Where can you go to volunteer?

Question

I have been thinking about volunteering somewhere

i really want to volunteer in a place where i can help children who lost their parents, where i can help them learn and be there for them in what they need

do you know any places like that in Los Angeles or any sites

Thank you in advance

Answer 1

All large cities have a center for children who have lost parents to AIDS or other tragedy.  In Texas there is "Bo's Place".  

All foster care programs need volunteers -- you can do respite foster care for special needs kids when their fosters need a break.

All county (free) hospitals have volunteer programs where you can volunteer to rock babies who have been exposed to cocaine to soothe them in the nursery.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a wonderful volunteer organization that needs mentors for children of single parents.

Good luck finding your niche!

Answer 2

red cross....Friendship ventures they have a web site... its held in minnestoa.. i have worked their as a voulenter and loved it .. i would do it again in a heart beat.. they help with your transportation and all... big brothers and big sister organizations... you go on trips with the kids and do many different thing maybe sleding and bowling and everything is free d\good luck and im glad to see your trying to make a difference...~Sandra~

Answer 3

Any soup kitchen.

Answer 4

Try searching for group homes in your area, most have programs that will pair you with a child. Another resource is the county. You can contact county social services and they will often have a list of numbers you can contact of different agencies who assist families in various steps of the process.

Lots of churches maintain lists of community care centers such as homeless shelters, abuse shelters, training centers, etc that will all need volunteers. These places will be both religious and non-religious, so don't let getting the names from a church scare you off, if you are not a church-goer.  

Agencies will vary in what they allow volunteers to do. Some have partnering programs that pair you with a specific child to be friend and mentor, others will want to train you and have you do a form of "peer counseling" or education, others will have you do play time or fun activites for a large number of children. You should expect that all of them will request a clean background check and fingerprinting.

If you have a specific desire, often contacting numerous resources and putting your information out there is the best way to go. A volunteer "resume" listing your skills and objective is not a bad thing to have in contacting them. Remember that lots of agencies get volunteers for the fun jobs (no agency ever runs out of people who want to deliver toys to kids on Christmas, but most are always short on those willing to organize and catalog the toy donations). So try and plan to have a portion of your time be dedicated to do the "behind the scenes" help too. As much as your heart may be in working directly with the child (which is awesome) recognize that it takes a lot of paperwork and such to make it possible to get the child help.

Good luck!