If you're looking for a volunteer program where you can make a difference - in very little time, I've got good news for you! Check out Science is Elementary, an elementary school science program where volunteers go into the classroom to teach fun (but educational) science lessons that kids wouldn't get otherwise. I don't think I have to tell you about the budgetary issues in California. And how kids in the U.S. are thought to be far beyond those in other countries in science education.
The program has really grown over the last two years and they'll be going into six schools, serving 1,000 underprivileged students a month. They only need TWO hours of your time per month, September to May.
Volunteers (1 adult per 5 children) bring "cool" hands-on experiments to the classroom and allow kids to explore on their own while asking directed questions to guide their thought processes and investigations. Experiments draw on children’s everyday experiences to show them that science is all around them and is fun. There are usually 4 volunteers along with one Science is Elementary staff person.
The curriculum is already planned. Please consider signing up and forwarding this to others you know who might be interested - many companies allow employees time off to do this kind of volunteer work.
The schools involved are in Mountain View, Sunnyvale and East Palo Alto. See the FAQ's about the program here. Volunteer sign up is here.
Do you have more questions? Check out their FAQ here.