Volunteer/Work Study Description List

Volunteer Treatment Aide- Volunteers are needed to assist in staffing the residential and detoxification areas in the main treatment facility. Responsibilities include filing, laundry, answering the phones and door after business hours, ensuring the safety of clients, and assisting them with check-in and monitoring procedures between 8am and 12am. Great opportunity for students interested in the medical aspect of chemical dependency treatment! Training shift between 4pm and 12am on any Tuesday or Thursday is highly recommended. Minimum commitment of 6 hr/week, divided between 2, 3, or 4 hour shifts. Reliability, sensitivity to the needs of others, and willingness to work with clients are essential.

Kitchen Assistant- Volunteers needed to aide in the preparation of food for clients and staff. Volunteers help in cooking the food, as well as with cleaning and washing dishes on both lunch shifts, from 9am - 12pm, and dinner shifts, between 3- 5pm. Kitchen located at the main treatment facility. Must work at least 2 shifts per week. A good opportunity for a volunteer who would like to work with a friend! Volunteers must be physically capable.

Client Follow-up Caller- Volunteers are needed to check on clients who have completed treatment for the purposes of offering additional treatment or assistance to any who may have relapsed, and as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of our programs. Volunteers must call clients, using a list of prepared questions, and fill out a simple form based upon their answers. Calls must be made from the main treatment facility during evening hours, between 5 and 9pm, or on weekends between 12 and 9pm. Volunteers may set their own schedule, totaling 3-5 hours/week. Should have good telephone communications skills. Good position for someone who would like to volunteer with a friend!

Educational Aide- Volunteers are needed to provide assistance for clients seeking help with educational materials or with low levels of reading and writing skills. Would assist clients with a range of materials, including treatment homework, employment applications, resumes, cover letters, and GED work. Tutoring would take place in the cafeteria of the main treatment facility between 5 and 7:15pm, Monday and Tuesday. 1 shift per week required. Volunteers must have patience, creativity, leadership skills; be familiar with high school level math and language skills and be capable of facilitating a small group. Great opportunity for a volunteer who wants to work directly with our clients!

After-hours Receptionist- Volunteers, particularly work-study students, are needed to staff the front desk between 5 and 8pm, Monday through Friday and 8am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday. Must answer phones and door and assist with some clerical work, so phone and people skills are required. Brief training session with a member of staff required any day between 8am and 5pm. Must work 2 shifts/week. Dependability is a necessity.

Maintenance Assistant- Volunteers needed to help with keeping the main treatment facility in good, working order. Duties may include mopping, sweeping, and cleaning. Schedule is flexible- volunteers may work anytime between the 8am and 4pm, Monday through Friday. 3 hr/week minimum commitment. Volunteers must be physically capable of cleaning work. Good position for someone who would like to volunteer with a friend!

Chart Breakdown Assistant- Volunteers are needed to scan client charts as a means of reducing paperwork and allowing easy access to client files. Must work in the main treatment facility after 5pm on weekdays or anytime on weekends. Training shift required any weekday between 8am and 4pm. 4hr/week minimum commitment. Basic computer skills are required. Good position for someone who would like to volunteer with a friend!

PTC Clerical Assistant- Volunteer needed to assist the primary treatment coordinators with filing paperwork. May also include clerical assistance for administrative positions, if volunteer is interested. Must work every Friday from 9am to 1pm. Volunteer must be reliable!

Administrative Clerical Assistant- Volunteers needed to assist our accountant, director of treatment services, and administrative assistant with various tasks, including filing, making informational folders for clients, copying and making client charts, and tabulating data for quarterly reports. Flexible scheduling, anytime Monday through Friday between 8am and 4pm. 3 hrs/week minimum commitment. Basic computer skills, including Excel required. Volunteers should be dependable, flexible, focused, and able to stay on task.

Development Assistant- Volunteers needed to assist our development team with various tasks including mass mailings, research, data tabulation and grant writing. Flexible scheduling anytime Monday through Friday, 8am until 4pm on the third floor of the main treatment facility. 4 hrs/week minimum commitment. Volunteers should have good computer skills, flexibility and willingness to learn. Prior development experience is helpful, but not a requirement. An excellent opportunity for nonprofit development experience!

PTC Clerical Assistant- Elkhart- Volunteer needed to assist Primary Treatment Coordinators in Elkhart, allowing more time for facilitator-client interaction. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to sorting client paperwork into the appropriate files, filing paperwork, assisting with groups, and helping PTC's fill out appropriate paperwork. Scheduling is flexible- potential hours include Mondays and Fridays from 8am to 4pm and Tuesdays through Thursdays 8am to 8pm. Minimum 4 hr/week commitment. Volunteers must be reliable, flexible, able to work independently and trustworthy.

Please contact Julia Shapiro in Volunteer Services at (574) 233-5433 ext. 235, or by email at julias@lifetreatmentcenters.org to schedule a volunteer interview!

Group Projects

Sack Lunches-On a weekly basis we need 20 lunches for residents who leave our facility and need a sack lunch to take to work with them. Your group can make and drop off Sunday Evening or early Monday Morning these lunches to ensure that our clients can take a lunch with them to work. All that is needed is two sandwiches, chips, snack and a box drink.

Toiletry Boxes- Personal hygiene products are always in demand, since a large proportion of our residents come into treatment homeless. Items needed are bars of soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, razor, shaving cream and deodorant. These items can be placed in bags or shoe boxes so that we can hand them out to our clients when they enter into treatment.

Share-A-Meal- A program designed for churches, schools, civic clubs and community organizations to work together as a group project making a casserole, main dish, a theme meal (i.e. Mexican, Italian, Halloween, etc.) or any variety of meal brainstorms. As little as once a month your group can come together in community to prepare a meal or portion of one that will be used to provide assistance to our approximately 40 resident clients in your SAM (share-a-meal) program.

Work-Study and Internship Program

Want to gain valuable experience for the real world? Life Treatment Centers can help you get the experience you need for future employment. We offer two internship programs in development and treatment.

Development Internship: Our student interns in the development office help with many important projects. Much of our funding comes from grants. Interns can polish their writing skills and learn first hand how to write a successful grant- a very sought after skill in both for profit and non profit markets. They will assist in researching, preparing and presenting grants to foundations and corporations, to offset operating costs as well as working to continue an endowment and capital campaign.

Development interns will also:

Work with staff on special projects and events, such as golf outings, dinners and other unique fund raising activities in both South Bend and Elkhart.

Develop and maintain effective marketing techniques, as well as raising awareness through multi media outlets within focused areas, such as TV, radio, newspaper, Internet, billboards and newsletters.

Continue to enhance business development needs, through expansion of chemical dependency treatment services within Northern Indiana.

Treatment Internship: For students interested in furthering their education about addiction and treatment. Many pre-med students get involved with this program as it goes into much further depth regarding addiction than a text book provides.

Treatment aide interns assist in performing the following duties:

Monitor condition of client to evaluate success of therapy and assist in adapting treatment as needed in accord with policies and procedures.

Prepares and maintains progress notes.

Attends to basic needs and comfort of detox/community housing clients.

Observes client's self administration of medication and maintains required records.

Monitors clients during meals in the dining room.

This list is not comprehensive of everything the internship offers. Often times an internship is tailored to each individual student so that the best possible experience is gained. For more information please contact Julia Shapiro at 574.233.5433 ext.235 .

Volunteers, Work Study, and Students can contact us at julias@lifetreatmentcenters.org