National Volunteer Week
It’s National Volunteer week! Our volunteers are amazing. And this last year hasn’t been easy.
Covenant House Alaska relies on volunteers to engage with our youth in ways no other team members can. The dedication of time and talent expresses such a profound and genuine caring for our youth. There are many ways Volunteers are involved! They are behind the scenes for our major events. Often scheduling activities or supporting us remotely in a wide variety of ways.
Volunteering in COVID Era
This past year has brought many challenges for all of us. In order to keep our youth safe, we reduced the number of people on our foot print by restricting our space to only essential staff and the youth that we serve. Unfortunately, this meant less in person volunteer-led experiences for our youth. We could no longer have lessons in our music room, yoga and mindfulness in our gym, and limited connections in our job lab.
Evolving Volunteer Opportunities
We best serve our youth by evolving and adapting! A pandemic wasn’t going to change that fact. So, we found creative ways for volunteers to reach out and contribute both virtually and remotely! Our volunteers’ willingness to learn new software, change the way they serve, and roll with the punches has been inspiring. Yes, our trusted base of volunteer heroes weren’t in our space, but we felt their generosity and care every day!
“A heartfelt thank you to our volunteers from everyone at Covenant House Alaska for hanging with us.”
Holly Payne, Covenant House Alaska Volunteer Coordinator
Doors Open to On-site Volunteers
After a year of virtual volunteering, it’s with great excitement that we are now opening of our doors to volunteers to come on site once a week. We are asking every person in our space to follow the same COVID safety precautions as our staff. This includes weekly testing, self-screening, and masking. We are thrilled to get applicants welcomed into our space and settled into a routine.
Virtual and In-Person Opportunities Available!
Due to the nature of our service, volunteers who regularly interact with our youth or come onsite must be 21+, pass a series of background checks, and take additional trainings with us. Our mentors for transitional living programs must be 28+. However! Taking what we learned from the last year, we are now able to offer a hybrid of virtual and in person volunteer opportunities. All ages can now get involved and end youth homelessness in Alaska.
Interested?
We’d love for you to join our team. Volunteer today!
