Ways to Serve
English Conversation Partner
Partner with a newly-arrived individual or family to offer friendship and English language practice! Volunteers are matched with a client to work one-on-one in their home. Partners offer English language conversation, friendship, and serve as a general guide to the refugee’s new community. Meeting times are flexible according to client and volunteer schedule. No previous experience teaching English required.
Requirements: Volunteer Orientation and background check
Time Commitment: Minimum 6 month commitment of around 3 hours/week.
Transportation Volunteer
Help us get our clients where they need to go! New arrivals have many appointments in their first months in the U.S. Assist our staff by offering transportation to and from appointments for refugee individuals and families.
Requirements: Volunteer Orientation, background check, and motor vehicle record check
Time Commitment: Roughly one appointment/week for a minimum of 3 months
Grocery Delivery Volunteer
Assist with providing new arrivals donations of groceries from some local partnering agencies. Volunteers will pick up donated food and deliver to client's homes on a weekly basis.
Requirements: Volunteer Orientation- no background check required.
Time Commitment: roughly once a week for a minimum of 3 months
Welcome Team
Welcome Teams are groups of individuals that set up homes for new refugee arrivals. Groups commit to collecting all of the furniture and home supplies as well as stocking the pantry before a family arrives. A Welcome Team can be a congregation, a service club, a neighborhood association, a family, or any type of group that has the capacity and desire to complete a home set up.
Each team coordinator (s) are required to attend a Welcome Team orientation where information will be provided about resettlement and the logistics and expecations of a team. We also have many tips, resources, and suggestions for teams as they consider how they will procure, store, and deliver items.
Our staff receives a notification 1-3 weeks in advance of each refugee arrival, so the Welcome Team must be able to mobilize in a relatively short amount of time. Teams are expected to coordinate all of their own logistics with the support of our Volunteer Coordinator.
Help us turn empty spaces into welcoming homes! For more specific questions regarding Welcome Teams, please contact Laura Maruzzella at lmaruzzella@cwsglobal.org and complete our Volunteer Application below.
Requirements: Welcome Team orientation and completion of required volunteer paperwork, time commitment varies based on each team's capacity and amount of notice before a refugee arrival.