The St. Louis chapter of the national non-profit organization Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFASL) offers a range of programs that help educate the community, schools, caregivers, students, and parents on the proper management of asthma and allergies.

AAFASL also runs Project Concern, a comprehensive asthma management program that provides medications, equipment, education, and support to uninsured or underinsured children with asthma and allergies. The organization can also help place parents in touch with certified allergists in the St. Louis area.

The Alton Little Theater , which began in 1934, is one of the oldest community theaters in the state of Illinois. The ALT has approximately 125 members and produces five to six full-length plays and musicals each year.

The Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center provides a range of social services and educational programs for community members. The center works to meet the comprehensive needs of abused, neglected, and abandoned children and their families.

The organization began in the late 1880s as the St. Louis Colored Orphan's Home and established its home in the Ville neighborhood. Business-woman and philanthropist Annie Turnbo Pope Malone became one of its biggest supporters during the 1920s, and the home was renamed to pay homage to Malone.

The services that the center provides include residential treatment services, family focus intensive services, family reunification services, parent education program, a therapeutic school, day care, and food & catering programs.

The Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center provides a range of social services and educational programs for community members. The center works to meet the comprehensive needs of abused, neglected, and abandoned children and their families.

The organization began in the late 1880s as the St. Louis Colored Orphan's Home and established its home in the Ville neighborhood. Business-woman and philanthropist Annie Turnbo Pope Malone became one of its biggest supporters during the 1920s, and the home was renamed to pay homage to Malone.

The services that the center provides include residential treatment services, family focus intensive services, family reunification services, parent education program, a therapeutic school, day care, and food & catering programs.

Owned and operated by the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Cardinal Regali Center houses the Archdiocese Archives and the Pope John Paul II Auditorium.

A full-service community center, the Carondelet YMCA features an indoor pool, full-size gymnasium, and several fitness and weight-training rooms.

Youth sports - including basketball, soccer, and T-Ball - are popular here. A range of childcare and summer camps for children ages six weeks through sixth grade is also offered.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best place for family community service in St. Louis,
Catch a Falling Star is billed as an inclusive recreational and educational facility. It helps strengthen the physical and social skills of disabled children, including those on the autistic spectrum, through special programs, classes, and events.

CAFS staff provides critical support for parents with programs like Parents Night Out, afterschool care, teaching them about early childhood development, or offering speech and occupational therapies.

The Charity Guide website offers a wealth of information and ideas for families looking for ways to serve and volunteer. Visitors can pick up suggestions on how to make the most of small gestures (how to make a difference in 15 minutes, an hour, or on vacation), and how to leverage a birthday party to remind kids (and adults) that giving really is better than receiving.

Cheerful Givers provides birthday gift bags for kids ages three to 12, distributing them at shelters and food pantries. Families can hold a Birthday Bag Blitz to put together gift bags, based on recommendations provided on the website.

The Churchill Center & School for Learning Disabilities focuses on children with a wide range of learning disabilities and uses a remedial program structured to help kids return to traditional classrooms as soon as possible. Children typically attend Churchill for about three years. The US Department of Education has twice recognized Churchill a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

Churchill extends its service to the public, non-students, and those without a learning-disability diagnosis by offering comprehensive tutoring and consultation services. The type of tutoring provided varies with the needs of each student; an hourly tutoring rate is charged.

The school's Terri's Tutors program offers free tutoring to children whose learning has been compromised because cancer treatment.

Color a Smile's mission is a simple one - generate cheer by gathering children's drawings to distribute at nursing homes, attach to Meals on Wheels deliveries, and more. The result? A perfect opportunity for kids to generate good cheer by doing what they do best - putting crayon to paper and creating. Children can send in their own original drawings, or color in one of the printable pages available on the website.

Drawings (and donations, if you're so inclined) can be sent via mail to:

Color a Smile

P O BOX 1516

Morristown NJ 07962-1516

Located inside Forest Park, the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitors' Center offers maps, brochures, games, and a café, as well as nature-oriented classes and workshops throughout the year.

Adjacent to the center is the marvelous Dennis & Judith Variety Wonderland, a playground designed both for able-bodied children and for those with disabilities and features 29 pieces of equipment.

The Center serves both as the home of Forest Park Forever, a non-profit organization, and as the starting point for a number of volunteer-led and self-guided tours of Forest Park.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center was created in 1998 as a not-for-profit research institute with a global vision to improve the human condition. Research at the Danforth Center focuses on scientific topics such as improving human health through nutritional content of plants, increasing agricultural production to create a sustainable food supply, and contributing to the economic growth of the St. Louis region and of the State of Missouri. The facility hosts open-to-the-public special events occasionally.

One of St. Louis' historical, grand Victorian homes has found a new life with an important purpose: teaching students and adults all about resource efficiency and living a green lifestyle as the EarthWays Center.

The house is a three-story Victorian residence built in 1885 and renovated in 1994 to showcase practical demonstrations of energy efficient systems, recycled products, and waste reduction practices.

The center offers tours on the third Saturday and Sunday of every month (11am, 12n, 1pm, & 2pm); no reservations are required. When it is not open to the public, it is being used for classes and workshops.

Non-profit Folk School of St. Louis uses music and folk arts to build community.

The organization offers introductory through advanced classes in guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, banjo, bass, dulcimer, and ensembles for adults and older teens. Children's fiddle classes for kids as young as five and a range of workshops are also offered.

Perhaps best of all, three Saturdays a month between noon and 3pm, students engage in fun-for-all, public (and free) jam sessions; check website for the schedule.

Food Outreach helps men, women, and children living with either HIV/AIDS or cancer by serving hot meals and delivering food to patients. During the week, the organization staffs a registered dietitian, who can assess and personalize an eating plan so clients can feel better and stay healthy.

Food Outreach is always in need of volunteers to help prepare, serve, and deliver food; monetary donations are always welcome, too.

Food Outreach helps men, women, and children living with either HIV/AIDS or cancer by serving hot meals and delivering food to patients. During the week, the organization staffs a registered dietitian, who can assess and personalize an eating plan so clients can feel better and stay healthy.

Food Outreach is always in need of volunteers to help prepare, serve, and deliver food; monetary donations are always welcome, too.

Global Citizens Network sends short-term teams of volunteers to communities in other cultures. Participants immerse themselves in the culture and daily life of the community and partners with a local grassroots group to meet local needs.

Trips last one, two, or three weeks, depending on the site, and each team is led by a trained GCN team leader. Volunteers can be ages eight and up; a parent or guardian must accompany kids under the age of 18.

Grace Hill Health Centers provide professionally directed primary and preventive health care - including pediatrics, adult medicine, and OB/GYN services - through five community health centers, all of which serve low-income and uninsured residents of metropolitan St. Louis. Its website provides a listing of neighborhood health centers.

Grace Hill clinics provide dental services, optometry, pharmacy, transportation, medical social services, X-ray, mammography, and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) programs; it also helps with Division of Family Services on-site eligibility verification and enrollment services. Some locations assist with developmental and behavior problems in children.

Established in 1946, the Greater St. Louis Association of the Deaf (GSLAD) provides social, charitable, athletic, and educational opportunities for members of GSLAD and friends of the deaf in the St. Louis area.

Habitat for Humanity is a charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to building simple, low-cost homes by forming partnerships with low-income families in need of decent and affordable housing. The organization believes homeownership is a vital step to help families break the cycle of poverty and contributes to pride in families and communities.

You don't need to be an expert in construction or a committee subject area to help out. There are many tasks that require only a willingness to learn and work with others. However, kids must be 16 years or older to help on the construction sites, and there must be one adult at a work site for every two kids. Due to the wonderful popularity of Habitat for Humanity, there is generally a two- to three-month wait to volunteer on a construction site.

The not-for-profit Humane Society offers information about pet adoption and boarding, dog training classes, pet loss support groups, and help in locating lost animals.

Local branches of the Society are often educational places to visit. The cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and rodents appreciate the attention, and children - who must remain under adult supervision at all times - can show them some love. Adults can usually remove the animals from cages or pens for one-on-one interaction in visiting rooms.

Volunteer opportunities: can be found on the website, or visit or call your local chapter for information.

The not-for-profit Humane Society offers information about pet adoption and boarding, dog training classes, pet loss support groups, and help in locating lost animals.

Local branches of the Society are often educational places to visit. The cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and rodents appreciate the attention, and children - who must remain under adult supervision at all times - can show them some love. Adults can usually remove the animals from cages or pens for one-on-one interaction in visiting rooms.

Volunteer opportunities: can be found on the website, or visit or call your local chapter for information.

Idealist is an interactive website where families can locate local volunteer opportunities. You can even sign up to receive daily alerts about new opportunities matching your interests.

Housed in the renovated 1899 Jacoby furniture store, the three-story comprises 40,000 square feet housing an art gallery, a dynamic educational facility, and artisans' crafts for sale.

Adults and children can take classes in pottery, stained glass, mosaics, watercolor painting, colored pencil drawing, Christmas gourd ornaments, and book arts, among others.

For the more than 80,000 children in the St. Louis area who live in poverty, Kid Smart-Tools for Learning makes school years more successful and bearable.

The non-profit organization provides free school supplies through its Free Store, where teachers can shop once a month and then distribute the materials directly into the hands of kids in need.

Individuals can help the organization by serving as event volunteers, or, at the store, by stocking the shelves and managing inventory. Students wanting to fulfill community service hours are always welcome; call to inquire about the program. Monetary donations are gladly accepted too.

Leftovers, Etc. acquires surplus and recycled resources - things like fabric, buttons, wood scraps, canisters, school supplies, and more - from businesses, industry, and the local community and uses the materials to foster creativity and to advance education in the arts. The center offers a wide range of artsy classes (even for adults!), as well as a popular summer camp program.

The center is open to the public, and folks can receive a discount on the items they purchase by bringing in some of their own donated household items. Leftovers also sells used books, has a gift shop and gallery, and rents out environmental, behavioral, and other videos.

The organization can arrange custom-designed, in-house field trips for every age of school groups, early childhood centers, Scouts, home-school programs, and church groups. Kids with special education needs are welcome here, too. It also hosts birthday parties, "trash-to-art" shows, and special events throughout the year.

Lydia's House works to end domestic violence of women and children by offering transitional housing, comprehensive support services, and access to community resources. Lydia's House provides a safe haven for women and children for up to two years while they find employment and housing, as well as seek the medical and legal help that they need.

Volunteers are always needed to help with tasks such as public area housekeeping, donation organization, community outreach, and event planning. The organization's website maintains a donation wishlist for items that are needed on a daily basis.

Make a Child Smile, also known as MACS, provides support to children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses and their families. Families looking for an opportunity to volunteer can visit the MACS website and learn about featured children and their illnesses, then send cards, letters, and small gifts to the featured children and their siblings through postal mail.

Each child's mailing address can be found on their story page, right next to their picture.

March of Dimes is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Volunteering opportunities and ideas are described on the website, from organizing fund-raising walks to letter campaigns. The website also provides link to local chapters.

Activities for youth volunteers to learn, serve, and lead are available through the Team Youth program.

Marian Middle School is a relative "new kid on the block" in St. Louis: It opened its doors in 1999. In that short time, however, the Catholic, all-girls school has made important strides in providing a rigorous, nurturing education for economically disadvantaged and at-risk girls in grades sixth through eighth.

The school is untraditional in many ways: Students are required to stay until 5:45pm to participate in enrichment programs and study halls, its school year runs ten months, and classrooms sizes are small, running about 15-20 students.

Meals on Wheels provides meal services for senior citizens in need, and offers great opportunities for older children and families to explore community service and volunteering.

Visit the website to find opportunities near you.

MO-FEAT (Missouri Families for Effective Autism Treatment) started as a non-profit organization in 1997 to provide advocacy, education, and support for the autism community and to promote early diagnosis and effective autism treatment.

The group's website lists upcoming meetings, talks, and events that support the autism community and provides a broad range of information about legal resources, diagnois information, and regional resources.

Operation Goody Bag is designed to express appreciation for the sacrifices made by America's first responders, and to develop in students an awareness of the value of service.

The program ships brown lunch bags, hand colored with patriotic themes and filled with candy, gum, a personal letter, original poetry, and puzzles to US military personnel as well as local Fire, Rescue, Ambulance, and K9 organizations, Veterans' Homes, VFW Posts, military hospitals, and US military academies.

Information about how to help, including donating, creating brown bag art, and writing letters to be included in the bags, can be found on the website.