Family and Children Services needs volunteers to help with the following:

• Provide transportation to children and families for access visits, therapy, school, summer camps, etc.
• Befriend children who need extra one to one attention and a good role model.
• Be a Parent Aid and assist with home management, childcare, transportation, etc.
• Research social histories and life books for children who are crown wards.
• Tutor a child/youth who needs help with Math or English.
• Help take care of our access visit rooms and toys once per week in Kitchener.
• Help organize our supply of family emergency supplies in the Kitchener office.
  

Direct Client Services

TUTOR
The volunteer will meet with the child once per week for one or two hours in the child’s home or a public library to tutor the child on one or more school subjects. This may include helping them to get their homework organized, working on a school project, preparing them for school tests etc. It may include mentoring a parent so they can assist when the volunteer is no longer present. Volunteer tutors usually meet with the child after school or in the evenings. Most assignments span the school year while others may be more short term. Some tutors are involved in an organized group tutoring service with specific times and agency locations. This opportunity is a high need area for the agency

SPECIAL FRIEND/BUDDY
The volunteer will act as a positive role model in a one-to-one relationship with a child aged 5 to 12. The volunteer will provide recreational activities depending on the needs of the child, as well as offering their friendship and support. Volunteer befrienders meet with children once per week during evenings or weekends for 2-4 hours. Most commitments are long term, lasting up to one year. Occasionally there are shorter-term assignments. This volunteer opportunity is a high need area for the agency.

MENTORS
Volunteer mentors are matched with adolescents. Like befrienders they are meeting with the adolescent on a regular basis for 2-4 hours per week during evenings or weekends. Mentors act as role models to teens and are there to listen and involve teens in activities in the community.

DRIVER
The volunteer driver provides consistent volunteer transportation to clients taking them to appointments, access visits, day care, camps, school etc. Drivers are required to provide their own vehicle, a clean Driving Abstract, and a copy of One Million Dollars Liability insurance. Mileage is reimbursed. Volunteer drivers may choose the hours they wish to drive as deemed appropriate by the Transportation Service Unit. Drivers need to indicate whether they are comfortable driving during the day, evening, or weekends. This opportunity is a high need area for the agency.

CHILD CARE
The volunteer will provide childcare in a client’s family home to give the parent(s) a break. You will interact with the children through play, crafts, games and other stimulating activities. Childcare can be assigned to any time of day or evening depending on the needs of the client family. Commitment may vary. Some Childcare volunteers assist with parenting groups and programs that require childcare. This opportunity is a minimal need area for the agency.

PARENT AIDE
The volunteer will help to facilitate the client’s life skill development. This could include developing time management and organizational skills around housecleaning, shopping, or appointments. You will assist the client with contacts with community service providers. The commitment can be long term or short term. Volunteers usually meet with the parent for 2-4 hours per week during the day, but may also meet with them in the evening or on weekends. This opportunity is a minimal need area for the agency.

RESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEERS
Residential Services provide a safe environment for children who need to be removed from their parent’s care. The volunteer will act as an extra set of hands for helping at the home. You will role model social skills and life skills. You will act as a friend and work on any issues that have been identified by the caseworker. Time commitment is 2-4 hours once per week for six months or more. Most residential volunteers perform their assignments in residences during the evening or on weekends. This opportunity is a minimal need area for the agency.

Non Direct Client Services

SOCIAL HISTORY/LIFE BOOK RESEARCHER
Gathering information on the child’s family history, development and history in care the volunteer will develop and compile a Social History/A Life Book for children who are Crown Wards. Information gathered will be detailed enough for the child to understand where they came from, what happened to them and why. Volunteers must come into the Kitchener office during office hours to research and compile the information. A commitment to complete one social history or lifebook project is mandatory, (this often requires three months. This opportunity is a medium need area for the agency.

OFFICE VOLUNTEERS
Office or Administrative Support volunteers come into the Kitchener office to provide assistance with photocopying, data entry, stuffing envelopes, collation of training and information packages. Volunteers may come in on a once per week basis for a morning or afternoon or as needed. This opportunity is a medium need area for the agency.

CHRISTMAS VOLUNTEERS
The following assignments usually require a 2-3 hour time commitment depending on scheduling by the Fundraising and Communications unit. This opportunity is a high need area for the agency.

• Couriers pick up and deliver donations and gifts
• Adopt-a-Family Volunteers may help with shopping, wrapping and picking up gifts and donations
• Radio-thon Pledge Volunteers take pledges over the phone at CHYM during the Tree of Hope Campaign
• Satellite Donation Volunteers host satellite booths at three area malls during the Radio-thon to collect donations from shoppers.
• Parade Float Volunteers help to decorate and ride on a float for the Santa Claus Parades.

PROJECT/SPECIAL EVENT ASSISTANT
The volunteer will assist with the organization of an event or a task. It may involve attending meetings, administrative tasks, making phone calls, data input or driving. Most assignments will involve booth duty, registration duty, or taking pledges over the phone during public relations or fundraising events like the Multicultural Festival, Tooney Tuesdays, and Kidspark. Most tasks/events are short term. They can require a commitment of once per year to once per week depending on the volunteer’s availability.
This opportunity is a medium need area for the agency.

TOYWASHING
Volunteers wash toys in access visit rooms at the Kitchener agency or other community access visit sites. Times may vary, but the commitment is for 1-2 hours per week for at least three months. This opportunity is a medium need for the agency.

In our 2003-2004 fiscal year, our agency had 246 volunteers registered.
Volunteers drove half a million kilometers.
Volunteers donated over 35,000 hours of their time.

Former volunteer befriender N.B. recounted her chance meeting with a young woman she had befriended ten years ago who was a child client of the agency. They recognized each other and the former client asked N. what she was doing. N. said she was writing a message in a card and was having difficulty finding the right words. The now 18 year old client offered "well why don't you do what you told me to do... write a draft first" . N. was very impressed that something she had said to the then 8 year old girl stayed with her and she uses the advise today.

L.M., a volunteer driver recounts that as a senior he was not sure he could manage the behaviour of small children in the car. After successful navigation of several volunteer driving assignments he said "I really love these kids". That statement was made 3 and a half years ago and L. is still transporting children and youth.

Nan A, a volunteer who has completed 15 lifebooks says there can be some very difficult things to read in child's file when you are researching their social history/ lifebook. But there are positives too. I feel like I go on their journey while I am doing this research. I feel privileged to do this for a child.

Forms

Volunteer Expense Form

Volunteer Monthly Report

phone (519) 576-0540 and ask for a Volunteer Services Staff
or email us at volunteer.services@facswaterloo.org