Volunteer
Why not join our wonderful crew of caring and creative volunteers? In addition to the volunteer opportunities outlined below, our agency also relies on the generous help of volunteers to assist us in the areas of fund-raising, publicity, board governance and special event planning.
Volunteer Opportunities
BUDDY PROGRAM:
The Buddy Program encourages a one-to-one match between a volunteer and a neurodivergent child. The volunteer takes the child or teen on outings in the community for 6-8 hours each month. The child enjoys friendship and outings in the community with their volunteer while the child’s family benefits from additional respite.
VIRTUAL BUDDY PROGRAM:
The Virtual Buddy Program matches children and teens with volunteers. The pair will meet regularly over online platforms like Zoom. Volunteers will engage with the child or teen one to one and share interests and activities while caregivers can take some time for themselves in the home.
1:1 PROGRAM BUDDY PROGRAM:
Our 1:1 Program Buddy Program matches a volunteer and a child or teen with a developmental delay, such as an ASD diagnosis, Down Syndrome or FASD. The Program Buddy volunteer offers additional support at our group recreation programs. The volunteer and their buddy will attend programs at our centre and/or out in the community. Volunteering as a Program Buddy can make a significant difference in the life of a child with a developmental delay and their family. Many children and teens face barriers to being successful in a group setting without 1:1 attention and guidance. With your help, we can help these children meet their goals and social needs. Click here for more information or to apply specifically for this role.
Homework Club:
The “Homework Club” is designed for youth ages of 12 – 17 years old (grade 6 – 12) to participate in during the school year. The club will assist with homework, as well as provide dinner and an opportunity to socialize and play games with our staff and volunteers. The “Homework Club” will run for 6 weeks at a time, and takes place at the Extend-A-Family facility.
Requirements:
· Currently enrolled in either high school, grades 10 – 12 or post-secondary
· Mature, reliable, interested in working with youth with developmental delays
· Fun, outgoing, and positive attitude
· Provide own transportation to our office
· Commit to minimum of 6 weeks
· Police check if over the age of 16
· 3 references
· No previous experience required
HOST Family PROGRAM:
Volunteer families from the community are matched with a child or teen that has a developmental delay, behavioural or emotional challenge or a physical special need. The family provides the child with friendship and social experiences while giving the child’s family additional support and respite.
The family agrees to provide a minimum of 8 hours of respite each month for at least a year.
Fundraising:
Help with fundraising and campaigns – volunteer at community events or get involved in a project and offer support for special events.
Board Members
We are actively recruiting new members for our volunteer Board of Directors. If you have an interest in giving some time to guiding a great organization that serves the needs of neurodivergent children in the Hamilton area, please email your resume to ed.extendafamily@gmail.com for consideration. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month.
Special Events:
Our special event volunteers are an enthusiastic team that assist with all aspects of running an event from planning, to post-event clean up and analysis. With the support of our volunteers, our holiday events are fun memorable activities for our families.
If you have an interest and skill you'd like to share with our agency and the young people we serve, and have the time to do so on a regular basis, please fill out the Online Application Form found below.