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Volunteer Opportunities

The United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, Inc. (ucpn) has rewarding and diverse volunteer opportunities available where you can make a difference in the life of a child or adult while impacting your own life too. If you want happiness for a lifetime – help another.

Our volunteers enjoy many diverse experiences while directly interacting with our participants as they go through their day. Some of the assignments include reading, assistance at mealtimes and walking children and adults to and from their programs.

If you are a caring and compassionate person, we welcome your skills, time and attention. Help yourself by helping another. We invite you to make a difference in your life by helping make a difference in the life of a person with disabilities.


Volunteer Opportunities at the Agency

Training and orientation provided at our agency for all of the below opportunities.

AREA: NURSING:
CLERICAL ASSISTANT: Seeking volunteer to help in the nursing office. Tasks include filing, answering phones, and transporting consumers (via wheelchair) as necessary to and from appointments within the building. Flexible days and hours between 9:30 – 3:30..

AREA: CAFE CONNECTIONS:
STAFF CAFETERIA ASSISTANT: Seeking volunteer to assist in Staff Cafeteria. Activities include restocking and organizing of food items, surface cleaning, assisting customers with requests, cash register and some light clerical tasks. Days needed Monday – Thursday; flexible; can volunteer for one day per week; hours 8 a.m. – 2:00 pm.

AREA: CURIOSITY SHOPPE:
CURIOSITY SHOPPE VOLUNTEER: Volunteer(s) needed on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in our Curiosity Shoppe that is on our ground floor. Help sell merchandise (used and new) that helps raise funds for our agency. It’s always busy. Includes occasional help with mailings & various tasks. Requirements: enthusiasm, flexibility.

AREA: ADULT DAY SERVICES (ADT)
CERAMICS ASSISTANTS: Volunteer(s) needed for the following: help set up activities; provide instructions & physical assistance, as necessary, to adult participants. Some participants require hand over hand assistance, others verbal instruction; help don and remove smocks; help with cleaning up materials and putting away materials. Days needed: Tues, Wed, or Thur, from 10-11:30 a.m.

CRAFT ASSISTANTS: Volunteer(s) needed for the following: help set up activities; provide instructions & physical assistance, as necessary, to adult participants. Some participants require hand over hand assistance, others verbal instruction; help don and remove smocks; help with cleaning up materials and putting away materials. Days needed: Tues, Wed, or Thur, from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

AREA: LIFE OPTIONS
Life Options is a NYS OPTS program, which offers participants an opportunity to find achievement and satisfaction on a very personal level by allowing them to develop life skills and abilities. Life Options teaches the consumers to value and enjoy leisure time, retirement and self-initiated activities by exposing them to the many options available. The Life Options Department is currently seeking volunteers with the classroom setting for the following:

WORK SKILLS VOLUNTEER: Volunteers needed for the Prevocational workshop piece of Life Options to assist with teaching work skills. The prevocational portion of Life Options is where participants spend a day working in the area and completing contracted work from the community. Activities range from 1 to 4 step operations. Assist by doing hand over hand training and help participants learn appropriate work skills and behaviors.
DINING ROOM ASSISTANT VOLUNTEER: Volunteers needed to assist in the Participant Cafeteria to help with individual place set-ups. Lunch times in the cafeteria would welcome an extra pair of hands to assist participants with, but not limited to: handing out lunch orders & beverage requests, assisting with straws and other utensils, cutting up lunch orders and placing diet and feeding protocol folders in the desired location. Days needed: Tues., Wed. or Fri. Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 pm.
NEWSLETTER ASSISTANT: Looking for volunteer interested in writing and collating newsletter. Will assist participants in coordinating interviews, creating ideas for articles, poetry, etc. Will further assist consumers by taking down notes & motivating them to come up with ideas. Must be computer literate and have writing ability. Flexible days/hours.
COMPUTER ASSISTANT: Volunteer needed to work in computer room to assist teacher in setting up participants for working on specific computer programs. Work one-on-one with various participants & teach them how to play games & look up information on Internet. Must be computer literate with ability to troubleshoot software programs. Flexible days/hours.
ART ASSISTANT: Volunteer(s) needed with an interest in art to help teacher set up classroom projects and assist participants with coloring, painting, and gluing. Sense of creativity and interested in art needed. Flexible days/hours.
CULINARY ASSISTANT: Volunteer(s) needed with an interest in cooking to help teacher direct participants in measuring, cutting and peeling food. Assist with preparation of meals. Interest in cooking and preparation of food necessary. Flexible days/hours.
DANCE ASSISTANT: Volunteer(s) needed to help teach different styles of dance to participants . Will assist teacher in developing style, grace and etiquette when dancing. Must have interest in dance. Flexible days/hours.
TRANSPORTER: Volunteer(s) needed to help transport participants to and from appointments. Must be friendly and pleasant at all times. Appointments are all located within main building of facility. Flexible days/hours.

AREA: REHAB TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTER OFFICE HELP: Volunteer(s) needed to assist with organizing files and folders, organizing and sorting adaptive equipment and database entry for inventory purposes. Technology Center is located in Roosevelt facility. Flexible days/hours from Mon – Thur.
COMPUTER TECHNICIAN: Volunteer(s) needed to assist in maintaining and troubleshooting personal computer systems; work with Assistive Technology Specialists to keep all participants’ computers and peripherals functional and operational; assist with installation and troubleshooting of software programs as needed. Flexible days/hours.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER/ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN: Volunteer(s) needed to repair and maintain various electronic assistive devices such as adapted toys, switches, computer peripherals and basic augmentative communication devices. Ability to design, and repair circuit boards is also needed. Assist Rehab Tech Specialist staff in classroom computer installations, troubleshoot repairs for classroom equipment; perform necessary toy adaptations, and design and develop new products. Flexible days/hours.

AREA: REHAB SOLUTIONS
CLERICAL HELP: Volunteer(s) needed to assist with filing, copying, answering phones, computer work. Help prepare customer files, and paperwork. Learn to check Medicaid/Medicare insurance information. Flexible days/hours.

AREA: MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
TRANSPORTER: Volunteer(s) needed to help walk consumers to their appointments and daily activities in a timely and safe manner. Cheerful disposition needed. Flexible days/hours.
FILING HELP: Volunteer(s) needed to help file in medical records area. Flexible days/hours.