Volunteering at WACOSA has many benefits. Your volunteer efforts are felt by our staff, our clients, and, or course, by you! If you would like to get more involved in volunteer work this year, WACOSA has plenty of opportunities available. Read more about some of these roles below:
Activities Assistant
As an Activities Assistant for WACOSA, you will assist staff members with scheduled activities on the weekly calendar. You would help set up for, clean up after, and assist the clients in these weekly activities. You can also add any expertise you might have by teaching the client information that you are passionate about.
Shifts for an Activities Assistant are available Monday through Friday between 8:45 AM–4 PM at all WACOSA sites. We prefer if you commit to a minimum of 2 hours per month.
Mender/Sewer/Class Instruction
Our clients are always eager to learn a new skill. If you are proficient in sewing, volunteer your time to teach others. You can also utilize your skills to create new and repair existing clothing, weighted vests, weighted blankets and other alteration requests in the comfort of your home. Time commitment can range from approximately four to twelve hours per month.
Environmental Projects Assistant
Through environmental projects, we work to develop our clients’ ability to complete paid work, but also to interact with non-paid projects and activities. In this role, you will be working to enhance the quality of the environment for clients. This can include landscaping, gardening, patio design, care, and other duties. You may also be responsible for maintenance tasks on vehicles and accessible equipment for staff and clients alike. If you like working with your hands, this is the volunteer opportunity for you!
To volunteer for these tasks, you must have experience with basic shop procedures, yard equipment, and tools. You must also have the ability to lift and carry 20 pounds, handle intermittent bending, twisting and reaching, and stand for up to four hours while performing tasks. (A driver’s license and health card are required to drive WACOSA vehicles but is not necessary to fulfill this position.) Shifts for the Environmental Projects Assistant are available Monday through Friday between 6 AM and 2 PM at 320 Sundial Drive, Waite Park.
Curriculum Assistant
Would you like to help others to develop basic computer skills? How about learn more about digital cameras and photography? Do you enjoy leading classes and teaching new skills to others? Volunteer as a Curriculum Assistant! Use your abilities to help others learn basic computer skills, such as accessing the internet, cutting and pasting images, saving documents into proper folders, and basic typing.You can also help with basic photography skills, such as taking photographs, saving photographs on the computer, and laminating and printing photographs.
Curriculum Assistants also aide in preparing materials needed for other client classes, such as sewing, gardening, musical therapy, creative movements, etc. Shifts are available Monday through Friday between 8:30 AM–4 PM, at 320 Sundial Drive, Waite Park.
Musical Therapy Provider
Anyone with a background (or love of) music will tell you that music can provide therapy. If you have musical skills, volunteer to spread your talent by providing musical entertainment to clients.In the past, our clients have enjoyed acoustic guitar, accordion, piano and electric organ sessions. (We have an electric organ at the Waite Park location for your use.)
Shifts last 1-2 hours and are available Monday through Friday between 8:45 AM – 4 PM at all WACOSA sites. We prefer that our Musical Therapy Providers commit to one hour or more each month.
Retail Assistant at ThriftWorks!
As a Retail Assistant, you will volunteer your time to assist staff members with sorting and pricing merchandise, store stocking, customer service, donation drop-off and maintaining a pleasant environment for customers. A minimum of 2-hour scheduled shift per week is required at our ThriftWorks! store. You can schedule your volunteer opportunity here.
Wellness Assistant
As a wellness Assistant, use your skills to help our staff teach our clients healthy eating skills and workouts to be adapted for a variety of different abilities and needs. Shifts are available Monday through Friday at various times, depending on class schedules.
Not only are there plenty of opportunities to volunteer, but there are multiple ways to apply! To contact WACOSA’s volunteer services, you can fill out an application and email it to Andrea Harrell at aharrell@wacosa.org or fax it to 320-259-4679. You can even mail it to us at PO Box 757, Waite Park, MN 56387.
Don’t have the time to dedicate to volunteer work? There are plenty of other ways that you can help give back. Learn more on our Ways to Give page.
We hope to hear from you soon!