Make a difference. Volunteer.
Mainspring Schools needs volunteers to serve in a variety of capacities ranging from working with our kids to improving our building. We have one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities. We will coordinate with you before the actual volunteer experience to be sure that teachers are prepared, supplies are gathered, and kids are ready!
For more information on the additional volunteer opportunities (including serving as a member of the Board of Directors), please contact the Mainspring executive director, Rudi Andrus at Rudi@mainspringschools.org
Group Opportunties
Adopt-A-Classroom: Some of our classrooms desperately need facelifts! Painting tops the list of needs (our teachers prefer pastel colors), followed by curtains, vinyl baseboards, and sanding and re-staining wooden shelving. Throw pillows or floor mats would be appreciated, too (remember how kids like to cozy up in nooks and crannies). A group can adopt one room or all the rooms. Could be done on a Saturday or a weekday.
Holiday Parties: Children love to celebrate everything with art projects, treats, books, gift making, costume making, and more. A group could plan and implement a fun party for one or more classrooms.
Playground Work: The wheelbarrow-handy are needed! Sand is an important buffer to keep little knees safe on a playground. We'll coordinate with a group to have the sand delivered and train you on playground requirements if you'll help spread it. Our largely female staff really needs the help here. Could be done on a weekday or a Saturday.
Book Drive: Kids can never have enough books. In fact, early exposure to books is one of the key predictors of whether a child becomes a good reader. Groups at work or school can hold a book drive (books for children up to age 5 are appropriate) of new or gently used books. Even better, when you deliver the books, you can read to a group of kids or a single child individually. There is nothing more fun than reading to a group of young ones.
Refinish Oak Shelving: You know the joy of staining a piece of nice wood and watching the grain rise so beautifully. This preschool has lots of oak shelving that needs a sanding and refinishing.
Individual Opportunities
Mentors: We would love to have on-going classroom volunteers who develop relationships with the children and encourage their self-esteem and pre-reading skills. This takes an on-going commitment of time but it is truly the most rewarding volunteer opportunity. This could be an hour a week. Best hours are 9:00 - 10:30 or 3:00 - 4:30.
Classroom Volunteers: Classrooms would love to have volunteers who bring a cheerful, helping spirit. Activities would include: reading to the kids, planning and/or joining in an art activity, leading games, just visiting with a young one. Best hours are: 9:00 - 10:30 or 3:00 - 4:30.
Cooks: We serve a hot, nutritious breakfast and lunch every day. Volunteer cooks, servers, and dishwashers are very welcome and very needed.
Speakers / Trainers: We host monthly Parent Suppers that feature a speaker. Topics of interest could include Healthy Relationships, Money Management, Solving Bedtime Blues, and more. 6:00 pm, usually the third Thursday of the month.
Field Trip Chaperones: We really want to get our little ones out into the world. We have a van to do it, but we need more adults than we have for field trips. Locations might include the Children's Museum, the San Antonio Zoo, or other places that appeal to children. This would be approximately a 9:00 - 4:00 commitment for one or more days.
Seamstresses: We would love some throw pillows and matching curtains. Our hope is for our school environment to say "You are important. What we do here together is important. Learning is important." That involves having a clean and attractive facility. This would be a home-based volunteer project.
Musicians: Our children would be thrilled to have musicians come do a very short, child-based performance on any instrument especially if the children are encouraged to dance and move along with the music. Surely, none of them have encountered a flute up-close and personal, or a cello, or a tuba! 9:00 - 10:30 or 3:00 - 4:30.
Photograph the Kids: Many struggling families do not have the resources to photograph their kids. It's a fun project to take posed or action photos, which are inexpensive to print. It's also fun and inexpensive to let the kids decorate frames purchased at craft stores.