Volunteering is one of the single most rewarding things you can do with your time. St. Vincent Catholic Charities offers a wide range of opportunities for you to get involved and make a difference in your community.  We know your time is precious and we will work with you to help provide a volunteer experience that fits your personal mission, time and talents.

APPLY NOW:

View our available volunteer opportunities below and apply via the the button below!


AVAILABLE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

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.

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.


WHY VOLUNTEER?

Giving freely of your time and talents to help those in need is simply a good hearted thing to do. But with good choices come wonderful benefits.

GAIN EXPERIENCE! Volunteerism gives you the opportunity to gain experience and improve life skills that can be used in your professional and personal life.

ATTRACT EMPLOYERS AND COLLEGES! Employers and schools are always looking for candidates with a variety of skill sets and experience; volunteer experience is a key component on applications and resumes.

EDUCATE! When you volunteer with those we serve, you will learn more about your own culture as well as theirs. Many of those we serve are refugees who are coming to the U.S.A. for the first time. You will learn stories from around the world, experience new foods, music and communication.

STRENGTHEN YOUR COMMUNITY! For every small action we take to improve the lives of our neighbors, there is a ripple effect. Through empowering children and families, fostering housing stability, enhancing quality of life, you are advancing our community health.

PROVIDE HELP, CREATE HOPE! Children are completely vulnerable to their surroundings. We are raising adults and they are learning based on what they see and hear around them. Our leaders of tomorrow are being molded today. We are each a part of this, so it is vitally important to make our part count.