Prospective Volunteer,

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with World Relief Jacksonville. Enclosed is the information and application you will need to get started!

Volunteer’s Covenant:

  • Ability to serve for a minimum of 3-6 months (Friendship Partners – 3 months, Good Neighbor Teams – 6 months, Or less for other position)
  • Compliance with World Relief’s Mission, Vision and Values
  • Record your volunteer activities and donations through Track It Forward

Become A Volunteer – The Process:

1)Application

2)In-Person/PhoneInterview

3)Background and/or Motor Vehicle Record Check

4)Attend Volunteer Orientation Training

5)Placement / Household Match

We look forward to engaging and equipping you as a volunteer with our refugee families! If you have any questions I am here to assist you.

Sincerely,

Silvia Almond

Volunteer Coordinator

/ 904-448-0733 [Ext 116]

5107 University Blvd. W. Jacksonville, FL 32216

(Note: We are located *behind* the Racetrack gas station next to Sonny’s BBQ)

(904) 448-0733(ext 116) Fax: (904) 367-1436

Volunteer Opportunities

Friendship Partners

The Friendship Partner Program is designed to match individuals or small groups of volunteers with newly arriving refugees to the United States. You will be trained and equippedto assist in the resettlement of refugees through service in areas such as: Life Skills, ESL (English as a Second Language), Transportation Assistance and most importantly: Friendship!

During your3 month commitmentyou and your group will walk alongside your assigned family (or group of singles) and assist them in adapting to US culture and their new lives in Jacksonville. Friendship Partner volunteers will always be in close communication with WR staff and case workers through the entire process.

Requirements:

  • Volunteer Application
  • Interview
  • Background / Motor Vehicle Record Check
  • Training & Orientation

The end goal is that refugees are:

  • Moving towards self-sufficiency
  • Empowered to start their new lives with dignity
  • Proficient (or becoming proficient) in speaking English
  • Aware of what cultural challenges and goals they have
  • Befriended and connected with members of their community

Good Neighbor Teams

A Good Neighbor Team (GNT) is a group of people partnered with arefugee household to assist in their first 6 months of resettlementinto the United States. Generally, a GNT will consist of 5-15 individuals who have completed the volunteer process which includes:

Requirements:

  • Meeting with Church Mobilizer
  • Volunteer Applications
  • Background and/or Motor Vehicle Record Check(s)
  • Training/Orientation

GNT's commit to assisting World Relief in resettlement taskssuch as employment assistance, housing, transportation to appointments as well as befriending and connecting their refugee household into their community. This includes weekly visits with their matched refugee household for at least 6 months. GNT's are team-based volunteers, meaning that within the GNT there will be individual focuses such as: Welcome Team, Employment Team, ESL Team etc...

A GNT is often a pre-existing small group from a local church, but it can be any group of people who desire to be in relationship with newcomers in the Jacksonville area.

Glocal Outreach (‘GO’ Teams)

World Relief strategically partners with church groups who commit to 1 year (4 or more planned visits within a calendar year) to an apartment community where refugeesreside. We believe that themost effectiveministry takes place when churches invest time and strategy towards relationship building in local communities.

'Glocal' - Reaching people from across the globe within a local setting

Requirements:

  • Meeting with Church Mobilizer
  • Volunteer Applications
  • Background Checks
  • Group Training/Orientation

Other Volunteer Opportunities

  • Classroom Assistant - [Fridays 9:00am-11:30am] at World Relief (topics include: Employments readiness, interview skills, resume and application skills)
  • Client Care – [Times Vary] one on one Employment coaching, Parental Support, Youth Mentoring, Home ESL assistance
  • Summer Camp Volunteers – [June-July] (See website for full details)

Statement for Applicants:

“World Relief’s mission statement is to “Empower the Local Church to Serve the Most Vulnerable.” As such, World Relief seeks like-minded churches and individuals to partner with us as volunteers as we seek to ‘love first’ regardless of any refugees’ race, religion, nationality or creed. Our desire is to equip and train evangelical churches to come along-side newly arrived refugees where the shared goals are: (1) to make refugees feel welcomed, valued, respected and accepted and (2) to promote refugee self-sufficiency and interdependence with our community and churches and (3) to equip refugee families to contribute as Americans and integrate into this society.

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR VOLUNTEERS

Mission
Empowering the local Church to serve the most vulnerable

Vision
In community with the local Church, World Relief envisions the most vulnerable people transformed economically, socially, and spiritually.
Values

The Example of Jesus as we serve those who are suffering from poverty and injustice, regardless of color, belief, or gender, as part of God’s plan to redeem, reconcile, and restore the world. We seek to follow Jesus by living holy, humble, and honest lives individually and corporately.

The Local Church as a primary agent of bringing peace, justice, and love to a broken world. The integrated “word” and “deed” dimensions of God’s mandate, as evidenced through the church’s integral, or transformational, mission are necessary to bringing reconciliation and restoration to God, others, and the environment.

People whether staff, volunteers, clients, beneficiaries, donors, and partners, as important actors in bringing peace, love, and justice. We recognize and affirm World Relief as a multicultural organization and seek to understand and respect the multiplicity of cultures among us. As we seek change in the world, we recognize that we, too, are changed, by those we serve.

Excellence/Continuous Improvementin all our program initiatives and support services, following best practices and standards in a manner that is sustainable to the community from a spiritual, social, and economic perspective. We also seek to apply our human and financial resources in such ways that maximize impact and sustain benefits to the greatest number of people.

Empowerment by prioritizing the leadership and participation of those we serve, whether people, churches, or local institutions, as critical to creating and sustaining change. We seek to catalyze a movement of worldwide volunteers to multiply impact, and we value capacity-building as a means towards that end.

Partnership by seeking, facilitating, and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders, including local governments, the worldwide church, mission agencies, other NGO’s, and the business community, recognizing partnership as essential to serving the most vulnerable. We believe each expression of the worldwide Church has a unique and interdependent role in bringing peace and justice to the world.

Prayer is the priority and foundation to accomplishing our mission.

I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understand the Mission, Vision and Values of World Relief and will respect them in the manner in which I serve.

______

Volunteer SignatureDate

Complete pages 5-7; submit via email, fax or mail or in-person.

5107 University Blvd. W. Jacksonville, FL 32216

P: (904) 448-0733 (ext 128) Fax: (904) 367-1436

Email:

Volunteer Application

Personal Information
Name:
Address:
City: / State: / Zip:
Home Phone: / Work Phone: / Mobile Phone:
E-mail:
Occupation
Church Information / If no church, please provide the name of a “spiritual mentor”
Name:
Address:
City: / State: / Zip:
Phone: / Web site:
Pastor
School/Work Information
Name:
Address:
City: / State: / Zip:
Phone / Web site:
Supervisor:
Volunteer Information
Have you worked with refugees before? If so, please describe your experience.
Why do you want to serve refugees through World Relief?
What type of assistance do you most want to provide?
Do you want to work with a particular ethnicity and/or age group?
What languages do you
speak?
References
List two references who are not relatives. At least one should be someone who supervises you in some way.
Name:
Relationship:
Address:
Daytime Phone: / E-mail:
Name:
Relationship:
Address
Daytime Phone: / E-mail:

Opportunities I am interested in:

Friendship Partner

Good Neighbor Teams

Cultural Orientation Assistant

‘GO’ Glocal Outreach Team

Professional Services: ______

Other: ______

______

______

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