CAREGIVERS programs are carried out by over 300 giving, caring volunteers who are recruited and trained from our local community. We are in great need of additional volunteers to assist the many more frail, elderly residents who call our office for help.
If you would like to:
Have a rewarding volunteer experience
Use your talents and abilities to help a homebound elderly person
Make a new friend
Be free to set your own hours of service
Work independently, but with plenty of support
Be challenged and greatly appreciated
Feel good about yourself
Volunteers are interviewed and matched with a CAREGIVERS client, based on their interests, work experience, background, personality, etc. Volunteers are asked to set aside 2 to 4 hours per week to assist their elderly "friend." It is our goal to foster a long-term friendship between the two people, so that the senior will have a dependable source of support into the future. Through our careful matching, many wonderful relationships have developed between volunteers and clients over the years. If you prefer not to make a weekly commitment, but can drive an elder to a medical appointment on an "as needed" basis, your services are greatly needed. There is always a waiting list at CAREGIVERS of seniors who desperately need your help.
Learn more about our opportunities and how you can CONNECT with other volunteers!
Building Bridges Intergenerational Program
Student Volunteers and Adult Team Leaders Needed
Building Bridges, our intergenerational program, was established in 2002 with funding from foundations like Archstone, Harriet Samuelsson, and Weingart in addition to gifts from individual donors. The program now boads more than 500 alummi.
Thanks to adult volunteers who lead teams of 2-3 students, this project has been able to expand and serve seniors throughout Ventura County. Adult Team Leaders are asked to work with their assigned students once a week for a 45-60 minute in-home visit to an enrolled senior.
Not unlike the adult volunteer program, students in the Building Bridges program also go through orientation and training that helps sensitize them to the challenges seniors face daily. Students also can work in teams and have developed an excellent reputation for big projects like yard work, decorating for the holidays, cleaning up after the holidays, or spending the afternoon sharing their views on current events and economics.
Our Student Volunteers visit under supervision and may be able to provide:
Friendly Visits
Clean up around the house, such as washing windows, vacuuming, dusting, and mopping
Yard Maintenance such as weeding and pruning. (We use no power tools!)
Home Organization
About our Student Volunteers…
Work in supervised teams after school. Students may join an existing team with a CAREGIVERS Coordinator or student groups and leaders may apply together.
Attend workshops and trainings so they can be the best volunteers possible.
Pursue degrees at nationally recognized universities and colleges as well as professional schools
Return to serve as Adult Volunteers
Develop an appreciation for community service
Note: CAREGIVERS provides transportation to and from the seniors' homes. Adult Volunteers/Youth Leaders must pass a LiveSCAN background check which is paid for by CAREGIVERS.