Volunteer Opportunities
Covenant House Georgia relies on the talents, generosity, and knowledge of volunteers to provide many of the services that help our young people. Volunteering is a rewarding and challenging experience. Consider volunteering your time to help kids who really appreciate your sacrifice!
Download the volunteer application to gain more information about our volunteer program.
We have volunteer opportunities in the following areas:
Individual Opportunities
Meet & Greet: You can be the first to greet a young person seeking services from Covenant House Georgia! Volunteers answer phone calls, and provide walk-in services such as preparing sack lunches and hygiene kits.
Street Outreach: Our Street Outreach Coordinator and volunteers travel the streets of Atlanta in the Covenant House Outreach Van providing food, clothing, blankets, and counseling to homeless youth living on the streets.
Crisis Shelter: Volunteers assist staff in supervising and interacting with youth staying in our shelter. Responsibilities will include supervising residents, and helping to escort youth to off-site activities.
Activities: Have a fun time on us and get to know some neat young people in the process! Volunteers help supervise youth in on-campus or off-campus activities like sporting events, bowling and skating outings, trips to museums, etc.
Tutoring: Volunteers assist our Education/Vocation Instructor and tutor youth who are preparing to take the GED Exam.
Donations: Volunteers are needed to assist with sorting and organizing food, clothing and other donations to Covenant House.
Clerical: Volunteer opportunities include covering the telephones, writing thank you notes to supporters, assisting with general mail outs, and compiling data.
Life Skills: Experienced individuals are needed to present workshops on life skills such as budgeting, money management, self-esteem, parenting, anger management, etc. Volunteers can also help facilitate discussion groups on such topics as abstinence, respect, and more.
Mentoring: We try to match each of our Independent Living Program residents with a mentor. Independent Living Program is an apartment living program for males and females between the ages of 18 and 21. Volunteers provide friendship and act as positive, supportive role models for many of these residents.
Public Relations Volunteer or Intern Needed ASAP in the Development & Funding Department. Duties include design/implement strategic marketing plan, provide guidance/support to web site design and maintenance, supervise printing/publications, assist with the coordination of various areas of the department, which include advertising, public relations and marketing, and network with media outlets. A lot of work can be done from a home office with weekly visits into the executive office.
Receptionist in Executive Office/Monday -Friday noon - 5pm. Duties include answering the switchboard, filing, making phone calls, creating information packets, collating/stabling, and other light office duties. Interested in two(2) volunteers to share these duties. Location is 2488 Lakewood Ave., SW, Atlanta, GA 30315.
Residential Assistant in the future Supportive Housing/Crisis Shelter/24 Hours a day - 7 Days a week. 5-8 volunteers needed to help 3:00pm - 11:00pm and the overnight shift and volunteers needed for all three shifts on Saturday and Sunday. Duties include assisting homeless youth in accomplishing their goals in becoming self-sufficient young adults. Other duties including developing professional trusting relationships, maintaining files, documenting activities, assisting youth in life skills, monitoring building for safety, and assisting with goal setting. A passion for working with homeless & at-risk youth 18-21 years old. The volunteer opportunity is for a minimum of six (6) months. Prefer volunteers who can commit to at least 2 shifts per week in order to keep consistency.
Receptionist in the future Supportive Housing/Crisis Shelter/24 Hours a day - 7 Days a week. 3-5 volunteers needed.3-5 volunteers needed to help 3:00pm -11:00pm and the afternoon shift and evening shift on Saturday and Sunday. Duties include answering the telephones, greeting youth at the front door, helping visitors sign-in, and keeping track of clients and visitors in the building. A pleasant personality is required and compassion for youth. The volunteer opportunity is for a minimum of six (6) months to one (1) year preferably.
Family & Group Opportunities
There are many ways for groups to support the youth we serve in our shelter and the community. Here are a few to consider:
Seasonal Celebrations
People often want to celebrate with our kids during Thanksgiving, Christmas or Passover, MLK Day, Valentine's Day, but there are plenty of opportunities throughout the year. You may want to throw a theme party for Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Purim or the Fourth of July. Bring along decorations, food and anything else that will make the event a special time for our youth.
Events/Entertainment
Organize recreational, cultural and educational opportunities for the young people staying in our shelter. Our kids always appreciate tickets and/or transportation to sports events, movies, museums, concerts, plays, dinner, or any other activity that would provide a stress-free environment and change of scenery. Parties or barbeques for the kids here are also popular(karaoke is an especially big hit)! Another idea is to provide free haircuts and makeovers. We also could use help escorting our youth on outings or supervising them during activities that are already planned by our staff.
Rooms to Go
Our residents have household needs when they leave the shelter and begin a new life for themselves. We will match your group with a specific resident/family and you can help them with items for a room in their house, like their kitchen or a bedroom. You can also gather furnishings for our general use to provide to residents as they leave our program.
Project Suds
Collect regular or travel size hygiene supplies for teens and children entering our shelter or stopping in for services. Facilitate a toiletry drive through your job or another organization to collect soap, shampoo, conditioner, brushes/combs, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry detergent, etc.
Special Santa
Every year at Christmas time, we are blessed by generous individuals and groups who provide new gifts and food for the children we serve. Help us out this year by agreeing to sponsor our young residents for Christmas. Simply call Covenant House to request a Special Santa wish list
and deliver the gifts to us in December. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to experience the true spirit of Christmas.
School Days
Help one of our young residents get ready for the new school year. Sponsors can provide backpacks, a new outfit, binders, pencils, notebook paper, etc. to start the school year off right. Your group may decide to go on a shopping spree together or take up a collection to purchase gift certificates.
Wardrobes That Work
Clean out your closets and fill ours! Coordinate a group at work or church to collect professional and business-casual attire for our job-seeking teenagers. Larger sizes are especially in demand.
For more information about any of these volunteer opportunities or if you have fun ideas of your own, please call our Volunteer Coordinator Debbie Clark, at 404.589.0163 Ext 111.
Youth Projects
While it is not possible for kids outside of Covenant House Georgia to interact with our young clients, there are numerous ways that folks under 21 can help. Below are just a few ideas - if you have another project in mind, let us know!
Clothing Drive
Most kids arrive at Covenant House Georgia with little more than the clothing on the backs, but much of what is donated to Covenant House Georgia is unusable or age-inappropriate for these young people. Providing them with a few items of gently-worn clothing donated by their own peers not only relieves one of their basic needs, it also boosts their self-esteem. Coordinate a clothing drive with your school, youth group, sports team or a few friends. We need clothing for boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 21, as well as infants and toddlers. (Larger sizes for teens/young adults are especially in demand.)
Sweet Dreams
Your donation of bedspreads, pillows or linens can help our shelter residents get a good night's rest. Donate your old ones from home or even better, ask for monetary donations at work, church or school to purchase new furnishings for the beds in our crisis shelter. We want young people to feel "at home" here, and giving them a cozy, warm bed is essential!
For more information about any of these volunteer opportunities or if you have fun ideas of your own, please call our Volunteer Coordinator Debbie Clark, at 404.589.0163 Ext 111.