CAYA has a long rewarding relationship with its volunteers. Volunteer support areas include: summer camp volunteers, mentorship, prison ministry, disaster relief, feed our homeless community, and donation processing.
Our current pressing need is for Volunteers to help our pick-up team with picking up donated furniture items. You would meet us at the pick-up site, help move items out to the van and load the van and then you are done. This would be a huge help to our team. We are always looking…
All too frequently, refugees are forced to flee their homes at a moment’s notice, leaving the life they know and everything they own behind. It is not uncommon for a refugee family to arrive to the United States with a single suitcase containing all that they own. Welcome Kits help to provide the basic household…
Apartment set-up volunteers provide a warm welcome for families by stocking and decorating their apartments before they arrive. Tasks include assembling and arranging furniture, stocking cabinets, making beds, light cleaning, and other household tasks to make the apartment “move-in ready”. Volunteers assist as-needed and the schedule varies week to week. IRC will provide as much…
The IRC in Charlottesville Youth Mentoring program (MYVA) serves refugee youth or young adults (15-24) to help them positively navigate new communities and advance their educational and vocational goals. Adult mentors in the Charlottesville community are paired with a mentee and help guide the youth through important life transitions and decisions. Mentors can form a…
Help staff and farmers out with ongoing projects (e.g. planting, cleaning, harvesting, organizing, etc). Please bring water, gardening gloves, sun-protection, and dress for the weather. Workdays will be cancelled for inclement weather. Volunteers must be willing to work hard and get their hands dirty!
Help newly arrived refugees learn English, and practice verbal and written communication. Serve as a friendly face and resource for clients to help them more easily integrate into the community.
Front Desk volunteers are vital to IRC operations, greeting each and every person who visits the office, and assisting them with whatever they may need (e.g. directing clients to staff members for meetings, accepting payments, answering basic questions about services). Volunteers are also in charge of answering the main phone line and transferring calls/messages to…
The IRC houses a “Resettlement Store” where refugees can shop for donated items such as clothing, household goods, toys, kitchenware, and linens. We always need people to help process in-kind donations and keep the shop organized. Due to COVID-19 precautions, our “store” is currently closed but we are delivering donations to clients. We currently need…
Our coaches work to, connect the fellow with civic and career networks, ask non-judgemental questions to help projects grow, support fellows when things seem hard, and cheer on fellows when they find successes.