Interested in volunteering? Many types of volunteer are needed for The Way Station, and we look forward to fitting you into one of those roles soon.
VOLUNTEERS WORKING with GUESTS Volunteers that will be interacting with our guests must also be compassionate, dependable, and 18 years or older (except for youth interns aged 16-18 years). Adult volunteers working with guests must pass a criminal background check (paid for by the Way Station). If you haven't already received training, we will provide it prior to having you shadow experienced volunteers during on-site shifts.
The Way Station will be open for guests during 5 shifts per week starting in June. These shifts are:
Sundays * 2-5pm for teenagers only * 5-9pm for families only
Mondays * 5-9pm for families only
Thursdays * 9am-12pm for adults only * 2-5pm for adults only
We will need 3 volunteers for each of these shifts. Two of these volunteers will be on site at The Way Station during the shifts, and the third volunteer will be on call during the shift. Shift volunteers can sign up for regular shifts or fill in as needed. Please contact us via waystationnh@gmail.com with your availability for shifts on Sundays, Mondays or Thursdays, as well as how frequently you anticipate committing (weekly, monthly, or other).
The two on-site volunteers roles (working with guests) are:
Host-greets and orients guests and includes: welcoming them to the center, offering guests drinks and snacks, giving guests tours of the facility, cleaning the shower after use, inventorying items at the facility and just being a friendly face/company for the guests.
Navigator-have professional or volunteer experience with vulnerable or at-risk population and includes: active listening, interviewing for referrals and “warm hand-offs” to other resources, advocacy, de-escalation when needed, recording statistics and volunteer journal entries, plus opening and locking up the facility
Additionally, the:
On Call Navigator-has the same experience and roles as the navigator (above) but does not start out the shift at the Way Station. This On-Call Navigator is available to answer questions over the phone and respond quickly to the center during the shift in the event that things get busy and/or assistance with de-escalation is needed.
Finally, at the request of educators and youth volunteers, we are developing a youth internship program:
Youth Intern - Designed for high school students, aged 16-18 years, who are specifically interested in working with our guests. Such youth will be required to take all training that prepares you to work directly with guests. You will need to apply through the Way Station’s leadership team in order to be considered for this role. At the outset, a youth intern will only work during shifts that welcome families on-site. The youth intern will likely fill many of the same responsibilities as the Host (described above).
VOLUNTEERS NOT WORKING DIRECTLY with GUESTS
If volunteers are not old enough or would be more comfortable not working directly with our guests, or if your schedules doesn't permit working during shifts, we have many other volunteer needs to be filled. They include:
Outreach and Marketing Group -works on getting the word out about what are doing to both potential guests and the community. This could include: speaking or tabling at community events, clubs, schools, etc; writing for the newspaper, website, blogs, etc; graphic design and social media posts.
Special Events Group-plans and runs special events like fundraisers, awareness raisers, work days, holiday celebrations at the center, etc.
Grant Writer-researches and applies for grants to benefit The Way Station and its mission
Item Donations-obtains donations from individuals and businesses for both The Way Station and its guests as well as for fundraising purposes
Handyman/Woman-helps to do repairs and maintenance of the facility under the supervision of Pastor Nathan
Office Work-does data entry, filing, writing thank you cards, updating resource list, mailings, etc.
Organization/Inventory-ensures that the center is organized and stocked with needed items, puts together Boxes of Love and other guest item needs
Cleaning-helps to maintain the cleanliness of The Way Station
If any of these roles seem like a good fit for you, please respond to this waystationnh@gmail.com with any additional questions and the following information:
-Your name, address and phone number plus an emergency contact name and number for you.
Which volunteer roles interest you, why you feel they would be a good fit for you and your related experience
Your scheduling availability
If you have any restrictions we should know about like medical conditions, mobility issues (lifting, stairs, etc), allergies or chemical sensitivities (avoid cleaning tasks)
If you will be working with our guests, the next steps would be for us to run your criminal background check and then set up some shadowing opportunities for you.
We look forward to hopefully seeing you soon, and thank you again for your interest in getting involved with The Way Station!