These are
the people I have on my RSVP list.
Please let
me know if you are planning to come and your name is NOT on the list, or vice
versa!
Thanks!
| Alex
Culbreth
|
|
Ami
Patel
|
|
Camila
Olaya
|
|
Colton
McConnell
|
|
D’anlyn Eilan
|
|
Eric
Anderson
|
|
Kathie
Land
|
|
Maria Gabriela Eyrich
|
| Meredith McKenna
|
|
Turquoisia
McNabb
|
|
Yulie
Choi
|
Greetings!
At some point, you inquired about volunteering with us so I
wanted to invite you to our next volunteer training sessions on October 4
& 5, 2016.
Please address all responses/questions/RSVP to :
There are two parts to volunteer training. The first
part is for everyone doing anything for CDS Family & Behavioral Health
Services, Inc. The second part is an additional training for those of you
planning to volunteer at CDS Interface Youth Shelters. Most of our
volunteers do work at the shelter, so most of you will need to attend both
trainings. There will be no make-up trainings offered if you miss
one. The next training sessions will be at the beginning of February,
2017. You may take the first training now and the shelter training later,
but you will have to wait until both are complete to start volunteering at CDS
Interface Youth Shelter. (NOTE: we are doing the trainings
out of order this time – second part at the shelter is offered first on
Tuesday, and the first part is being offered on Wednesday.)
*NOTE: You must take the shelter training just before
you start volunteering (no more than 30 days before). (Part 1
training is still just 3x a year – usually 3-6 weeks after the start of each
semester. If you are planning a practicum or need to do a lot of hours,
plan to take part 1 training the semester BEFORE you start the practicum and
part 2 just before you start volunteering. Shelter staff is willing to do
an extra training right at the start of a semester if needed.) Be sure
to let me know your intentions if you are required to do a certain number of
hours for school.
To volunteer at Interface,
you need to:
complete both trainings,
complete an application packet,
get electronic fingerprints taken
pass a background screening (materials
included in the packet - copy of driver’s license and social security card are
required), and
read the Volunteer Handbook and NASW Code of
Ethics (The Handbook and Code of Ethics have a form that needs to be
signed and a little quiz to take to show you did read them – when you RSVP for
training, I will email these to you)
When everything is completed, you can start
volunteering. If you are eager to get started, I strongly recommend
picking up the application packet at my office soon, getting your fingerprints
done, and turning in the completed packet before training. It takes
about a week to get a background screening run. If we take care of all of
this prior to training, you can start volunteering at the shelter immediately
after the 2 training sessions. Those of you with a set number of hours to
complete for school credit should take care of the application process as early
as possible to avoid trying to complete all your hours at the end of a
semester.
NEW POLICY – As of August, 2016, the price for
background screenings has tripled. The good news is that the
screening is now good for 5 years and can be used by other employers related to
Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Children & Families.
So if you want to volunteer or become employed with any of our partner
agencies, you will already be cleared for the next five years. We
are now asking all our volunteers to contribute half the cost of the screening
since it will be to your benefit for the next five years to be a part of what
is called the “Clearinghouse.” Your cost will
be $31. It will need to be paid
when you turn in your initial paperwork prior to fingerprinting. If
you are unsure about volunteering, come to training first and see if this is
what you want to do. If you do wish to volunteer, we’ll run the
background screening when you are ready to commit. With the Clearinghouse,
it is a lot quicker to get screening results as compared to the old way with
fingerprint cards.
To pick up an application,
please come to my office and ask the office manager in SUITE 4 to get a
packet out of the mailbox for you. My office is located at 3615 SW 13
Street, Gainesville 32608 (next to IHOP). The CDS office has variable
hours depending on the needs of those receiving counseling
services. There should always be someone at reception between 11:30
and 4:00 pm, but we are usually open earlier and stay open as late as 7:00
pm. Monday – Friday. You can call the office manager,
Joy Brown, at 352 244 0628 x3822 before making a special trip here just to be
sure. If Joy is out and the door is locked, please ring the
bell. If someone else is in the building, they will answer it.
If you need something signed for school, let me know.
We will work out a way for you to get the form to me and returned. I am
often not in the office so please don’t wait until the last minute!
Training venue details:
(Part 2) Tuesday, October
4, 1-3 pm at CDS Interface Youth Shelter located at 1400 NW 29
Road, Gainesville 32605 (behind McDonald’s across from the old Sam’s Club/
Burlington/Ross on NW 13th Street, about 3 miles north of UF).
This session covers procedures and protocols for volunteers at Interface and an
overview of the social skills development program that youth in shelter
follow. Park in the old Sam’s Club lot as the shelter lot cannot
accommodate all the cars. This training is required by everyone
interested in volunteering at Interface Youth Shelter.
(Part 1) Wednesday,
October 5, 1-6 pm at CDS (my office). This will be held
in the SUITE 2 CONFERENCE ROOM at 3615 SW 13th Street, Gainesville 32608
(just north of Williston Road & IHOP and about two miles south of
UF). This training is required by everyone volunteering at
Interface Youth Shelter AND anywhere else in our CDS programs. This
session covers:
Crisis Communication Skills
Overview of CDS Family & Behavioral Health
Services, Inc., Human Trafficking and Runaway Youth, CARF standards and PREA
guidelines
HIV Safety
Please bring $2 to contribute toward the cost of healthy
snacks that I will provide.
RSVP!
I do need to know who is expected to attend the
trainings. My conference room can fit about 30 comfortably so if you are
planning to come, please let me know. You may need to make special
arrangements with employers or teachers to attend but hopefully you’ll be able
to take time off. I can send you a letter to ask professors to
excuse you from class if requested in advance.
RSVP via email with your name, phone number, and email
address. I will respond with your reading materials.
Please share this email with anyone else you know who may be
interested in volunteering. CDS relies on the help of volunteers to give
the at-risk youth in our shelters more one on one attention than can be
provided by staff alone. We also utilize volunteers in our Safe Place
program and to help with outreach and administrative work.
Frequently Asked
Questions:
How are my
volunteering hours scheduled? CDS Interface Youth Shelter
volunteers are needed any time after school or weekends, generally 3-9 weekdays
and 9-9 on the weekends. Summer volunteers can work 9-9 weekdays as
there is no school in session. You schedule your own hours in
coordination with the volunteer supervisor, Mr. Zeke Whitter. You can
volunteer around your work or school schedules – ideally a minimum of at least
once or twice a week for several months.
What if I
can’t attend the full training sessions? Come to what you can
and complete the rest this winter. The only thing that can be made up is
the HIV training 10/5, 5-6 pm) as that is a DVD. If you bring your own
laptop, you can sit in my office and watch it at a time that is mutually
convenient.
What if I
don’t have a driver’s license and/or a social security card? These
items are required to run a background check. A state ID can substitute
for the driver’s license. A passport is NOT sufficient for ID for
background screening purposes. If your parents have your social security
card, have them mail, scan/email, or FAX a copy of the card to me. If you
are an international student without a social security card, speak to your
advisor about obtaining a card. There are some special non-citizen social
security cards available for international students who need them to do
volunteer work. I don’t know how that works but have had volunteers do
this before. If you have lost your social security card, you can get a
new one by visiting the Social Security office located at 4562 NW 13 STREET,
Gainesville, FL 32609. 1-877-219-8323 M,T,Th,F 9-4, Wed
9-12
What if I have
a criminal record? Not all offenses disqualify you from
working with at-risk youth. Please contact me privately to discuss the
nature of the offense and I’ll let you know if I think you will pass the
background screen. Some of the best volunteers are people who have
learned from their mistakes and want to help at-risk kids NOT make those kinds
of mistakes.
Do you have an
MOU with my school? We maintain a Memorandum of Understanding
with University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Gainesville Job Corps, Florida
State University, St. Leo’s University, and City College. This means that
we are an authorized volunteer site for those colleges. If you are
interested in getting credit for your hours and are attending another school,
please contact your school first about what they require. Then contact me
and we’ll make the arrangements to have the paperwork done for you.
What if I
don’t have a car? Both training venues are on RTS bus
routes. Bus 13 stops at my office on SW 13 (next door at IHOP).
Buses 6 & 15 have stops close to the Interface Shelter. Bus 8 stops a
few blocks away from Interface.
What if I’m
under 18 years old? You can attend training but will need to
wait until you are at least 18 years old and out of high school yourself (even
if you are dual-enrolled) to begin volunteering at Interface.
What if I’m
NOT a young college student? Volunteers come in all ages and
from all walks of life. We’ve had retirees volunteer alongside 19 year
old college students. We welcome anyone who has a heart for working with
at-risk youth.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT OF
CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services, Inc!!
"Strengthening
Communities by Building Strong Families"
Remember, you can help CDS raise
money every time you search the internet. Use www.goodsearch.com for all your internet
searches. Designate CDS as your charity of choice!
