St. Vincent Catholic Charities (STVCC) offers multiple volunteering opportunities across nine service areas. Volunteers must be of 18 years of age or older in order to have direct client contact. Volunteering opportunities are available for families and children through agency events. Please view below a list of volunteering opportunities available, along with descriptions.
CHILD WELFARE
CHILDCARE FOR SUPPORT GROUPS
Foster parent support groups for foster/adoptive parents meet and are able to receive the support they need from one another without agency workers present. The Childcare Volunteer would supervise approximately 10 children during the 90 minute sessions. The support group meets twice a month. The children could range from toddlers to adolescents.
MENTOR
The volunteer mentors are matched with children in the foster care or adoption programs to provide the children with positive adult role models. The role of the mentor is to provide the children with the security of knowing they have a constant source of support in their life. The children will also have an outlet and time away from their foster/adoptive family, which can be a healthy break for the entire family. Along with this, the mentor will assist children in working on goals in their treatment plans as deemed appropriate by the case manager/therapist. It is expected that the mentors can commit to being a mentor to a specific child for at least one year.
OFFICE/CLERICAL
Clerical support duties and responsibilities include filing, mailings, data entry, copying, special projects, creating community packets, making phone calls, and other projects and duties assigned as needed. Additional duties include receiving, reviewing, and entering data into our computer system or tracking database according to established procedures. Ensures accuracy of all data recorded and performs database maintenance functions, support STVCC’s vision, mission and goals.
CHILDREN’S HOME
MENTOR
Each mentor is assigned to a resident of the Children’s Home (ages 5 – 17) and is responsible for meeting with the mentee on a predetermined regular basis. The mentor serves as a role model to demonstrate that adults can give respect and develop safe and positive relationships. Mentors help improve self-esteem for the mentee via assistance in activities in academic and/or social areas.
RECREATIONAL
Recreation and Independent Living volunteer will be involved in planning, assessing and assisting in the planning and implementation of activities which enhance the experience of youth in care both from a recreational and therapeutic standpoint. These planned activities will be multi-faceted and meet the needs and interests of group and individual youth.
FACILITIES
GENERAL FACILITIES
Assist STVCC Facilities staff support agency clients. Activities include outdoor grounds upkeep, housing essentials sorting & organizing, donation pickup and delivery, and additional responsibilities as needed.
IMMIGRATION LAW CLINIC
INTERPRETER (part-time/on call basis)
Seeking individuals fluent in both English and one of the following languages: Spanish, French, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Farsi, Karenni, Burmese, and Nepali. The individual will provide confidential interpretation services at our offices during client appointments with an attorney. The volunteer must have access to email and reliable transportation.
REFUGEE SERVICES
FAMILY MENTOR
Family Mentors are concerned and compassionate community members who dedicate their personal time to introduce newly arriving refugees to a welcoming and safe community network that provides supplementary resettlement support services. Family Mentors are placed with appropriate client families through agreement with the STVCC Refugee Services Volunteer Coordinator and work with the client and Case Manager to design their service program based on the individual needs of each client.
The Family Mentor experience is a 4 month commitment with a requirement of 4 hours each month. This time frame benefits both the client and the volunteer. This is an adequate amount of time for the volunteer to assist the client with adjusting to life in Lansing, but ensures that a relationship of dependence is not formed. The goal for all STVCC clients is self-sufficiency. The Family Mentor is to act as a support as clients learn to navigate life for themselves. A family mentor does not do for the client, but teaches the client the skills to do for themselves. This model also allows one volunteer to help as many as three families each year.
TASK-BASED VOLUNTEER
STVCC is also seeking volunteers who, rather than focus on specific families, focus on specific tasks for multiple families. Task-based volunteering needs include transportation, tutoring, housing, and more. To see how you can get involved, contact Refugee Services Community Outreach Coordinator Veronika Parsamova at parsamv@stvcc.org or (517) 323.4734 ext. 1424.