I had a really good time at Earthcorps’ restoration at Interlaken this morning. I met some great people, spent a couple of hours in the park, and helped to fix up one of my favorite places in Seattle.

Today’s restoration also reminded me how much communities rely on volunteer work to make them great. Lina, one of our lovely work party leaders, told us how the Green Seattle Partnership’s goal of restoring 2500 acres of forested parkland by 2025 would be impossible without the hard work of hundreds of volunteers from all over Seattle.

Who’s volunteering for these events? Who gets up bright and early on a Saturday morning to go pull weeds for the greater good? High school and college kids, parents, retirees, starry-eyed young hipsters interested in sustainability. Native Seattlites who’ve lived down the block for decades and those new to Seattle who want to get to know their city better. In short, your neighbors. Normal people who decided to put in a little time to make the city they live in a better place.

I know there are plenty of CHSers who put in a lot of community service time of their own free will. To all of you, my sincere thanks. You are making Seattle awesome.

I also know that there are at least a few CHSers who’ve never volunteered in their life, or haven’t done so for years. Everybody in this second group: now it’s your chance. Put in the hours to make your community great. I know you can do it. Give volunteering a chance, and see how much good you can do.

In case you need some volunteer opportunities to get you started, here are some of my favorite places to look:

UPDATE: Capitol Hill Community Council – Great way to involved with your Capitol Hill community. There are a lot of projects just waiting for a few more hands to get started.
{Full disclosure: I’m at the meeting every month. We have snacks!}

• Earthcorps– Environmental restoration events within the city limits? How convenient!
• Seattle Community Network– Not only does SCN host websites for community groups, they send volunteers to them too.
• Seattle Tilth– So many gardening workshops, so little time…Help Tilth keep up the good work!
• Unpaving Paradise– Raising money to build a park right down on John and Summit. Lend your time to create a great community open space.
• City of Seattle Volunteer and Donation List– The City’s big ole list of volunteer opportunities; it’s a really good resource.
• Seattle Works– Community service opportunities for us young’uns: “Seattle Works informs, connects and inspires people in their 20s and 30s to take action in our community.” Opportunities for those who can only make a one time commitment as well as for those looking for a regular volunteer gig.
• Starbucks Pledge 5– If you pledge that you’ll do five hours of community service, Starbucks will give you a free coffee. Not bad.