Helping your community is a great way to do some volunteer work. Many communities will get together and build gardens or playgrounds to beautify the neighborhood, but what about building a gym for those who can’t afford to get a membership? One way to help you community is to build something that all people can use such as a community center that is non-profit. Finding the right building and grant can be daunting but once you get the funding you need and find the right building it’s all a matter of getting the community together to make it work. Here is some helpful information that will help you with this task.
Buying equipment for the adults
Adults in a community center will need exercise equipment and these can be purchased pretty affordable. Do your research with keywords such as the best cardio machine, or affordable exercise equipment, you can even check craigslist.org for exercise equipment in your area that is for sale. These are all options to keep it affordable and obtainable.
Furniture
You will need tables and couches for sitting. Community centers need different stations for different activities, such as TV center, relaxation center, and a food court. You can find reasonable prices on furniture that is either at a goodwill or on a classified ad site. Many items that people are selling for affordable prices are still very useable and with a little professional cleaning can look as good as new. An eclectic mix of color pallets and patterns makes for a very interesting design concept.
Children’s play area
You can find many children’s items at second hand shops for very reasonable prices. With a little bit of elbow grease and some bleach and Lysol all toys can be sterilized and made to look brand new. Sometimes adding a coat of paint can make an old toy look brand new. This will help in adding toys and play equipment to the community center without going out of budget.
Playgrounds
Playgrounds can be built with a little ingenuity and some wood and tires. If you can’t afford to buy a playground set then simply draw up plans for an A-frame swing set and some tires swings and maybe a play house and purchase wood at a discount lumber yard or use pallets that are for free from some companies and refinish the wood. You can find all kinds of plans online for free if you search for the right key words. Some companies will donate the tools and supplies needed for a name plate on the grounds.
Community centers are a great way to add benefits to low income communities and provide special places for kids to go after school to stay out of trouble and off the streets. The workers can be volunteers which means they don’t have to be paid. You can offer volunteers college credit for their involvement in the community center and this will help them with their degrees and transcripts. Volunteer work is something we should all do at some point in our lives. You can also work with the police to offer community service volunteer work for teenagers who are assigned community service as a condition of their probation. These are all ideas to help your community be a better place.