|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VolunteeringWhat Do Volunteers Do?Prospective volunteers, in an effort to better understand the work of the volunteers, often ask what a day at the houses is like. What do volunteers do? First, it is important to understand that Annunciation House is an all-volunteer organization and the volunteers live and work in the houses; there is no paid staff. The volunteers at the houses work under the supervision of the House Coordinator, a volunteer who has typically worked at the house for at least a year and a House Mentor, part of the long-term Core Community of the houses. The volunteer staff is responsible for the operation of the house, attending to the needs of the guests, coordinating the meals, picking up food donations, doing house and car maintenance, and all the other things that come up with a house of hospitality for 50 people. Volunteers have four main areas of responsibility: guest servant shifts, being a contact person, weekly rotations, and permanent rotations. The guest servant is the person immediately responsible for the operation of the house. The House Coordinator makes a weekly schedule with each day divided into two guest servant shifts, a morning shift from 6am to 2pm, and an evening shift from 2pm to 10pm. The guest servant will find themselves answering the phone, welcoming new guests, checking on meal preparations, applying band aids to wounded people of all shapes and sizes, distributing laundry soap, or finding a spot for a recent donation. Volunteers hesitate to label any shift or day as typical or normal. Each guest, each day is new and so too each guest servant shift is a new opportunity to learn how to love and serve. In addition to guest servant shifts, volunteers also serve as Contact Person. Each new guest welcomed into the house is assigned a Contact Person- a volunteer to work with them to clarify and resolve their situation. Each guest is asked to plan the next step in their life or journey. The house works to foster the independence, responsibility, and ability of the guests to solve their problems. A Contact Person may show a guest how to use a phone. Guests in need of medical attention are accompanied to local clinics or hospitals where health care arrangements are made. Parents of school age children are assisted to register their children in one of the neighborhood schools. Befriending, listening, questioning, suggesting, explaining, translating, thus the work of the Contact Person is defined. This is hospitality on a personal level. Hospitality also means having meals and beds ready for guests and cleaning and maintaining the house. Weekly assignments and special projects (holiday plans or putting together a party, for instance) are divided and rotated among the volunteers to assure that the house is ready for guests. Weekly rotations include House Laundry, House Maintenance, Guest Recreation, and House Duty Roster. Some of the house responsibilities involve a period of learning that would be too overwhelming if the job were a weekly rotation. Hence, each volunteer is assigned a permanent job which they keep for the entire year of their commitment. For example, one volunteer is in charge of keeping the food pantry stocked and in order. Another volunteer oversees the clothing bank and the distribution of clothing to the guests. Other volunteers are in charge of house records, bookkeeping, and house maintenance. Of all the works that the volunteers are asked to offer, none is more important than that of being a welcoming presence to those who come. This is the work of listening to the story that comes from the heart or playing with a lonely child, taking a walk with a runaway, or holding a baby for an overwhelmed mother. This is the work of living with those that one must see as brother or sister, mother or father, son or daughter. It is the work of building community and creating family with those that hunger to belong and to hear someone say “yes” to them. And this is the work that volunteers do and which has no days and no time to measure its gift.
“If there is hunger anywhere in the world, then our celebration of the Eucharist is somehow incomplete everywhere in the world.” –Pedro Arrupe Faith and SpiritualityFrom the very beginning, the story of Annunciation House has been one of a faith journey. It has been and continues to be an attempt to encounter the Jesus of the Gospel in today’s world. The starting point for the volunteers is not ‘what can I do for others’. Rather it is the realization that one has a profound desire and hunger to experience holiness, joy, peace, and goodness, and that these are to be found with and among the poor. Annunciation House is not a place for individuals who primarily seek to do social work. Rather, it is a place for individuals who are in search of a deeper experience of God and have come to understand that for them, it may come through free and complete service to the poor. The call of Annunciation House is one of faith, and as such, it must include a life of prayer and reflection. At Annunciation House, there are regularly scheduled times for prayer and reflection. Because the house came into being out of a Catholic tradition, the Eucharist is very much a part of the prayer life of the house. Eucharistic celebrations are a very important part of both volunteer gatherings and a part of celebrations in the houses. Volunteers coming to Annunciation House are clearly expected to be part of and participate in the prayer and spiritual life of the house. Annunciation House welcomes volunteer workers from all faiths and there exists a commitment to a prayer and spiritual life that is ecumenically inclusive. In addition, the planning and preparation for prayer and reflection times are rotated and shared among the volunteers. The challenge for some individuals is that as lay people, they have not had too great of an exposure to prayer and theological reflection. It is equally important for individuals considering coming to Annunciation House that they realize that there is a deep respect for the religious beliefs and practices of the guests. There is absolutely no room at Annunciation House for any form of proselytizing or obliging of guests to participate in religious services as a precondition to being welcomed or assisted. VolunteeringYear Long VolunteerOver the years, the work of Annunciation House has grown and the number of people coming to the house has increased greatly. Individuals coming to live and work at the house find that it takes them several months before they feel fully knowledgeable of all that it takes to be a good volunteer and servant of the homeless poor. For this reason, individuals wishing to volunteer at Annunciation House are expected to make a commitment to serve at the house for at least one year. Summer InternshipThe exception to this minimum commitment is a 10 week Summer Internship that is open to individuals each summer. Usually beginning on the first of June and ending August 10, the internship is specifically geared to students, teachers, and others whose life situation precludes their having more time, to consider serving at Annunciation House. Individuals seeking to participate in the Summer Internship are expected to complete the same application process requested of longer term volunteers. In addition there is a May 20 deadline for the Summer Internship applicants, a date by which all needed information is to be received. Volunteers coming to Annunciation House through the Summer Internship Program participate in all aspects of the work and life of Annunciation House. In addition, with the increase in staff, it allows work to be done or completed on special projects or needs that the house may have. Because the ten week period is such a short time, Summer Internship volunteers are expected to be at the house for the entire period. Those who have a conflict with the dates or have another commitment that will take them away from the house for more than 4 days are discouraged from applying. How To ApplyTo print out the application form and medical form please click on the following: (You'll need to download the free application - Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't have it already.) To request an application by mail please write to the address at the bottom of this page. When applying, please include on the application (see the bottom of page 7) any questions or concerns you have about the life and work of the house. Acceptance of volunteers is based on the guidelines below. Volunteers are asked to be:• Available to work at Annunciation House for the minimum commitment period of one year or the entire summer internship. They must be free of any other commitments, responsibilities or obligations. Volunteers will be provided with:• Full room and board. The application process requires:• Filling out the application form. Notification of acceptance will be made as soon as possible.• Volunteers need to bring an original birth certificate or passport along when they come to the house. Return the application form to:Annunciation House,
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
