SafeCenter seeks volunteer advocates for crisis intervention

Agency: GaDuGi SafeCenter

Contact: Jerilyn Smith 843-8985

GaDuGi SafeCenter seeks compassionate female and male volunteer advocates to be trained to provide 24-hour crisis intervention to victim-survivors of sexual violence, as well as support to their friends, families and partners. Established in 1972, GaDuGi SafeCenter is committed to working together with the community toward the common goal of ending all forms of sexual violence through advocacy, support, education and social justice. In addition to providing direct services to victim-survivors, volunteer advocates may also assist with community education and outreach programming and services. Extensive training is provided and will begin in October 2005. For more information, contact Jerilyn Smith at 843-8985 or e-mail at jerilynsmith@sunflower.com.

Immediate volunteer needs

¢ The Van Go JAMS! Program needs volunteers to assist with a sewing project and to lend machines for a creative art education program. Volunteers are asked to loan machines in good working order from the last week of September to mid-October. Twenty sewing machines and four volunteers are needed. Donations of ribbon, beads, charms, remnants, thread and other fancy adornments will be appreciated as well. Interested volunteers are invited to stop by the Van Go site, 715 N.J., to see past projects and learn about the program. For more information, call Mandy at Van Go, 842-3797 or email mandy@van-go.org.

¢ The Hidden Valley Committee, a local Girl Scout support group, is looking for a CPA or person with strong bookkeeping skills to perform an informal audit of the board’s books for the last three fiscal years. This is a one-time volunteer position. The estimated time commitment is six to 10 hours. For more information, contact Jeannie McClure at 842-8968 or mcclurefamily@sbcglobal.net.

¢ Small World is a nonprofit, cooperative program whose mission is to help international women and their children adjust to the Lawrence community by improving their English skills, meeting new people and forming friendships that span cultures and languages. The program seeks women to serve as volunteer English tutors for adults and as classroom assistants in the preschool program. Tutors will work one-on-one with low- and introductory-level English students. There is no academic requirement for volunteer tutors, but they must have native-English speaking abilities. Classroom assistants will work with children ages infant to 6 years old, two mornings per week at the Small World program. For more information, visit their Web site at www.community.lawrence.com/smallworld, or contact Kathy Mulinazzi at 841-3645.

¢ ICAN Friendly Visitors seeks individuals from the community who are interested in serving as members of their advisory council. The council meets the first Tuesday of every month, and members serve a two-year term. ICAN is an interfaith volunteer effort to provide informal, non-medical support services to older adults in the Lawrence area, helping them maintain their independence, dignity and quality of life. A caring network of trained volunteers provides services from a variety of faith communities, all with the tradition of concern for others, putting faith into action. For more information, contact Barbara Katz Ndao at 749-2005.

¢ Heart of America provides care to all people facing end-of-life issues. The team of caring hospice volunteers is utilized to enhance the lives of hospice patients and their families. Opportunities are available to volunteer for Heart of America Hospice by providing companionship, writing life journals, reading books and periodicals, listening and telling stories. Training will be provided; volunteers must commit to serving four to six hours a month for at least one year. To learn more, contact Renessa Ullery, volunteer coordinator, at hoahvol@yahoo.com, 841-5300 or (800) 396-7778.

¢ Volunteers are needed to pick up newspapers recycled at Babcock Place, 1700 Mass., and deliver them to the city collection site. This position requires strength and a vehicle that can carry 500 pounds of newspaper each week. The volunteer must be available during business hours at least once each week. The position is recommended for groups of two to six people to share the load. Those interested may contact Gayle Sigurdson at 832-1692.

¢ Women’s Transitional Care Services Inc. (WTCS) is a non-profit agency that provides services to survivors of domestic violence throughout Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson counties. WTCS is hosting an informational meeting about Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) today from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Big 6 Room at the Eldridge Hotel in downtown Lawrence. At the meeting, information will be provided about VAWA legislation, and volunteers will have an opportunity to participate in a letter-writing campaign to advocate for reauthorization of the bill. For more information, contact WTCS at 865-3956 or email wtcsadvocates@hotmail.com.