PROVO -- Utah County police departments are looking for volunteers to help organize and participate in Neighborhood Watch programs in their communities.

The Provo Police Department is looking for a volunteer to coordinate and start a city-wide program.By working together to create safer neighborhoods, residents will also help build a safer community environment. The Neighborhood Watch program encourages residents to protect themselves, their families and neighbors. In the past, communities with Neighborhood Watch programs have seen a decrease in crime.

Members of Neighborhood Watch will learn how to make their homes more secure, watch out for others in the neighborhood and report suspicious activities to the police or sheriff's office. Watch groups make their neighborhood safer by providing extra eyes and ears to report crime.

Volunteers from all age groups and living situations are welcome to get involved. Watch groups can be established around any geographical unit, including blocks, apartments, parks, business areas, offices and public housing complexes.

The Utah County Sheriff's office and city police departments throughout the county have opportunities for Neighborhood Watch programs. If you need more information, call them directly or call the United Way Volunteer Center at 374-8108.

Other volunteer opportunities are available throughout Utah County. Some of these are listed below.

Help a Lehi elementary school with spring cleaning. Sego Elementary School in Lehi needs volunteers to assist with cleanup and planting tasks. Specifically, school administrators are looking for volunteers to wash folding chairs, clean flower beds in front of the building, plant or donate flowers, provide or place sod in the front lawn and clean windows and walls. There is no age requirement, and these services can be done in groups or by individuals.

Assist terminally ill patients as a hospice volunteer. Intermountain Health Care's Home Health program needs volunteers who care about people and want to bring comfort to terminally ill individuals as they near the end of life.

Hospice of IHC has a wide range of volunteer opportunities available. Hospice volunteers may help provide patient and family support through respite care, listening, reading or personal care. Individuals may also assist with office duties. Training of new hospice volunteers will be provided by IHC Home Health.

Help in celebrating Provo's sesquicentennial. Provo city is sponsoring a 150th birthday celebration every weekend from April 17 through the end of June. Volunteers are needed to staff booths at the pioneer village, give tours through historical Provo and pose as historical characters. Scripts will be provided for tour guides and those acting as historical characters. Volunteers are needed through June but may choose how many Saturdays they wish to work. Each Saturday will require a four-hour commitment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Build homes for low-income families. Habitat for Humanity expects to build six homes this year in Utah County and is looking for volunteers of all ages. Volunteers are especially needed to join committees and prepare for the 1999 building season. Training will begin immediately.

When construction begins, volunteers will be needed to build homes, to make repairs in existing homes, to serve on committees that oversee building work, family selection, fund raising, needs assessment, public relations and building work. Volunteers are also needed to staff the Habitat for Humanity office and to watch children in the evenings or on weekends while parents work on Habitat homes. Ten to 15 volunteers are also needed to join committees that will organize and schedule volunteers.

For more information about these and other volunteer opportunities in Utah County, contact the United Way Volunteer Center weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 374-8108. Contact can also be made by e-mail, volunteer@united

wayuc.org, or by visiting the searchable database on the United Way of Utah County Web site www.unitedwayuc.org.

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