When I was in high school, my main reason for volunteering was because I couldn’t exactly put some of my “extracurricular” activities on my resume. And so, I trekked over to the local senior center on Thursdays after school, subjecting myself to an hour of awkward conversation with older people who barely knew I was there. Well, those days are gone. Although I didn’t know it at the time, volunteering does not have to feel anything like pulling your own teeth out. In fact, most community service projects are both productive and fun. So, in honor of National Volunteer Week, here are five volunteer projects that are more like play and less like forced labor.

Pet Care at BARC
253 Wythe Ave. at N. 1st Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 486-7489
http://www.barcshelter.org/

Regardless of whether you’re a devoted dog lover or cat enthusiast, the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC) has something for everyone. Rain or shine, animal-loving volunteers can take a group of rescued shelter dogs for a doggy version of a night out on the town – a fun, relaxing stroll around Brooklyn. If dogs make you growl, then BARC also has a cat loft where volunteers can spend time socializing with cats and occasionally cleaning up their kennels. While these projects may seem more like fun than work, rest assured that your efforts are not going to waste—socializing with rescued animals is a huge part of ensuring these pets are eventually adopted. If petting a kitty for a few hours leads to a loving home, then why not?

Hands On New York Day
Sat., April 16, 2011
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
http://www.handsonnewyorkday.org/

One of the biggest and best known volunteer events in New York City is Hands On New York Day, sponsored by the city’s largest volunteer organization, New York Cares. As a single-day volunteer event, Hands On New York Day mobilizes thousands of New Yorkers and sends them all over the city to clean up parks, paint murals, make public schools look spiffy and much, much more. It’s basically an army of good will taking over the city. After you pay a $20 registration fee, you will be contacted and assigned to a location in the boroughs. Then, all you have to do is show up and get ready for a day of extreme volunteerism and friendly folk.

Urban Explorers
New York Cares
http://www.newyorkcares.org/
Search Term: Children’s Recreation

Remember when you were just a kid and your class got to go on that awesome field trip to the museum to look at dinosaurs? For many students in the New York City public school system, that field trip never happens—some public schools just don’t have the means to take their students outside of the classroom. The purpose of the Urban Explorers program is to introduce disadvantaged public school students to various museums, zoos and other fun places in order to learn about the city they’re growing up in. Museums not your thing? There are also Math Explorers, Science Explorers and Theater Explorers programs that need volunteers. Besides, sometimes it’s better to just giggle and point at paintings than it is to try to analyze what the Rose Period signifies about Picasso’s love life.

Dance with Senior Citizens
Kateri Residence
150 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10024
(646) 505-3500
http://www.kateriresidenceny.org/

Hear me out on this one: Spending a day getting jiggy with older folk in a residence hall may not seem like the ultimate way to spend a Sunday. But truth be told, you’ll probably learn a lot more about music and dance from the Golden Generation than you would from grinding at night clubs with anonymous, sweaty bodies. Reliving the dance halls of the residents’ youth, where nightly swing dances and packed halls were the ultimate form of entertainment, will probably reintroduce you to music as it should be: fun. So go ahead, learn how to swing dance with Grandma! Contact the Kateri Residence or any local senior center to find out when their dance nights are.

Infinite Family
P. O. Box 618
Yonkers, NY 10705
(212) 400-7446
http://www.infinitefamily.org/

If you’re too busy (or lazy) to step away from  your computer for more than a few minutes, then there’s still hope for you yet. Infinite Family is an online organization that aims to connect disadvantaged South African youth without reliable guidance in their lives with a mentor that can provide essential advice to help them live better. Over a weekly webcam conference, mentors and children will meet online and talk about their lives, offer advice and just chat. This project is a long-term commitment, but at just half-an-hour a week, it’s definitely do-able. The opportunity to form a lasting relationship with someone who needs it and watch them grow is a rare one.