HOW CAN I HELP?
Volunteers are a vital part of all that goes on at Amazing Place. We are grateful for the time, talents and skills volunteers provide to enhance our Day Program and the operations of our center. We also appreciate the important role volunteers play in promoting our mission out in the community.
Have questions or need help deciding which opportunity is the best fit for you? Please contact our Director of Volunteer Services, Susie Howard, at showard@amazingplacehouston.org.
ARE YOU A STUDENT?
Check out our STARS Program page to learn more about our program for Summer 2024.
If you have any questions about our STARS program or volunteering with Amazing Place, please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Monica McCloskey, at mmcloskey@amazingplacehouston.org
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, our Cuidando con Respeto program has volunteer opportunities available on some evenings and weekends for Spanish speaking volunteers.
No, we want to provide opportunities that work with your schedule. However, the most beneficial volunteer experience for both Amazing Place and the volunteer is a repeat assignment at specific intervals (weekly, bimonthly, monthly). This allows meaningful relationships to be formed between volunteers, participants, and staff.
We usually schedule volunteer shifts from 2-3 hours. In our Day Program, we have shifts from 8am-9:30am, 9:30am-11:30am, 11:30am-1pm, 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm. Our front desk shifts are typically from 4pm-6pm. Volunteers who help in the kitchen typically work from 9am-12pm or 1pm-3pm. Bible Study Leaders and Art Teachers typically dedicate an hour and a half to include set up and clean up.
Yes, prior to volunteering, our volunteers must attend an orientation where we provide extensive training on dementia, strategies for interacting with our participants, HIPPA, and handling emergencies. Our training also includes information on our history and mission, how we operate, our philosophy of care, volunteer guidelines, online scheduling through our volunteer portal, and any necessary training specific to your volunteer assignment.
Volunteer Orientations are typically scheduled once a month from 10am-12pm. You must sign up ahead of time to attend a specific training. Certain dates get cancelled or rescheduled and we need to be able to let you know. We will work with you to schedule training if you are unable to attend on a scheduled training date.
We welcome entertainment groups of all kinds. Our participants are a very friendly, attentive, and appreciative audience. Because of the nature of dementia, we typically cannot offer large group volunteer opportunities other than entertainment. In addition, the training requirements for interacting with our participants make one-time group opportunities challenging.
We do! Check out our STARS Program page for more information.
Managing volunteering with school schedules can be difficult which is why we concentrate on student volunteers during the summer break. Many of our STARS, once trained, continue volunteering throughout the next school year on school breaks or late afternoons after school.
Already a volunteer? Click below to schedule your next volunteer opportunity.