christmas meal.

If you can donate, please call (206) 783-2244 to let them know how you can contribute and to arrange delivery, either to the Phinney Neighborhood Center or St. John United Lutheran Church on the morning of the meal.

The Green Seattle Partnership is hosting the 4th Annual Green Seattle Day on Saturday Nov. 7th. They hope to recruit 1,000 volunteers for Seattle’s largest day of tree planting (last year they had 800 volunteers).

Green Seattle Day is more than just a forest restoration event: it is the largest day of native tree and shrub planting of the year. It is also a recognition of the benefits of our urban forests, a celebration of our commitment to a healthy city, and a statement of Seattle’s strong sense of civic pride and community.

Volunteers will be planting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 16 locations throughout the city, including Carkeek Park, rain or shine. Click here for more information or to register to volunteer. If you have any questions, contact info@greenseattle.org, 206-905-6906.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is looking recruiting new board members for 2010.

The Board participates in setting the strategy and goals of the PNA. If you are interested in learning more, contact Lori Oliver, Vice President of the PNA Board, at loriaoliver@comcast.net.

The PNA currently has over 2,500 household members and has been in continuous operation for more than 30 years. The organization is defined by its focus on building community, providing programs and activities for all ages and interests, and fostering civic involvement.

Don’t forget the fall Clean and Green neighborhood cleanup event is this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Help volunteers with GAIN North (Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors) and city officials paint out graffiti, pick up litter and beautify green spaces in our neighborhood from Greenwood Avenue to Aurora and North 95th St. to N. 105th St.

Meet in the parking lot of the Music Center of the Northwest, 901 N. 96th St. Tools and gloves will be provided; so will refreshments.

For more information, contact Beth Pflug at the Greenwood Neighborhood Service Center at 206-684-4096, or Rene Murry from GAIN North.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is looking for a new Volunteer Coordinator, because current VC Judith Wood is moving into a new role at the PNA.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is seeking an experienced Volunteer Coordinator. The VC recruits and manages volunteers to support PNA programs and collaborates with community partners to increase volunteerism. In 2008 over 1,000 volunteers gave nearly 27,000 hours to the PNA. The position is for 15 hours/week beginning in January 2010, with up to 30 hours of transition between mid-November and mid-December. Visit www.phinneycenter.org for a full job description. To apply, submit a resume and cover letter to hr@phinneycenter.org by October 30.