Duties may include: Busser, Usher, Greeter, Tour Guide, Children's Crafts helper or Exhibit Animator.
Providing companionship to Individuals with development disabilities. Going for walks/outings, playing games, listening to music, sharing interests.
Make a difference in your community by becoming a VON SMART® Exercise and Falls Prevention program volunteer!
The goal of VON’s SMART (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together)® Exercise and Falls Prevention program is to enable adults 55+ to maintain independence, improve quality of life and to ultimately promote healthy aging. This functional exercise program can be found in various communities throughout Grey-Bruce.
VON SMART and Falls Prevention classes are led by volunteers who VON trains (2 days of practical plus the theory) and certify. Weekly we offer over 50 Level 1 and Level 2 classes in Grey Bruce with over 1,000 participants! We ask for a minimum commitment of 2 hours a week (one class) but have flexible schedules for those who are away for long periods of time. We are looking for volunteer instructors for both levels of classes.
Supportive care volunteers offer social and emotional support to individuals and families living with a life-threatening or life-limiting illness in Grey and Bruce counties (except Bruce Peninsula) * volunteers offer support for approximately 2-3 hours per week depending on need of individual and family and the availability of volunteers and offer respite for family caregivers and companionship to individuals and help facilitate bereavement groups * support provided in the client’s home, long term care homes and/or hospitals
Kids Help Phone’s texting service is the only free, 24/7 bilingual text line for people in Canada. The service is delivered by trained, volunteer crisis responders who work remotely.
We are recruiting overnight and or bilingual crisis responders who will answer texts from young people looking for support in both English AND French.
The volunteer position will be remote, meaning that you can participate from anywhere in Canada as long you have a strong, reliable internet connection!
Our volunteers need to be enthusiastic about helping people!
You can be a professional, student, teacher, retiree, or anybody else with a willingness to learn how to support people over text.
The role of a crisis responder is to bring texters from a “hot” moment to a cool calm one, and to help them come up with a plan to stay healthy and safe.
Crisis responders are trained to do this using active listening and collaborative problem-solving.
- Provide weekly companionship to client of Breaking Down Barriers.
- Assist with activities like arts & crafts, cooking, scrapbooking, weaving and Friendship Café
- Meet for conversation, maybe go for an outing and just be a friendly face to someone who may otherwise be isolated.
General Kitchen Duties
- Assisting the cook
- Preparing meals
- Baking
- Leader
- Grooming and tack up of the horse
- Leading of the horse for warm-up
- Control of the horse during class
- Un-tack horse and cleanup of equipment
- Sidewalker
- Support the rider as necessary to balance
- Assist rider to complete skills as needed
- Assist leader with tack and cleanup
- Support our Social Recreation Coordinator with the delivery of varied programs for people living with dementia.
- Ensure that participants are engaged
- Some light set up and clean up of the space for each program
- Training as appropriate for each course
- Volunteers participate in the activities along with the participants - It's fun!
- This program may be held virtually during the pandemic. A computer would be a requirement to volunteer in that case
- Help with the set up and clean up of refreshments, games, and activities for the program
- Assist the Minds in Motion Coordinator to ensure activity participation and socialization. This may include spending one-on-one time with participants who need extra support
- Under the direction of the Physical Activity Program Leader, provide one-on-one support to participants during the physical activity component of the program
- Assist with any other required tasks
- Provide companionship and friendship to an isolated senior or adult living with a disability by making at-home or over-the-phone visits on a regular basis
- Assist clients with activities that they are no longer able to do by themselves and which are of interest to the client: reading, writing, playing cards/games
- Provide a periodic monitoring of the client's well being
We do ask volunteers to try and commit to a period of time on a regular basis (e.g. a particular morning/evening every week or every other week) as it makes it easier for scheduling and also keeps the volunteer familiar to the animals they are caring for. With the dogs, this makes a big difference. We have some dogs that are with us for a while before finding a forever home so we try to have them handled by people they know as much as possible.
- Provide regular visits to assigned older adult clients, offering companionship, conversation & engagement in meaningful activities
- Perform regular outbound phone calls to assigned older adult clients
- Report any health or safety concerns to the Supervisor
- Provide monthly activity reports to Supervisor
One on one visiting with residents
Supporting and/or facilitating group activities
Reading or playing games with residents
Meal assistance
As part of our vision to see persons with dementia living well and thriving, this program seeks out ways to keep a person engaged within their home, while simlutaneously providing care partners with a little bit of respite.
Volunteers will conduct 1:1 weekly meaningful and social recreation visits with persons living with dementia. Volunteers will receive training and support from In-Home Recreation Coordinator as well as an outline of suggested activities. They will also have flexibilty to plan activities that best meet the client's needs.
Weekly visits are 1.5 hours in length and a 6 month committment is appreciated.
The facilitator will:
- Support the goals of PSSO in local communities with an emphasis on providing
information and fellowship for people living with Parkinson’s and their families. - Attend ongoing training/education and Community of Practice meetings provided
by PSSO to increase their knowledge about Parkinson’s disease and to enhance
their skills as a facilitator. - Ensure all public notices for the group contain the group information, PSSO logo,
and a reference to the group being a program of PSSO. - Provide PSSO with updated group lists, including names, addresses, telephone
numbers, and email addresses regularly. - Provide an attendance record (First & Last Name of each participant) to PSSO
immediately following each group session. This will be submitted using the
volunteer portal “My Impact Page.” - Document all hours of volunteering using the volunteer portal “My Impact Page,”
which should include all time spent each month planning as well as group
facilitation. - Notify PSSO of any important information immediately as it pertains to the overall
group or specific client participants (questions, resources, health changes, death in
the family, etc.).
The facilitator works with the group to:
- Act in accordance with the Volunteer Code of Conduct (see page 12)
- Define the role and emphasize that the facilitator is not an expert in all things.
- Conduct group meetings in a caring, respectful, and compassionate manner.
- Promote the value of empowerment, encouraging individuals to be involved in
making decisions about their own care. - Establish, with input from group participants, a list of ground rules and goals for the
group and review the list with the group on a regular basis. - Foster an opportunity for people to interact with others dealing with similar health
concerns and facilitate the sharing of their experience living with Parkinson’s. - Encourage group members to participate in PSSO programs, education events, and
fundraising events. - Invite group participants to connect with PSSO staff and programs as necessary.
- Welcome and introduce new participants to the group, explain group guidelines such as confidentiality and help them connect with other group participants.
Group Interaction & Communication
The facilitator will:
- Ensure group participants are educated about and adhere to the confidentiality
policy. - Moderate the discussions in the group to ensure that all participants have an equal
opportunity to share if they wish. This may require the facilitator to enhance their
skills to ensure that participants that are talkative do not monopolize the
discussion. Gently redirect attention to less vocal participants. - Encourage a balance in discussions by encouraging the group to consider
constructive solutions when negative issues are being addressed. Although there
will be times when participants need to freely express and share their feelings, even
if their tone seems negative. - Remind the group that the symptoms, treatment, and progression of Parkinson’s
are unique to each person, so others’ experiences may be different from one’s own. - Strive to present information and encourage discussion that is honest while at the
same time promotes a feeling of optimism. - Remind participants to adopt a “consumers beware” approach to any information
shared in the group and do their own research or speak with a medical professional
before acting
The facilitator will:
- Support the goals of PSSO in local communities with an emphasis on providing
information and fellowship for people living with Parkinson’s and their families. - Attend ongoing training/education and Community of Practice meetings provided
by PSSO to increase their knowledge about Parkinson’s disease and to enhance
their skills as a facilitator. - Ensure all public notices for the group contain the group information, PSSO logo,
and a reference to the group being a program of PSSO. - Provide PSSO with updated group lists, including names, addresses, telephone
numbers, and email addresses regularly. - Provide an attendance record (First & Last Name of each participant) to PSSO
immediately following each group session. This will be submitted using the
volunteer portal “My Impact Page.” - Document all hours of volunteering using the volunteer portal “My Impact Page,”
which should include all time spent each month planning as well as group
facilitation. - Notify PSSO of any important information immediately as it pertains to the overall
group or specific client participants (questions, resources, health changes, death in
the family, etc.)
The facilitator works with the group to:
- Act in accordance with the Volunteer Code of Conduct (see page 12)
- Define the role and emphasize that the facilitator is not an expert in all things.
- Conduct group meetings in a caring, respectful, and compassionate manner.
- Promote the value of empowerment, encouraging individuals to be involved in
making decisions about their own care. - Establish, with input from group participants, a list of ground rules and goals for the
group and review the list with the group on a regular basis. - Foster an opportunity for people to interact with others dealing with similar health
concerns and facilitate the sharing of their experience living with Parkinson’s.
10 - Encourage group members to participate in PSSO programs, education events, and
fundraising events. - Invite group participants to connect with PSSO staff and programs as necessary.
- Welcome and introduce new participants to the group, explain group guidelines
such as confidentiality and help them connect with other group participants.
Group Interaction & Communication
The facilitator will:
- Ensure group participants are educated about and adhere to the confidentiality
policy. - Moderate the discussions in the group to ensure that all participants have an equal
opportunity to share if they wish. This may require the facilitator to enhance their
skills to ensure that participants that are talkative do not monopolize the
discussion. Gently redirect attention to less vocal participants. - Encourage a balance in discussions by encouraging the group to consider
constructive solutions when negative issues are being addressed. Although there
will be times when participants need to freely express and share their feelings, even
if their tone seems negative. - Remind the group that the symptoms, treatment, and progression of Parkinson’s
are unique to each person, so others’ experiences may be different from one’s own. - Strive to present information and encourage discussion that is honest while at the
same time promotes a feeling of optimism. - Remind participants to adopt a “consumers beware” approach to any information
shared in the group and do their own research or speak with a medical professional
before acting.