Crafts Volunteer Opportunities

The agency provides volunteer opportunities to individuals who live in Los Angeles County and surrounding counties. Volunteer opportunities include career development volunteer opportunities, clerical volunteer opportunities, crafts volunteer opportunities, handyworker volunteer opportunities, holiday related volunteer opportunities, mentoring services volunteer opportunities, and sewing/needlecraft volunteer opportunities. There are no geographic restrictions.

Clerical volunteers help several administrative departments, including finance, development, and resources, with filing, typing, making copies, and other general office duties.

Crafts volunteers and sewing/needlecraft volunteers possess creative skills and teach crafts to small groups of girls in the agency's Residential Treatment Program. Volunteers with special skills in areas such as sewing and music are especially desired.

Handyworker volunteers help the maintenance department with carpentry, painting, bike repair, gardening, and a host of other projects.

Holiday related volunteer opportunities help with special events, create table decorations for the central dining room, or assist in organizing and wrapping gifts. Christmas is the busiest time of year for Holiday volunteers.

Mentoring volunteers are positive role models for agency residents, young girls from age 11 through 20 and transitional age youth (TAY) males and females ages 18 through 25 who lack the adequate support system during crucial times in their lives. Mentors, who are at least 21, use their wisdom and experience to help a younger person develop greater knowledge, self-esteem, coping skills, and social abilities. A mentor teaches a young mentee responsible decision-making by listening, encouraging, and demonstrating maturity through their actions. Mentoring volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of one year, enough time to insure that each mentored youth is able to fully experience the benefits of a mentor relationship. Once the mentor relationship is established, the agency asks mentors to make a weekly phone call to their mentee and to visit at least twice each month. Consistency is very important.

The agency has a Corporate Volunteer Days program as well as an Adopt-A-Cottage program. In the Corporate Volunteer Days program, companies can host a day for their employees to do a service project at the agency. In the Adopt-A-Cottage program companies or wealthy individuals "adopt" a cottage of six to ten girls and help plan birthday and holiday celebrations, plant flowers, or provide cottage necessities.

Mentoring volunteers attend on-going training support meetings every other month. Mentor volunteers must be at least 21 years old.