Step into the New Year with Intention: Volunteer Opportunities at Cardinal Services

We all have such wonderful intentions when the calendar flips to January 1, don’t we?  From getting healthier to reading more and spending more time with friends, we have ambitious goals for positive change. An important action we at Cardinal encourage you to take is one that we stand ready to help you accomplish.

We urge you to volunteer in our community – and we invite you to volunteer with us! At Cardinal Services we have countless volunteer opportunities, and we do our best to shape each experience to you, the individual volunteer.

What is a personalized volunteer experience?

Shaping the experience to you means that if you want to come in to spend an hour or two sharing a recipe in our Culinary Club or playing Uno with a few people over a cup of coffee, we’ll make sure that’s what you get to do. We won’t move you to another task or location. We want you to have a meaningful experience when you volunteer at Cardinal Services – and there are many ways to achieve this.

What are my volunteer options?

Cardinal has a variety of volunteer locations and opportunities, including:

I. Day Services Club Rooms, where you can spend time with people in one of our club rooms: culinary arts, RedBird Art Studio, gaming, STEM, LEGOS, gardening, Bible study, spa, fitness, performing arts. The list of club groups goes on and there are endless things you might do. Here are a few examples:

• Paint alongside someone in RedBird Art Studio
• Teach a yoga class in our Fitness Center or just work out with us!
• Lead the S.T.E.M. Club in a fun experiment
• Join Lego Club for a build session
• Accept a Mario Bros challenge, play checkers, or vie to win Uno in our Gaming Club
• Join members of our Volunteer Club as they deliver meals to seniors or prep lunch at Fellowship Missions
• Share your gardening skills working with our Garden Club
• Paint the nails of one of the ladies in Spa Club

The list goes on. If you have an interest you would like to share, we would like to hear from you!

II. Head Start, where you can volunteer in a Head Start classroom with the children. You may choose to:

• Read to 3- to 5- year-olds
• Play with children on the playground or in the classroom
• Assist the teacher during lessons

III. Maintenance is a great chance to gather some friends or co-workers to help us do some sprucing up in the spring or fall. We have group homes and other buildings that would benefit from your energy!

IV. Cardinal Friend is perfect for you when you have made a connection with a person in our services, or would like to. You can meet them for coffee (either here at Cardinal or at one of our local shops) and visit. Personal connections make a huge difference in all our lives! Some ideas for things you might do together:

• Attend a concert in the park
• Walk the trails
• Go to a movie
• Trade cards and notes
• Go bowling

Anything that you both enjoy is an opportunity to spend time with your friend!

How often would I volunteer?

When and how often you volunteer is up to you. Many Cardinal volunteers are one-timers seeking to learn about us and give of their time. Others come now and again, sometimes doing the same job, other times trying something new.  Still others come in at a set time each week, working with the same people and developing relationships with them. The choice is entirely yours!

How do I learn more about becoming a Cardinal volunteer?

For more information, contact our volunteer coordinator, Michelle Boxell by calling 574.371.1387 or emailing michelle.boxell@cardinalservices.org.