Next scheduled volunteer orientation is Tuesday, July 29, 2008 from 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. at the CSSMV Center for Families, 1046 Brown Street in Dayton. Individual orientations are available. For more information, contact Cathy Guerrant at 937-223-7217 x1146 or via e-mail at volunteer@cssmv.org.

Most volunteer opportunities are for the Montgomery County area, except the Respite Care Program, which is expanding to Greene County. Unless otherwise indicated, many of our volunteer opportunities are flexible. The volunteer opportunities below are organized in the following manner:

Spotlight Volunteer Area:

Choice Pantry Volunteers:

• Personal Shopper - Guide customer thru selecting a pre determined number of food items from food list and other household or personal items when available.
  
  
• Traffic/Hospitality/Stock – Greet customer and Monitor hallways to direct customer in right direction. Stock and prepare food for distribution to eligible clients. Clean work area before signing out for both main choice pantry and stock storage as appropriate. Assist customer when needed.

Volunteers are generally needed Tuesday-Friday from 9:15–11:30am. The pantry is located at 922 W. Riverview Ave., Dayton.  

Volunteer Opportunities at our 1046 Brown Street Center for Families Office

Erma’s House Family Visitation Center

Erma’s House was created to assist families that have difficulty interacting in a non-threatening manner and is structured to provide safety to both the custodial parents and the children. The need for supervised visitation may be due to issues related to divorce or separation, protection-restraining orders between parties, threats, child abuse or neglect issues, safety concerns or other visitation issues where a neutral setting would increase a family’s level of comfort or safety.

Volunteer Visit Monitor: Volunteers provide supervision of scheduled visits (visits are generally 1-2 ½ hours) and exchanges. Initial training of 10 hours is required. Ongoing training is provided throughout the year.

Erma’s House is open Sunday afternoons between 1:00 - 6:00 pm, Tuesday and Friday (3:00 – 6:00 p.m.) and Wednesday and Thursday (3:00 – 8:00 p.m.). Some daytime volunteer hours are available to assist families with preschoolers.

Administration

Volunteers answer calls at the front desk (low volume), assist clients, and greet agency visitors, as well as performing some administrative duties, such as helping with mailings, putting together packets, etc.

Volunteer Opportunities at Other Locations

Senior Visiting Volunteer

Be a weekly visitor to offer companionship and socialization to an isolated senior in Montgomery County, while helping with small chores such as writing letters, watering plants, or making phone calls. Time commitment is 1-2 hours each week with occasional phone calls. Nine hours of training is provided.

Interfaith Care Teams / Interfaith Mentors

Interfaith Care Teams and Mentors offer support and guidance to low-income families who are working towards economic and personal self-sufficiency.

Volunteers are needed to provide tutoring, mentoring, problem solving, and support for 1-2 hours each week. Two hours of training is provided to volunteers.

Refugee Resettlement

Volunteers assist refugees when they first arrive in the U.S. The refugees assisted are coming to CSSMV through the US Government’s Refugee Resettlement Program.

Volunteer Interpreter: Volunteer interpreters assist new refugees at medical and social service appointments and with orientation and acculturation issues. Needed languages are Arabic, Turkish, and Uzbekistan. Time commitment is based on volunteer availability.

Resettlement and Acculturation Volunteer: Provide tutoring, job coaching, transportation for new arrivals to appointments, assistance with enrolling children in school, locating housing, and assisting with acculturation.

Transportation Volunteer: Volunteers who have trucks or other large vehicles are needed to transport donations of household items.

Warehouse Manager: Manager would organize agency warehouse containing donated items for refugees, including putting items in appropriate areas and identifying items to be thrown out. Manager would also identify items that need minor repair and repair them or try to find a way to get them repaired.

Development/Fundraising

Volunteers are needed to assist with friend-raising events, such as the Jazz Party or Northern Counties Harvest of Caring.

Family Volunteer Opportunities

Literacy/Reading

Collect books to be distributed to clients/children in our pantry, refugee resettlement, and teen programs, and to be used and distributed in our Erma’s House Visitation Center, mental health services, or CSSMV day care center. Ask a local bookstore to assist with encouraging their customers to purchase and donate a book for a local child. Partner with area bookstores to promote literacy to under-privileged children and encourage family volunteering as a way of life by collecting books. Ask the local library to donate unpurchased books, videos, etc. after their twice-annual book sale. Write or read to children at the CSSMV day care center. Volunteer to provide tutoring or be a homework helper to help people learn how to read or improve their skills (refugee resettlement, interfaith, day care). Organize a fundraiser to buy school supplies, puzzles, and “fun” books.

Environmental

Plant flowers and clean trash from the landscaping of CSSMV office buildings.

Organize a community “house cleaning” day or week and have people donate furniture and other gently used household items to the refugee resettlement program.

Wipe down walls and wash windows.

Recycle cans or newspapers to raise money for Erma’s House.

Opening Your Heart and Home

Help refugee families prepare for school by collecting school supplies and putting them in backpacks.

Make refugee “Welcome to America” kits containing toiletries, such as a comb, brush, toothpaste, toothbrush, lip chap, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper, etc.

Ask your dentist to donate toothbrushes, toothpaste, or dental floss and donate them (refugee resettlement, pantry).

Organize a neighborhood food drive and donate the non-perishable food items to the food pantry.

Become a Pen Pal to a client in the senior programs or a child in our refugee resettlement program.

Collect teddy bears, purchase toys, or make a craft item for the day care children to receive when Santa Claus visits every year. Or donate such items to the Santa Shop program.

Adopt a family for Christmas through our Holiday Help-A-Family program.

Make videos or cassettes for children in our programs, such as Erma’s House, mental health, or the day care center. Videos or cassettes can include singi