Volunteer

Volunteer-Based Programs

Since our beginnings in 1922, our volunteers have been an integral part of everything the Jewish Family Service has done to help this community. They work closely with our professionals to enrich our services by providing extra sets of eyes, ears, hands and hearts. Many of our programs rely heavily on volunteers.

Our Programs

Mitzvah Corps/Caring Connections

Isolated individuals are helped in many ways by an Interfaith Volunteer Program that provides:

• Rides to doctors' appointments: Volunteer drivers transport clients to medical and dental appointments in the Greater Bridgeport are on an as needed basis.
• Reassurance telephone calls: Sometimes our clients just want to hear a friendly voice. Telephone reassurers can provide that friendly voice to the client who just needs to talk.
• Grocery shopping: Here, volunteers are required to help some of our clients. Either they convey them to do their own shopping, or, for others, it requires picking up of items at the store to be delivered to the client.
• Friendly Visitors: A Friendly Visitor visits regularly with an elderly person in our community who may be frail, isolated or lonely. Friendly Visitors visit with the person they are paired up with at least once a week. Many come accompanied by their children.

Big Buddy Mentor:

Volunteers are needed to serve as big buddy mentor to children from single parent homes. This requires meeting with the child at least twice a month for 1-4 hours depending on activity.

Friend to Friend:

High school Juniors and Seniors are needed to befriend children with special needs in an after-school program that is guaranteed to richly reward all participants.

Office Help:

Volunteers are needed to help answer phones in the JFS office. Some other office work may be included e.g. filing, making copies, doing mailings. Volunteers are asked to give two hours at a time for this position.

Board of Directors:

The Jewish Family Service Board of Directors is totally composed of volunteers who represent the different components of, and share a commitment to, the Jewish Community. Moreover, Committees of the Board, composed of both members and non- members of the Board, monitor operations of the Agency.