Volunteers are needed to help Medicare beneficiaries with Part D Prescription Insurance. Training is available in early November to prepare for the high call demand between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31. Volunteers are needed in Leesburg for three-hour shifts one or more days per week. E-mail dbressle@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0257.

Volunteers are needed to deliver hot nutritious meals and a friendly smile to Loudoun older adults confined to their homes. Volunteers can give as little at one hour per week or month to help homebound senior citizens across the county. Leesburg and Ashburn areas need drivers. E-mail dbressle@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0257.

Anyone 55 or older is eligible to volunteer through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Volunteers receive limited transportation reimbursement, volunteer insurance coverage, an annual recognition luncheon and a chance to meet new friends. Call 703-777-0257.

U.S. citizens living in Northern Virginia, age 21 or older, are needed to help prevent crime and increase public safety in Leesburg. Volunteers must have a valid Virginia driver's license, a good driving record and must not have a criminal record. Fluency in Spanish is a plus. Call 703-771-4522.

Volunteers are needed to make the 15th annual Hauntings a success. Costumed guides lead visitors through downtown Leesburg's historic and reportedly haunted sites. The 2006 walking tours are Oct. 27 and 28, 6 to 10 p.m. Volunteers are needed to be tour guides and site interpreters/storytellers, as well as to help with museum visitor services and ticket sales. Anyone can volunteer. Call 703-777-7427 or e-mail bfriedmann@loudounmuseum.org .

Nonprofit organizations are needed to participate in a volunteer fair being held in conjunction with Make a Difference Day on Oct. 28. The fair will last from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Harper Park Middle School, 701 Potomac Station Drive, N.E., in Leesburg. The event hopes to attract many potential volunteers who will be dropping off their donations at the school for Make a Difference Day. The deadline to apply is Oct. 2. Call 703-777-0113, e-mail pivs@loudoun.gov , or visit www.loudoun.gov/pio/volunteer.htm .

The American Red Cross in the area is seeking volunteers to assist its blood collections staff at blood drives and blood donor centers. The volunteers will greet donors, provide donors with essential reading materials, serve refreshments and observe donors for post-donation reactions to giving blood. Training is provided. Volunteers must be age 14 or older. A commitment of two or more blood operations, each lasting four and a half to six hours, each month is requested. To register, call 1-800-272-0094 Ext. 1 or e-mail karlofft@usa.redcross.org .

A series of fall training sessions for interested volunteers starts Sept. 12. Volunteers complete 30 hours of training to learn definitions, resources and effective ways to support victims and survivors in their recovery. Once training is complete, volunteers receive a certificate of completion and can become involved in the movement to end violence in the community.

Volunteers can work in a variety of positions from child care to counseling to recruiting to working in the store. Visit www.lcsj.org , or call 703-771-9020, Ext. 28.

A volunteer ombudsman is needed to work with residents of local nursing homes or assisted living facilities, their families and the staff to make sure the residents' rights are being protected.

Volunteers should enjoy meeting people, particularly the elderly and must be able to work four hours a week during normal business hours for one year. Applicants will be interviewed throughout the summer in preparation for the annual training sessions Sept. 26 and 27, and Oct. 6, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

The Ombudsman Program is funded in part by the Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging. Call 703-324-5435 or 703-449-1186 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LTCOmbudsman .

The Good Shepherd Alliance is asking for donations of books that will be shipped to U.S. troops overseas. The books will help entertain the troops during quiet times. The group is trying to send 40-50 books every 10 days to the Middle East. Call Mary Fittro at 703-444-5956 or e-mail thriftstore@loudounhomeless.org.

Volunteers are needed to help with the Loudoun Arts Council 2006 Designer Showhouse. The showhouse, at the historic Rust Manor House in Leesburg, will be open to the public Sept. 27 through Oct. 15. Volunteers will help by being room guides, ticket sales assistants, furniture sales assistants and parking attendants. Volunteers receive complimentary tickets to the showhouse. E-mail jeltinge@aol.com or visit www.loudounarts.org.

Loudoun Families for Children, a nonprofit organization that provides temporary homes for children in crisis and a mentoring program for at-risk children, needs volunteers. To volunteer, contact Kim Burk at 703-771-9505 or kburk@burkinc.com. Visit www.lfconline.org.

Support the Brad Kaminsky Foundation for Brain Tumor Research by purchasing "Cooking Up A Cure," a cookbook that holds hundreds of recipes in honor and in memory of cancer patients. Any resident or local restaurant can submit recipes in memory or in honor of loved ones who have been affected by cancer. To submit a recipe, call Lisa Millar at 703-729-9897. To purchase a cookbook, visit www.buyacookbook.org .

Volunteers are needed to work in the dining room of the Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, S.E., Leesburg, on Fridays, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. A volunteer piano player is needed to play during lunch Monday through Friday from noon to 12:30 p.m. A tai-chi instructor is needed to work in the early weekday morning or early afternoon, September through November. For information or to volunteer, call 703-737-8039 or 703-737-8040.

Girl Scouting provides girls with activities that are fun and educational, and adult volunteers are key to the success of scouting. There is a place for interested adults, whether single, married, male or female, professional or stay-at-home, grandmother or recent graduate. Call 202-237-1670 or 800-523-7898, or visit www.gscnc.org.

Volunteers are needed for the lunch program and home-delivered meals program at the Leesburg Senior Activity Center. Volunteers will be asked to work a minimum of one to two hours a week. Call Cheryl Wheeler at 703-771-5156.

The Loudoun Volunteer Financial Council, a nonprofit organization, is seeking volunteers to assist with financial education. Free classes are offered to train anyone interested in volunteering. Contact Leslie Estrella at Loudoun Extension Office, 703-771-5419.

The Loudoun Museum is asking for volunteers to assist guests as they visit the museum. Duties include greeting guests, providing basic tourist and heritage information, collecting admission fees and answering the telephone. Hours are flexible with morning and afternoon shifts available, and training is provided. The Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St., S.W., Leesburg, is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Call 703-777-7427 or e-mail bfriedmann@loudounmuseum.org.

Cosmetologists are needed to help lead free hands-on group workshops for women with cancer. The American Cancer Society and Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center are offering "Look Good ... Feel Better," a two-hour session helping female cancer patients cope with and combat the appearance-related side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Volunteer cosmetologists lead the program, which includes a 12-step skin care and makeup program as well as demonstrations on hair/wig techniques, to help restore a positive self-image. Call Diane Ben-Senia at 703-938-5550.

Kidsave International offers volunteers the opportunity to serve as hosts for orphans. One opportunity allows families, for six weeks in the summer, to host children ages 7-15 currently living in orphanages in Colombia, Russia and Kazakhstan. Visit www.kidsave.org, call 571-243-1897 or e-mail alla@global.t-bird.edu.

Volunteer advocates are needed by the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to make weekly visits (totaling four hours per week) to local nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Using the skills of listening, observing and mediating, the ombudsman works with residents, their families and the facility's staff to ensure that residents' rights are protected.

Call 703-324-5435, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ombudsman. To request accommodations or alternate formats, call 703-324-5435 or TTY: 703-449-1186.

For years, volunteers at Claude Moore Park in Sterling have adopted each of the 11 hiking trails. Volunteers make at least four visits a year to trim underbrush, pick up litter, toss sticks off the trail and note any special plant or animal sightings. Trail maintenance training is provided along with insight into the natural and cultural history of each adopted trail. Call 703-421-6561.

The third Saturday of each month is Volunteer Day at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Leesburg. Meet people who share a common interest in nature, history and the environment. Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Call 703-669-0316.

ESL and Immigrant Ministries needs volunteers to teach adult immigrants in 18 locations in Northern Virginia, including Loudoun County. Free training for volunteers is provided. Daytime and evening classes are offered. Visit www.eslim.org for information. Call 703-271-8341, ext. 3, and leave a message.

Loudoun Families for Children, a nonprofit that provides temporary homes for children in crisis and a mentoring program for at-risk children, is seeking volunteers. Call 703-771-9505 or e-mail kburk@burkinc.com.

Loudoun County Community Corrections and Pretrial Program is in need of volunteers to assist probation officers with peripheral duties: attending court hearings; documenting case records; and performing financial and intake interviews, data entry and filing. A three-hour commitment one day a week is needed. Call or write Karen McQuaid, deputy director, 703-737-8519, kmcquaid@loudoun.gov.

Volunteers are needed for a steering committee for Save the Trail Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Call Barbara Notar, 703-779-1865.

Loudoun County is seeking volunteers to serve as parent representatives on the Family Assessment and Planning Team. FAPT meets twice a month for about four hours to develop service plans for at-risk youth and their families who are served through the Comprehensive Services Act for At-Risk Youth and Families. Applicants are encouraged to apply by sending a letter by e-mail to jgillesp@loudoun.gov or to CPMT Chair, c/o Loudoun County Department of Social Services, 102 Heritage Way, N.E., Suite 200, Leesburg, 20176-4544, Attn: Jim Gillespie.

The American Red Cross is asking eligible donors to call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment to donate blood. Platelet donors can call 1-800-272-2123 to schedule an appointment. The Red Cross is also urging all those who already have scheduled appointments to make every effort to keep those appointments. Visit www.my-redcross.org or call 410-764-7000.

Volunteers are needed to answer phones, prepare for classes, educate the community in preparedness, respond to disasters, work with youth, perform data entry and work with media relations. Visit www.redcross.org/va/loudounco to fill out an online application, or call 703-777-7171.

Volunteer medical doctors and an experienced grant writer are needed. The clinic also needs several items and services, including a digital camera, water cooler service, antique refinishing, wall-mounted blood pressure cuff, professional otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes, and metal Band-Aid boxes. Call 703-779-5416.

The Loudoun County MADD Chapter is seeking court monitors for Loudoun Traffic Court. Court monitoring is a program in which trained volunteers observe and gather data on DUI court proceedings, including arraignments, pretrial hearings, trials and sentencing. Leave a voice-mail message at 703-771-8127 or send an e-mail to maddloudoun@aol.com.

The community is invited to join SELF, a coalition "dedicated to keeping the community safe and drug-free." Meetings are the fourth Monday of every month, 7:30-9 p.m., at Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Call 703-771-6428.

To register as a volunteer, individuals must be at least 16 years old. (Some positions require that volunteers be 18 or older.) Volunteers must be available to attend training and commit to volunteer at least two hours once a week. Call the volunteer coordinator at 703-737-8097 for an application. Applications are also available online, and can be downloaded. Visit www.loudoun.gov/animals/volunteers.htm.

LARC provides support, education, referral and advocacy services to those with mental disabilities and their families. The staff and board are looking for people interested in serving on committees and joining the board. Call 703-777-1939, visit www.loudoun-arc.org or write The Arc of Loudoun County, P.O. Box 243, Leesburg, VA 20178.

Loudoun Interfaith Relief needs drivers to pick up donated food. Drivers must be at least 18, have a driver's license, and be able to lift up to 50 pounds over and over. Call Dawn Miller, 703-777-5911.

Volunteers are needed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport and at the National Mall. Duties include greeting guests and making them feel welcome, as well as handing out information and directions. Volunteers can use the free bus shuttle service from the Udvar-Hazy Center to the museum on the Mall if they wish to work at both locations. Contact Mary Deming at Udvar-Hazy at 703-572-4101 or demingm@nasm.si.edu, or Hollan Vaughn at the Mall museum at 202-633-2494 or vaughnh@nasm.si.edu.

Volunteer opportunities exist for information desk volunteers and Mobile Guides at Washington Dulles International Airport. Volunteers are asked to make a commitment to work one three- to four-hour shift per week. Experience in airline/airport operations or customer service work or knowledge of a foreign language is a plus but not necessary. Training is ongoing. Call 703-572-7350 or e-mail Volunteer@mwaa.com.

This is cache, read story here