When you've just moved to a new city you find yourself without friends and with an empty social calendar. There's no more worthwhile way to remedy this than to get involved with your new community through volunteer work. It can help you meet new people, build your resume and contact list, accomplish something worthwhile, even improve your level of fitness. Toronto organizations you may have been involved with probably have branched here in St. Louis. Here are some other ways to get involved.

Schools

If you have school aged children, volunteering to help with their extracurricular activities is the best way to meet other parents you may have things in common with. Perhaps one of their relatives works at Search Engine Optimization Ontario like you used to. Opportunities to volunteer at St. Louis public schools are many. You could help in the library, coach a soccer team, chaperone a field trip, chair a Parent Teacher Association committee, or help fund raise. Contact the school board or your neighborhood school for more information.

Hospitals

There are over a dozen hospitals and health care complexes in St. Louis, so you're bound to find one near your new home. Even if your only work experience is in trademark registration in Canada, there are still jobs you can do. You can raise funds, visit patients, run errands, help with clerical work, greet new arrivals, provide information, deliver mail and flowers, transfer patients, maintain the library, and knit or sew blankets, slippers, and other items for chronically ill patients.

Churches

While some mega churches are well supported by donations from the congregation, others are struggling enough that they might have to take cash for jewelry left to the church. Churches can always use fund raising help, but if solicitation isn't your thing, you might consider volunteering to lead children's groups, helping provide food for funerals and memorial services, decorating and planning for special events, or pitching in to maintain the building. Churches have different volunteer opportunities depending on size and denomination, so check with the faith leader at your church to see what's open.

Community Groups

National and international community groups like the Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and United Way all have locations in St. Louis that are looking for recurring or one time volunteers to do everything from give blood to helping raise a child. You could help build Stoney Creek decks and houses with Habitat for Humanity, read to children at the public library, hand out meals at the St. Louis Area Food Bank, help manage the plants at the botanical garden, or become a leader for a Boy Scout or Girl Guide unit. Visit your local community center for more information on volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood.