Meaningful volunteer opportunity sought

It doesn't get any more meaningful than CASA. http://www.casaofalamedacounty.org/

Hi!

I volunteer with No On Left Behind - a grassroots organization that helps Special Immigrant Visa holders get on their feet. I work directly with refugees that had to flee Afghanistan because they helped the US military. You can be a mentor, tutor, collect and deliver donated household goods, or be a job coach. Visit nooneleft.org to get more information. It has been hugely rewarding for me and my family and a real education.

I encourage you to volunteer as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for a child or teen in foster care. It is a weekly commitment for two years (or more) but completely flexible after you get through the training. Every county has a program; you can find yours here: http://www.californiacasa.org/

I have been doing it for 8 years and find it very rewarding (and at times challenging and frustrating and sad, but definitely full of meaning!)

If your desire to help extends to non-humans, I highly recommend volunteering at a local animal shelter. The gratitude of a dog who has been stuck alone in a kennel all day for weeks is very fulfilling and the help is desperately needed! Some shelters have more rigorous commitments than others but they all depend on volunteers to provide some quality of life for the animals while they wait to (hopefully) be adopted. It's also a great way to get out and get some exercise but if walking animals isn't your thing there are other ways to help as well.

How about helping refugees get settled in the Bay Area? The IRC (https://www.rescue.org/announcement/how-volunteer-oakland), Refugee Transitions (http://www.reftrans.org/) and Jewish Family & Community Services (http://jfcs-eastbay.org/newcomer-refugees/) all do good work in this department. Most of them require a long-term commitment in order for you to develop a relationship with the refugees you're helping, but sometimes have shorter term projects, too.

I work for a nonprofit called Reading Partners. If you are interested in working with elementary aged students in under resourced schools who need support in reading, I encourage you to consider volunteering with us! readingpartners.org

Last year, my middle schooler and I started volunteering at Boost! in West Oakland once a week. Boost! West Oakland is a no-cost tutoring and mentoring program for K-5 students enrolled at Lafayette Elementary School in West Oakland. Since its inception in 1997, the program has served more than 2000 students. They pair you with an elementary-aged student to help them with homework, boost their skills, read to/with them, and just be an adult presence in their lives. We loved it so much, we're back for a 2nd year. It's the highlight of our week. http://www.boostoakland.org/

Local public schools are always looking for volunteer reading/writing coaches. You can look at the Writer's Coach program through Berkeley High.  We also volunteer at the local animal shelter. Simple but very fulfilling.

I have LOVED the Berkeley Food and Housing organization (https://bfhp.org/) for 25 years.  They serve a meal most days and have several shelters.

I have had positive experiences volunteering with Refugee Transitions (http://www.reftrans.org/apply). There are several different types of volunteer options, which allows for some flexibility with your schedule (tutoring students after school or working with someone in their home). From my experience, the after school programs are mostly general school tutoring for refugee students and English language learners whereas the in home volunteering is more working on language skills with refugee adults who have recently arrived or tutoring/ study assistance on passing the naturalization test for those who have been in-country for a few years.

I would first recommend volunteering in a Berleley public school near you, which can really make a difference to,both students and teachers ( as a former busd teacher I can say this with confidence). Also. Consider the homeless is a great organization I found out about through this very network. Good luck. Josie 

7 or so years ago, I was looking for a volunteer opportunity. I was doing a Ph.D. at Berkeley and felt like I was in a campus bubble. I found Refugee Transitions on-line. I signed up for a one-time orientation that took place in San Francisco, and after that was on my way as an in-home literacy tutor to a newly arrived refugee woman from Burma. I met with a Burmese staff member in Oakland, who matched me with her because I told him I love children. The woman had three adorable girls, aged 2, 5, and 7. I drove to their tiny apartment in East Oakland once a week (committing to at least 6 months), and read with the mom/worked on English with her. In between those times, I got to know her family.

Now the 2 year old is 9 years old. Between now and then, we've had Thanksgivings and 4th of Julys together, I've taken them to Children's Fairyland, the zoo, ice skating, Disney on Ice, on trips to the beach, and built countless memories doing birthdays and sleepover parties. When we met, I had a boyfriend. Now, my boyfriend is my husband and we have a 4 year old. My daughter adores those girls and the friendship they have. They are her only friends outside her economically-privileged Bay Area social group. We've gone with them to their Karen-language church, picked up relatives arriving at the airport from Burma, and been there helping as they moved from apartment to apartment to house. The relationship has been so very enriching to us. Being in a relationship with their family has been a window into their world AND it's built a crucial bridge for the refugee family across language and class divides. 

If it wasn't for Refugee Transitions, how else would we have become life-long friends with a refugee family clear across town? RT connects refugees from Burma, Nepal, Uganda, Congo, Guatemala, Afghanistan...... everywhere, with in-home tutors (and some after school volunteer tutors). Please consider checking it out. 

I would recommend the Davis Street Family Resource Center if you are in the San Leandro/south Oakland area. It is a child care provider, East Bay food bank, clothes closet, free medical clinic, counseling, and resource center. It also just combined with Stepping Stones, a disabled adult  center. There are so many activities going on there during all hours you are bound to find something that fits your interest. I have been involved for the past 20 years and find it extremely valuable. 510-347-4620. Davisstreet.org