Volunteer

Hope Lives Here believes that no one should go through anything alone. We are the shoulder you can lean on. Our volunteers have walked in your shoes. We have grieved the loss of loved ones, experienced traumatic life events, and suffered betrayals. We know your pain and want to help you through yours. Our volunteers go through a screening process and training. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Hope Lives Here, please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Jeannie Holyoak : Holyoak610@gmail.com.

Group Support Positions:

Co-Leader
You will be paired with another volunteer to co-lead a support group for grieving adults in the evenings in either Rutland or Worcester*. You will be trained and supported by the programming staff. Experience with grief is necessary to be able to co-lead a group. If you have experience as a therapist or social worker, that’s a bonus. But if you just have a really big heart, we definitely want to hear from you!

Greeter
At each support group meeting there is a volunteer who greets clients and makes sure that everyone gets checked in. This person also sends initial emails to clients, as well as reminders about meetings. The Greeter is also responsible for updating the client spreadsheet after each meeting.

Hope Angels
If you’ve experienced grief and feel that you can help others, consider becoming a Hope Angel. Angels attend support group meetings and help make the clients feel comfortable when they arrive. Angels also provide insights during group meetings. Lastly, Angels help clients by providing peer-to-peer support. This includes emailing or texting with clients once a week.

Time commitment for group support volunteers:
Meetings - 2-3 hours per month
Support and training - 1 hour per month
We ask for a minimum one-year commitment.

*location subject to change


Administrative

Administrative volunteers don’t have a weekly or monthly time commitment however we would like you to make at least a 6 month commitment and be available on an as needed basis. We are looking for people with expertise in the following areas:

Marketing
Do you have an eye for design? Are you a writer? Can you help distribute marketing materials or flyers to businesses in the area? We need a few reliable people to help distributing marketing materials, writing newsletters and press releases, and designing flyers.

Assistants
We need volunteers to help with things such as writing thank-you notes to donors, writing/sending cards to clients, and to assist the executive director and the board of directors with special projects as needed.

Fundraising
We are seeking experienced fundraisers to solicit businesses or foundations for grants and corporate sponsorship. Experience with fundraising, and/or researching and writing grant proposals is a must.


Other
If you don’t have experience with grief but would like to help in other ways, we want to hear from you! Hope Lives Here will host events and workshops for clients such as potluck dinners, group outings, crafts, workshops and we need people to assist with planning and attending the events.