{"id":384695,"date":"2026-08-29T17:23:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T17:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384695\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T17:23:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T17:23:16","slug":"five-ways-to-give-back-and-get-involved-in-your-community-46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384695\/","title":{"rendered":"Five ways to give back and get involved in your community"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re searching for ways to give back, the Catalyst\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/impact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Impact Connector<\/a> is here to help. Each week, we feature five organizations in the Tampa Bay area that need your input, whether that\u2019s time, talent, items, funding or simply awareness. We\u2019re certain you\u2019ll find something here that matches your interests and will positively impact the community.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-75533 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2023-06-14-at-3.03.56-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1662\" height=\"48\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Volunteer for Surfers for Autism<\/p>\n<p>The local chapter of Surfers for Autism is presenting its 14th annual Beach Surf Festival at St. Pete Beach on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and welcomes anyone to volunteer.<\/p>\n<p>The mission of Surfers for Autism is to enrich the lives of children and adults living with autism and other development delays by providing free surf experiences in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.<\/p>\n<p>Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles, and surfing experience is not required. Water volunteers will be in the water about waist deep assisting surfers on their boards and gliding them into the waves towards the beach.<\/p>\n<p>Experienced surfers are always needed to be Team Leaders and head a crew of volunteers in the water.<\/p>\n<p>On land, help is needed with registration, assisting the food service and beach safety teams, or being a part of the beach cheer squad.<\/p>\n<p>Volunteer check-in is at 8 a.m. and a volunteer meeting will be held at 8:45 a.m.\u00a0 Everyone will receive a free lunch.<\/p>\n<p>Appropriate beach wear, sun shirts and hats are recommended.<\/p>\n<p>For more information and to sign up, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/14th-annual-surfers-for-autism-st-pete-beach-surf-festival-tickets-1985443933251?aff=ebdssbdestsearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-75533 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2023-06-14-at-3.03.56-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1662\" height=\"48\"  \/><br \/>\nTreasure Island Labor Day beach cleanup<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-122854 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-International-Coastal-Cleanup-300x154.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"154\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Treasure Island Adopt-a-Beach, in partnership with Keep Pinellas Beautiful and Misting Monsoon Diving, is holding a sunset cleanup on Labor Day evening, Sept. 7, from 6:30 until 8 p.m. The event is part of the Ocean Conservancy\u2019s 2026 International Coastal Cleanup taking place Sept. 1 through Oct. 31.<\/p>\n<p>Volunteers will assist with picking up litter along the beach. Closed toe shoes and weather appropriate clothing are recommended. Cleanup supplies will be provided, however, participants are encouraged to bring their own gloves, buckets and pickers. A water refill station and restrooms will be available onsite.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone under the age of 18 must be signed in by a parent or guardian and volunteers under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event.<\/p>\n<p>Participants will meet at Gulf Front Park Lot, 10400 Gulf Boulevard, Treasure Island.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/labor-day-beach-cleanup-at-treasure-island-tickets-1994336296549?aff=ebdssbdestsearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Click here<\/a> to reserve your spot.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2023-06-14-at-3.03.56-PM.png\"\/><br \/>\nBay It Forward charity event<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, Sept. 19, Magic 94.9 Tampa Bay\u2019s Best Music is hosting the Stella Artois Shuffleboard Soiree to benefit Bay It Forward. The Tampa Bay nonprofit\u2019s mission is to support pediatric cancer patients by providing access to technology that helps them stay connected to loved ones while creating moments of normalcy throughout their treatment journey.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-122855 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Magic-94.9-Tampa-Bays-Best-Music-Shuffleboard-soiree-300x159.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"338\" height=\"179\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>The event, taking place at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club from 7 until 10 p.m., will feature local vendors, food, Stella Artois beer, music by DJ Ekin and a shuffleboard competition.<\/p>\n<p>Participating vendors include Howdy Hunny Hat Bar, Lost Coast Oyster Company, Gypsea Blooms, King of Pops and Tampa Bay Burger Company.<\/p>\n<p>Registration is free. A limited number of VIP tickets are available which includes access to the Clubhouse, a sampling of a drinks from Stella, Nutrl and Cutwater, a Stella Artois chalice, 3 oysters from Lost Coast Oysters and a popsicle from King of Pops.<\/p>\n<p>The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club is located at 559 Mirror Lake Drive N., St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/stella-artois-shuffleboard-soiree-tickets-1997631606911?aff=ebdssbdestsearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-75533 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2023-06-14-at-3.03.56-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1662\" height=\"48\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Suncoast Voices For Children- Pinellas Volunteer Day<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-122856 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Suncoast-Voices-for-Children-Inc.--300x283.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"283\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Suncoast Voices for Children, located in Clearwater, provides for unmet physical, educational and social needs of abused, abandoned and neglected children in Pinellas and Pasco counties.<\/p>\n<p>Working alongside child protection investigators, case managers and other community partners, it provides essential support to keep children with their families whenever possible, meet the needs of kids in the foster care system and help young adults with what they need to succeed once outside of the system.<\/p>\n<p>The organization is holding a volunteer day on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9 until 11 a.m. Volunteers will be sorting clothing items and creating outfit bags for children.<\/p>\n<p>The Suncoast Voices for Children Pinellas Closet is located at 8550 Ulmerton Road, Largo.<\/p>\n<p>More information can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idealist.org\/en\/volunteer-opportunity\/81f95f468d8b4946b0afa16c92cce94b-september-suncoast-voices-for-children-pinellas-volunteer-day-suncoast-voices-for-children-foundation-inc-largo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-75533 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2023-06-14-at-3.03.56-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1662\" height=\"48\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Volunteer with Neighborly Senior Care Network<\/p>\n<p>Neighborly Senior Care Network is dedicated to improving lives of older persons in need of home and community-based services who reside in Pinellas County. The organization provides Meals on Wheels, adult day programs and senior dining and transportation.<\/p>\n<p>Meals on Wheels (MOW) volunteers deliver lunchtime meals to homebound seniors, usually weekdays between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at various locations throughout Pinellas County.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-122857 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Neighborly-Senior-Care-Network-300x174.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"402\" height=\"233\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Transportation Drivers ensure Neighborly clients safely arrive on time and return home from medical appointments, pharmacies and other travel needs. Volunteers assist for a two-to four-hour block between 8:45 a.m. and 4 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Senior Caf\u00e9 volunteers assist the Senior Caf\u00e9 staff by packing totes with meals for MOW drivers and help with meal service. There are eight locations to choose from and hours are usually Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>The minimum age to volunteer is 18. For more information, <a href=\"https:\/\/neighborly.org\/volunteer-opportunities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-75533 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2023-06-14-at-3.03.56-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1662\" height=\"48\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>By engaging in these five impactful ways to give back, we can empower our communities and contribute to a more compassionate society. If your organization is seeking volunteers, donations or awareness, <a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/contribute\/impact-connector-board\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/contribute\/impact-connector-board\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1748189752973000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ixRSFxNxKWBVBWqylfJmo\">click here<\/a>\u00a0to submit your opportunity. We\u2019ll get the word out to our readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019re searching for ways to give back, the Catalyst\u2019s Impact Connector is here to help. Each week,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-384695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}