VOLUNTEER | FPMC

Volunteer Opportunities!

We are looking to expand our volunteer force within Monroe County. Traditionally, Family Promise has always sheltered our guest families within churches in our local area for one week at each church we partner with. Now, we are expanding to partner with other locations in the Tomah and Sparta areas. We now have an agreement with Sparta Park and Rec to use the Barney Center once a month in our rotation. We are also building a similar relationship with The Kupper Ratsch Senior Center in Tomah. With such a wide range of opportunities and so many great ways to serve, we ask that you check them out below and sign up for any activities that may interest you. Every little bit goes a long way to helping our community families on a generational scale by giving parents and their children the opportunity for stability, education, health, and the chance for them to contribute back for generations to come. Here is what we are currently the most in need of:

Shelter Volunteering
Volunteering within the shelter and serving families directly is a uniquely rewarding experience. There are several opportunities to do so in various fashions. Every shelter volunteer receives 3 hours of orientation and training to prepare them and ensure that a positive experience is shared between volunteers and guest families. Volunteers can choose from in-person as a group or online at their own pace to complete the course.

Host Coordinators/Assistant Coordinators

The success of each Affiliate’s shelter program depends, in part, upon the efforts and enthusiasm of hundreds of volunteers. A coordinator is the volunteer who organizes the other volunteers and manages the program at each host site. A primary coordinator ensures that the host site’s program runs smoothly.

Coordinators facilitate the work of the many volunteers needed to run host week. The roles and responsibilities of Family Promise volunteers are described in the Family Promise Guide for Volunteer Hosts; coordinators need to become familiar with that publication.

Many sites choose to have more than one primary coordinator. By doing so, the responsibility is shared. It allows the group more flexibility if one primary coordinator is unavailable for the host week.

Generally, the Host Coordinator dedicates themselves to four weeks of the year through a sign-up genius. They schedule volunteers at the shelter from 4:00 PM to 8:00 AM the following morning, Monday through Friday. They schedule meals to be covered by other volunteers in the evenings. They also schedule shelter activities for full days on Saturdays and Holidays and the first half of a day on the last Sunday. The Host Coordinator also has the full support of the Family Promise Office to provide the guest families’ weekly schedules, food suggestions, family profiles to prepare any accommodations, and a list of volunteers to provide services.

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Daytime/Evening Volunteers

Evening Volunteers always work in pairs or a minimum of 2 and are responsible for letting families into the shelter site location at 4:00/4:30 PM and stay with them until around 8:00 PM. Daytime volunteers are needed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. They serve the same purpose as Evening Volunteers, but they serve between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Both are responsible for sitting with the families and helping keep an eye on the shelter site and the families' safety. Volunteers are never accountable for watching a family's children. Parents are responsible for their children. A volunteer is welcome to interact with adults and children in the program via games and activities as much is appropriate or welcomed by the families.

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Overnight Volunteers

Overnight volunteers generally arrive at 8:00 PM and stay overnight with the guest families until 8:00 AM. Overnight requires two volunteers to always be present. Families will not be coming and going throughout the night unless their employment requires it of them. In this case, a volunteer must let that person in at a predetermined time. Volunteers have their room or personal divided section in which they sleep. Some mornings, we understand that volunteers must also start their day before 8:00 AM, so another volunteer may arrive for a couple of hours to sit with the family until it is time for them to depart.

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Dinner Volunteers

Dinner volunteers also usually work in pairs and are responsible for bringing a meal for volunteers and families staying at the shelter in the evenings. We encourage meals to be homemade and comforting for families. (Sometimes comforting can be a pizza night once a week.) Funding for these meals can come from various sources. Some groups of volunteers (congregations/coworkers) collect donations for meals for their host week. Other times, a Thrivent Action Team will be used to buy food. Sometimes, a business or church sponsors food for the entire host week.

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Other Ways To Volunteer

Volunteering within the shelter and serving families directly is a uniquely rewarding experience. There are several opportunities to do so in various fashions. Every shelter volunteer receives 3 hours of orientation and training to prepare them and ensure a positive experience is shared between volunteers and guest families. Volunteers can choose from in-person as a group or online at their own pace to complete the course.

Traditionally, Family Promise has always sheltered our guest families within churches in our local area for one week at each church we partner with. Now, we are expanding to partner with other locations in the Tomah and Sparta areas. Here is what we are currently the most in need of help with:

Volunteer Drivers & Movers

Driver volunteers only require one volunteer at a time but are welcome to work in pairs. Family Promise has a 15-passenger van used to transport families who do not otherwise have transportation, and it is also used to move our 14ft enclosed trailer from one host site to another on the weekends. Must be able to provide a valid driver's license and a safe driving record.

During the week, when required, the driver picks up the family and takes them to the day center or work in the morning. In the afternoon, the driver picks up the family at the day center or work and takes them back to the shelter in the evening. Sometimes, a driver may be needed in the middle of the day to get a family or family member to a specific appointment approved by their case manager.

On Sundays, a driver picks up the Family Promise trailer with beds loaded and takes it to the following hosting location. At this time, some families may be moved with the trailer in tow. Families are expected to help pack and unpack when they are capable.

Movers are also needed randomly throughout the year. It is best to have a team of movers working together when needed. Movers help families move into their new homes when they graduate. Movers are also required when receiving donations of items.

Event Volunteers

Event volunteers are needed for various community engagements throughout the year. Each event can provide a variety of different activities that serve both our community and the mission of Family Promise. Examples of our events are:

· Brat Barn Sales

· Chili Cookoff and Night Without a Bed

· Parking at Cranfest

· Trunk or Treat

· Live entertainment and basket raffles

· Car Show

· Parades

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Day Center Volunteers

Day center volunteers are needed throughout the week for a few hours at a time to help clean and organize. Our Staff and families are always bustling, working towards their goals, and it is nice to have help keeping the place clean and organized. Such things would include but not limited to:

· Sweeping and mopping floors

· Cleaning bathrooms

· Organizing shelves

· Washing linens

· Cleaning Windows and surface areas

· Cleaning Toys

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