Is there a role for me?
There are many ways that you can become involved. Here are a few ideas.

• What if my congregation doesn’t have a Care Team?
  
  If your congregation is not currently participating in any of the programs sponsored by Interfaith CarePartners, please call us to discuss how we may collaborate with you. It would also be very helpful if you would assist us to speak with your Rabbi, Pastor, Minister, or other congregational leader about serving together. We welcome the opportunity to share how we can offer support to families and caregivers through one of the Care Team projects (Alzheimer’s, Second Family, Kids’ Pals, AIDS) or Common Ground: Caregiver Conversations.
   

• Can I volunteer to help an existing Care Team?
  
  Yes, there may be a Care Team in your congregation or geographical area that is looking for additional volunteers. Some teams welcome help from the community, as well as their own congregational members. Volunteers typically donate a few hours once or twice per month, depending on time availability and needs of the families being served. Contact us to find out what may be available.
   

• What other volunteer roles are available?
  
  Common Ground is a series of monthly meetings of caregivers who share their experiences and resources, as well as draw strength from each other and support from a professional and lay co-facilitator. The leadership of Common Ground meetings are qualified volunteer professionals and former caregivers. The expectations for these two positions are listed below.

  Common Ground Layperson Co-facilitator:

  Has had the experience of caregiving and whose caregiving journey is finished Is willing and able to connect with group participants once or twice per month, outside the group experience Ensures the meeting space is set up prior to the meeting time Helps coordinate the coffee, tea, and snacks provided to meeting participants Helps to greet participants and orient them to the meeting area; i.e., bathrooms, etc. Assist in collecting profiles and surveys from participants and send to Interfaith CarePartners® shortly after each meeting Is willing to share their experience of caregiving when necessary, in order to help facilitate connection to meeting participants and provide empathic response Supports the licensed facilitator in maintaining productive discussion in groups Is able to commit a minimum of 3 hours per month for each meeting. (1.5 hrs. for meeting. 1.5 hrs. for phone calls and paperwork. Time may vary depending on number of participants and their current caregiving situation.)

  Common Ground Professional Co-facilitator:

  Should have an LPC, LMSW, LCSW, or similar license and training in group facilitation Provide for and discuss the confidentiality of the participants and their discussions Facilitate productive discussion in groups Create and maintain an emotionally safe environment for sharing Provide discussion topics where needed Find or suggest resources which may not have been offered in the group discussion Assist in collecting intake profiles and surveys from group participants Provide to Interfaith CarePartners® an overview of the group’s progress and provide monthly updates, including group needs that may not have been met. Be able to commit a minimum of 2 hours per month for each meeting (1.5 hrs for meeting, 0.5 hrs preparation, reporting. Time may vary slightly depending on number of participants and their caregiving situation.)

  Volunteer Care Team Coordinator – Serve as an unpaid part-time staff member of Interfaith CarePartners. This role supervises one or two Care Team ministries. Supervision entails working with team leaders, initial in-home visits with new care partners, attendance and participation at monthly team meetings, responding to leaders and members as needed between meetings, assist in collection of registration documents and timesheets, accept supervision by full-time staff, and attend monthly staff meetings at Interfaith CarePartners as much as possible. The estimated time commitment per month per team is 10-12 hours. Prospective volunteer Care Team Coordinators include experienced and exemplary team members, non-working or retired nurses, social workers, counselors, clergy, and congregation staff members and lay leaders with gifts for caregiving ministry. Mileage expenses will be reimbursed at the IRS rate.
  
  Special Projects and Office Volunteers – We occasionally have special events and office projects that require volunteer assistance. Please contact us to inquire about our needs.
  
  Public Relations and Marketing Volunteer – If you are a professional in the field of Public Relations and/or Marketing and interested to utilize your professional skills to help us, please call to discuss the possibilities.
  
  Financial Contributions – Financial Contributions are tax deductible. Donations may be mailed to Interfaith CarePartners, or you may choose to donate by credit card online at www.justgive.org. For gifts of securities, contact us for the required information.