ALTERNATIVE HOUSE
THE ABUSED AND HOMELESS CHILDREN'S REFUGE
***Come join us for the next Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, September 18th between 10-11 am. Please call Christine Bartell-Volunteer Coordinator at 703-506-9191 to reserve your space.
Download our Volunteer Application or Youth Advisory Council Application here.
Alternative House strives to thoroughly evaluate all potential volunteers since we work with at-risk youth populations. Because of this, our application process for on-going volunteers takes time and this is also mainly due to the time frame needed for obtaining the results of the required background investigations. On average, our application process for on-going volunteer opportunities takes six weeks. If you are interested in one of the "Special Projects", then please give us a call as they do not require a volunteer application to be completed or background investigations.
-
Attend a Volunteer Orientation. These are held monthly. Our next Volunteer Orientation will be on Saturday, September 18th between 10-11 am. Please RSVP to Christine Bartell at Admin@TheAlternativeHouse.org or 703-506-9191 as space is limited.
-
Submit a completed Volunteer Application or Youth Advisory Council Application.
-
Alternative House will contact your references.
-
You will be asked to interview with the Program Director for the program that you will be volunteering for.
-
You will be asked to come in to complete additional paperwork which includes the forms for two background investigations* and you will need to provide proof of a negative TB screening (within the last 6 months). *Background investigations are not required for volunteers under the age of 18.
-
For Shelter volunteers, there are two additional training sessions which are held quarterly and both must be completed prior to beginning your volunteer work.
Volunteer Opportunities:
sssImmediate need for a Help the Homeless Walk Program Intern
s 8-12 hours per week
s Commitment until December 15th
s Responsibilities include Recruiting, Marketing, Fundraising, Logistics, Administrative and Acknowledgement
Contact Gina Cocomello (Development Director) at Gina_Cocomello@thealternativehouse.org or
call at 703-506-9191 to learn more about the program.
*** We are desperately seeking a volunteer who is 18 yrs old + who would like to help us with maintaining our yard doing mowing, trimming, watering, and weeding. We welcome it on a weekly basis or a one time committment.
Special Projects / Group Projects
Increase knowledge of the Emergency Shelter for Teenagers within the teen community
Promote the Shelter program within schools
Provide input into the Alternative House programs
Plan fundraising and service projects
Commitment:
September—June (must commit for one full school year)
Meetings are 1st Wednesday of the month 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Location:
2100 Gallows Road
Vienna, VA 22182
Requirements:
Must be high school students and commit to one full school year of service. Please complete our separate Youth Advisory Council Application.
Shelter and Hotline Volunteers
Work directly with the residents at the Emergency Shelter for Teenagers.
Participate in life skill groups
Lead recreation activities
Talk informally with the teens
Assist counselors with daily duties
Answer calls on our crisis hotline (1-800-SAY-TEEN)
Times (weekly commitment required):
Between 9:00 AM and 10:00 PM 7 days a week - we are especially looking for people who are available during the daytime Monday - Friday.
Location:
2100 Gallows Road
Vienna, VA 22182
Requirements:
Must be at least 16 years old and be willing to commit to one year of volunteer service.
Culmore Teen Center Volunteers
The Teen Center is a drop-in recreation facility for middle school and high school students, located in the Culmore neighborhood in Falls Church.
Engage informally with youth
Serve as positive role models who provide encouragement and support to youth
Provide homework help
Participate in recreation activities and life skills group sessions. The Teen Center is a drop-in recreation facility for middle school and high school students, located in the Culmore neighborhood in Falls Church. A weekly commitment is required. Volunteers must be 18 years old.
Times (weekly commitment required):
Monday—Thursday 3:00 to 9:00 PM
Fridays 3:00 to 6:00 PM
Location:
6017 Argyle Drive
Falls Church, VA 22041
Requirements:
Must be at least 18 years old and commit to six months of volunteer service.
Culmore Safe Youth Project &
Annandale Safe Project Project
Provide homework help and tutoring
Participate in recreation activities
Assist with workshops
Engage informally with the youth
Assist with supervision of youth on field trips
Times (weekly commitment required):
Currently, we are looking for volunteers for our Culmore location.
Mondays 1:00 to 6:00 PM
Tuesdays—Thursday 3:30 to 6:00 PM
Culmore Location: Annandale Location:
6033 B Culmore Court St. Barnabas Church
Falls Church, VA 22041 4801 Ravensworth Drive
Annandale, VA 22003
Requirements:
Must be at least 16 years old and commit to six months of volunteer service.
Franconia After School Program
Girls Program
Boys Program
Provide homework help and tutoring
Participate in recreation activities
Assist with workshops
Engage informally with the youth
Assist with supervision of youth on field trips
Times (weekly commitment required):
Boys Program - Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Franconia Family Resource Center
7224 Commerce Street
Springfield, VA 22150
Requirements:
Must be at least 16 years old and commit to six months of volunteer service.
Assisting Young Mothers Volunteers
Offer encouragement and support to the young mothers and children
Provide individualized attention to the infants and toddlers, helping them progress developmentally
Once the volunteer has been with the program for a few months, there is opportunity to spend time with the mothers, being there to listen to them and offer them encouragement and support.
Times (weekly commitment required):
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.
Location:
Fairfax, VA 22031
Requirements:
Must be at least 21 years old and commit to six months of volunteer service.
Many of our clients and residents are in the process of completing their education and are in need of tutoring. The times for tutoring vary greatly and we will try to work with prospective tutors on the scheduling.
Emergency Teen Shelter tutoring– Our residents need assistance with their high school nightly assignments and other work when they are not in school.
Homeless Youth Initiative - Our residents need assistance with their high school nightly assignments. Volunteers are needed Tuesdays - Thursdays from 6 - 8pm.
Assisting Young Mothers Program tutoring – Our young mothers may need assistance with completing their high school work or preparing for their GED examination. We are looking specifically for tutors to help with preparation for GED and CNA exams.
Outreach Programs tutoring– Students at all of our Outreach centers are in need of assistance with their nightly assignments. Grade level varies from 4th – 12th grade and locations include the Culmore Teen Center and the Culmore Safe Youth Project.
Annandale Target Youth Program - looking for tutors who can work with students who are struggling academically at Annandale High School. Volunteers are needed for Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4pm.
Time: Varies by program
Commitment and Requirements: All volunteers must be 18 and completed at least some college.
Location: Available at all program locations.
Interns perform various duties based on their field of study. Examples include:
Psychology, Social Work, Sociology and Counseling majors providing supervised counseling for shelter residents
Marketing and Public Relations majors updating the marketing strategy and creating new marketing materials.
Graphic Design majors creating brochures and posters, and helping to define Alternative House’s image.
Alternative House works with students of accredited universities and colleges who are enrolled in courses that require an internship as part of the course. Master’s-level internships are available and supervision from a licensed therapist is provided for those interns. On a limited basis, we may accept applications from High School internship programs. Please e-mail a complete Alternative House volunteer application, along with your resume, number of hours needed, semester for desired internship, and supervision requirements to Susie Guido at Susie_Guido@TheAlternativeHouse.org or 703-356-6360.
Special Projects / Group Projects
Do not have time for an ongoing commitment? Do you have special skills or interests that could benefit us? Are you part of a group looking for a volunteer opportunity? Please contact us to discuss the possibility of individual or group opportunities at any of our locations. Young volunteers may need to be accompanied by at least one adult.
There is no need to fill out an application, just call or e-mail us to find out what types of projects are available for individuals or groups!
In the past these have included:
-
Picking up donated food from local restaurants and delivering it to either the Emergency Shelter for Teenagers or the Community Outreach Program.
-
Donation drives.
-
Preparing dinner at the Emergency Shelter for Teenagers.
-
Preparing and dropping off a meal for the Assisting Young Mothers program, Homeless Youth Initiative, or Community Outreach program.
-
Preparing healthy snacks for any of the Outreach programs.
-
Sorting donations.
-
Yard work, painting, and many more household and “handyman” tasks.
-
Administrative work.
-
Website and social networking help - including blogging and Facebook.
· Summer yard work volunteers – Alternative House is looking for volunteers to help with yard work at our Assisting Young Mothers program. We have three town houses near the Vienna metro and Pan Am shopping center with small yards that need a little TLC. Opportunities are available on Weekdays during the daytime and afternoon.
· Snack food collection – This is a growing need of ours. Each week we provide about 450 snacks to youth in our programs. We are looking for groups who would be interested in collecting snack foods that we can provide for the youth in our programs. We do also have a list of suggested items that the kids especially like. Please click here to see lists of suggested items.
Christine Bartell
Volunteer Program Coordinator
(703) 506-9191
Admin@TheAlternativeHouse.org
|
United Way# 8893 CFC# 41814 |
Alternative House Phone: 703.506.9191
|
| [HOME] [ABOUT US] [EMERGENCY
SHELTER] [COMMUNITY OUTREACH]
|