Individual Volunteer Opportunities Learn about the many ways you can make a difference in the lives of First Coast children and families. Become a United Way volunteer. Sign up to help today!

Investing in What Matters

Parent/Caregiver Workshop Leader

Volunteers are needed to conduct turn-key, interactive workshops with parents and other care givers of children ages 0-5 through workplaces and other community venues. Workshops help parents and caregivers who either don't know exactly what actions to take to prepare young children for school, or feel they don't have time to do what is needed.
Training required: Training in use of materials and curriculum, as well as facilitation skills is provided.
Contact: Melodie Dove, 390-3225

Senior Independence and Engagement

Life: Act 2
A community collaboration, led by United Way, Life: Act 2 takes a pro-active approach to issues affecting older adults. This initiative mobilizes and coordinates senior-related resources, offers programs to assure seniors' easy access to integrated health and social service systems, and develops programs that promote a shift in the way our community views and values seniors and the aging process.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided.

The following Life: Act 2 volunteer positions are currently available.

Balance For Life Program: Volunteers are needed to assist with The Balance For Life Program. Help seniors determine their risk of falling and learn ways to reduce or avoid falls. You will have the opportunity for hands-on involvement by working with service providers, senior citizens and area businesses. You will also assist in fall risk assessments at various places, such as Senior Centers and the YMCA.
Training required: Training for volunteers will take a couple of hours, usually at the site of the assessments.
Contact: Lale Gerger, 390-3224 or get more info

Reading/Book Project: Volunteers are needed to read books to elementary school students in Duval County as part of an evaluation component of a special literacy project. The initiative, called Multigenerational Early Literacy Collaboration (MELC), produces books designed to help generate a shift in young children's perception of aging. On a seasonal basis, additional volunteers will be utilized to help deliver books to schools and other sites throughout the five-county service area.
Training required: For volunteers who participate as readers, an orientation on appropriate strategies for reading to young children will be provided. For book delivery volunteers, training includes an overview of MELC.
Contact: Mark LeMaire, 390-3234

Senior Services: Volunteers are needed to distribute educational information on services for seniors. Informational resource sheets will be placed in such venues as grocery stores, doctor's offices, and senior centers. Volunteers are also needed to assemble "hospital discharge information toolkits" for local distribution.
Training required: An orientation briefing will be provided for those volunteers who assist with distribution of materials.
Contact: Jeannie Burhans, 390-3292

Financial Stability and Well-Being

Real$ense Prosperity Campaign
The Real$ense Prosperity Campaign helps low-income families achieve their financial goals through free tax assistance to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and/or to attend financial classes that prepare them to start matched savings accounts.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided.
Contact: Jeff Winkler, 390-3207

The following Real$ense volunteer positions are currently available.

Tax Preparer: Volunteers learn limited tax law and prepare taxes via an on-line program (Tax Wise).
Training required: 16 to 20 hours of formal training, by either AARP Tax Aide or the IRS, requiring successful completion of a certification test at the end of the class.
Time commitment: 40 hours between January 15 and April 15

Client Coordinator: This volunteer greets taxpayers as they enter a free tax preparation site and keeps the waiting room running smoothly. This person will perform the following tasks:

- Greet taxpayers
- Sign them in
- Review their paperwork to make certain they have everything they need
- Refer them to a financial counselor if one is present at that location
- Make certain that taxpayers get their taxes prepared according to their turn

Training required: 4 to 6 hours of training
Time Commitment: 40 hours between January 15 and April 15

Quality Review Specialist: This volunteer will review completed tax returns to make certain that there are no glaring errors and that steps have not been missed. QR Specialists will also answer questions from newer tax preparers as necessary.
Training required: Training in tax law and Tax Wise software
Time Commitment: 40 hours between January 15 and April 15

Financial Greeters/Counselors: As taxpayers wait to have their taxes completed, the Financial Greeter talks to taxpayers about investing a portion of their refund (if they receive one) into a matched savings account, a program that allows them to earn $2 for every $1 they save. Financial Greeters also tell taxpayers about free financial classes available to them. Time commitment includes a 4 to 6 hour training. Volunteers will be asked to donate at least 40 hours between (January 15 and April 15).
Training required: 4 to 6 hours of training
Time Commitment: 40 hours between January 15 and April 15

Helping Students and Their Families

Full Service Schools
Full Service Schools of Jacksonville is working to connect families, schools and neighbors to help students overcome the non-academic barriers they face.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided
Contact: Ross McDonough, 390-3247

The following Full Service Schools volunteer positions are available.

Oversight Committee Members: Volunteers, who are residents of the community that the specific site serves, are needed as voting members. For other sites, volunteers are requested to serve as non-voting resource members. In this capacity, these persons are not required to live or work in the neighborhood, but have an interest or skill needed by the oversight committees in order to perform certain functions. Examples of tasks include: organizing a health fair or the design and analysis of a needs/assets assessment.

Tutors: Volunteers are needed to provide after-school homework assistance at all sites.

Program Leaders: Conduct curriculum-based programs to benefit our children and families. FAST, Rainbows (curriculum driven grief group for children) and PASSport are all programs that have a proven impact on kids and can be led by volunteers.

Mentors: Volunteers work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida and Take Stock in Children to mentor an individual young student.
Training required:Up to 8 hours of training
Time Commitment:One hour per week for one year

College Student Interns: Students working toward degrees in health and human services fields will be utilized in program areas where appropriate supervision is available.

Classroom Helpers:Many classrooms are in need of volunteers during the school day to provide various services.

Facility Helpers: Volunteers of varying skill levels will provide improvements such as light painting and landscaping at sites and schools where needed.

Where to Turn for Help in Northeast Florida

United Way 2-1-1
United Way's 2-1-1 is our community's 24-hour information and referral helpline. It also serves as our community's suicide intervention hotline. Trained call center specialists respond to approximately 70,000 calls for help each year.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided.
Contact: Bob Arnold, 390-3278, or Terri Swanson, 390-3283

The following United Way 2-1-1 volunteer positions are available.

Resource Database updates - data entry (updating system and manual entries) Volunteers with the ability to type and basic computer skills are needed to update the 2-1-1's database of services. Volunteers will be trained on entering data into ServicePoint.

Directory call-backs and follow-ups Volunteers are needed to follow-up with previous 2-1-1 callers for quality assurance and to determine if the referrals provided were helpful. Volunteers will be trained on the use of a prepared script and on documentation of calls.

UW 2-1-1 Call Center Specialists Volunteers with good communication and basic computer skills are needed to answer calls to 2-1-1 during times of high call volume including following natural disasters. Volunteers will learn how to enter ServicePoint data entries. The volunteer will also learn about AIRS taxonomy, the UW 2-1-1 AVAYA phone system, how to answer suicide calls (depending on the volunteer), and all AIRS requirements and standards - that are set forth in the AIRS ABC's and Taxonomy of Information and Referral.

Receptionist / Administrative Assistant Volunteers with computer skills are needed to assist with the day-to-day administrative work of 2-1-1 including faxing, processing mail and assisting with data gathering. The volunteer will be trained in United Way processes and machinery including copy, fax and mail.

UW 2-1-1 presentations to the community Volunteers adept at public speaking are needed to spread the word about 2-1-1. Volunteers will be trained using a prepared presentation, with speaking engagements coordinated and scheduled by staff.

Telling Our Story

Marketing and Communications Administrative Volunteer

assists the Marketing and Communications Department in: compiling media clippings; maintaining and updating media lists and public relations rosters; monitoring community calendars for United Way event scheduling; organizing and inventorying event props and marketing materials; and assembling event materials and public relations packets.
Contact: Janet Owens, 390-3245