Community Service Projects 2011-2012
ATTITUDES & ATTIRE
Attitudes & Attire is a wonderful way to help other women feel good about themselves. The organization works with women coming out of abusive situations or being released from a correctional facility. Workshops are conducted to help build self esteem, teach job interview techniques. When you volunteer for Attitudes & Attire, you act as an image consultant to these women. Once a month for two hours, you work in the A&A boutique housed inside the World Trade Center. You shop the boutique with your “client”, helping put together a job interview appropriate outfit. For one of the first times in their lives, these women feel that someone has their best interests at heart. For a couple of hours, they receive one on one attention and pampering from you. When they come out of the fitting room in their new outfit, you can see that they are standing just a bit taller, their faces light up, they feel pretty, confident and ready to take on the world. No special training is required to volunteer for this project, just a desire to help people feel good about themselves.
Food + Fit = Fun
A program to help mothers learn basic nutrition, cooking and physical activities in order to promote healthy lifestyles and avoid the complications of childhood obesity.
Requirements for FFF volunteers: enjoy “hands on” activity, an interest in helping families learn ways to stay active together, learn about eating for good health and ways to stretch limited food resources.
Training: a session to familiarize volunteers with material in FFF manual.
Volunteer commitment: at your convenience, 1 ½ to 2 hour sessions during the school year. There are 8 opportunities to volunteer at each site: 3 food and nutrition classes, 3 physical activity classes, a grocery tour and a final “Look What We Learned” potluck brunch where participants and volunteers bring dishes from their ethnic background illustrating how they have learned to prepare them in a healthier way.
Bonus: FUN! A way to learn and share nutrition and great new recipes with eager participants. Physical activity classes are fun for all. The remarkable satisfaction of knowing that you have made a difference in the lives of families at risk of hunger and the problems associated with obesity.
HELLO ISRAEL
“Hello Israel” is looking for volunteers to expand their program to middle-school students in the greater Dallas area. ”Hello Israel” started as a national NCJW program, which has been introducing 6th graders to the country of Israel for more than 25 years. This program presents facts about Israel in an entertaining and interactive manner, supplementing the social studies curriculum on the Middle East. The program content does not express a political or a religious bias. Students learn about the history, geography, culture, language, politics, and economy of Israel. Volunteers act, in effect, as good-will ambassadors for Israel and the Jewish people.
Volunteers typically report that their experiences were very gratifying and exhilarating.
After a brief training (practice role-playing), volunteers work in pairs, using scripts and visual aids. “History comes alive” as the presenters encourage students to participate by directing questions, by demonstration, and by role-playing.
Time commitment is minimal…each presentation takes about 2-2 ½ hours and presenters may choose dates and schools base on need and availability. Hello Israel is presented during the school year only.
Students become participants in a mock archaeological dig, turning up “sand” (oatmeal) while searching for artifacts buried beneath. Refreshments are served, consisting of orange juice and Pita bread, foods typically served in Israel and other parts of the Middle East. The program concludes with the students learning to dance the “Hora”!
HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters)
(Field Trips: Dallas Museum of Art; Dallas Museum of Nature and Science)
For more than 20 years, NCJW has sponsored educational and culturally appropriate programs at the Dallas Museum of Art for five year old children and their parents enrolled in the Home Instruction Program for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY). More than 90% of these families are low-income, may have limited English proficiency and very few have been to a museum.
This project introduces the children and their parents to the broad concepts of what a “museum” is and what “art” can mean to them; to help them make connections between art work and their own experiences; to introduce the basic elements of art, and to create a welcoming atmosphere so that the families will feel comfortable in a museum setting.
The role of the volunteer, in addition to making the families feel at home, is to assist with either the children’s or parent’s tours throughout the museum (you can become a tour leader) and help with their personal art projects that each child and parent takes home.
At the Dallas Museum of Art, volunteers are trained by the Museum’s Early Learning Specialist. The field trips runs from October to April, meeting on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
KIDS IN COURT
Kids in Court was developed by NCJW, Greater Dallas Section, and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to help children ages 4 through 18 who must testify as victims of or witnesses to a violent crime. The program helps the kids and their families successfully prepare for the challenges of the impending court process. It empowers the children by familiarizing them with the courtroom environment, procedures and key personnel in a nonthreatening and supportive manner while providing the adult parents and guardians an opportunity to address their own questions and concerns.
NCJW volunteers support the children during the court familiarization process and provide materials and supplies, including pizza and drinks, for all the attendees. The Project Chair contacts interested volunteers a few weeks prior to each session to determine their availability. She recruits only 3-5 volunteers for each session to ensure that all volunteers spend their valuable time in a productive and meaningful manner. It is not necessary for a volunteer to commit to more than 1 event at a time.
MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER DOCENTS
Developed by NCJW, Greater Dallas Section, this project is an opportunity to show off our award-winning symphony hall to visitors of Dallas, student groups and those interested in architecture and its impact on music.
Requirements for docents: enthusiasm, an interest in architecture and people.
Training: individual tours with experienced docents until you are comfortable with the information in Docent Manual.
Volunteer commitment: at your convenience on an as needed basis determined by requests for tours. Tours average 1 hour.
Bonus: positive feedback from those who take tours; great appreciation from the Meyerson and symphony staff.
MEALS ON WHEELS – VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION
First Wednesday morning of the month beginning either this summer of fall. Time is approximately 10:00-11:30. Volunteer picks up 2 coolers of food & beverage from Northway Christian Church at corner of Airline & NW Hwy. Meals are delivered to people who live in area which borders on Lovers Lane – Mockingbird, Inwood – Lemmon Ave. The houses are close in proximity, the area very good. Presently there are about 8 people we serve, thus, it is a pretty short route. The coolers must be returned to the church right after they are delivered. Rather than a structured “training” the volunteer would be able to drive with the project chair on the designated route in order to understand the procedure. It is very simple, fulfilling, and a highly desirable volunteer job – nice to have 2 people do this job together. It involves simply delivering meals to very elderly people who are in need of the service.
VICKERY MEADOW FOOD PANTRY
NCJW volunteers fill all volunteer roles at the Pantry from picking up and delivering bakery donations, stocking the shelves and refrigerators, providing direct client services, sourcing needed items, handling client intake and record keeping, and filling key managerial positions.
Volunteer times:
Mondays 9-11 a.m; Wednesdays 12:30-3:00 p.m.; Thursdays 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon; Saturdays 8:30 a.m.-12 noon. Other times arranged at the volunteer’s convenience.
The Pantry is open every week at the times set forth above. Many volunteers work once a week, some work once a month, or just whenever they can. There is a volunteer coordinator who keeps and distributes a schedule each month.
A legally required training session is given to everyone working in a food pantry. The training includes food handling/safety and non-discrimination/civil rights training. This training is provided by Catholic Charities. On-site training is also provided by other volunteers. (All Pantry volunteers must agree to a criminal background check performed by Jewish Family Service.)
VICKERY MEADOW LEARNING CENTER (VMLC)
Vickery Meadow Learning Center, newly renamed as VMLC, is an adult English literacy program dedicated to improving literacy levels among non-English speaking adults by providing programs in communication and life skills.
NCJW volunteers play a critical role in the success of VMLC by filling the role of teachers in this program. Volunteer teachers work in pairs; no teaching experience is necessary. Materials and training are provided.
Volunteers are needed for 2 hours, once a week for 13 weeks per semester. The fall semester goes from September through December. The spring semester goes from January through April.
There are three options for class times: 9:00-11:00 a.m., 12:30-2:30 p.m., or 7:00-8:45 p.m.
Options for days of the week: Monday-Thursday
WACHS (Women’s Access to Comprehensive Health Services)
WACHS incorporates several approaches to the objective of providing women with greater access to comprehensive reproductive health information and services. Currently, NCJW volunteers design and deliver health workshops for area youth. Last year, youth aging out of foster care (male and female) participated in NCJW’s “My Bodyguard” workshops as a part of their transitioning training through the TRAC program. Wallet-size ‘Health and Safety Resource Cards’ distributed through local agencies in the community, is another aspect of WACHS. Advocacy focuses on policy that impacts access to women’s reproductive health education and services.
For a printable one page summary of Community Service Projects in pdf click here>>