Lighthouse of Oakland County

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering offers so many life-changing moments. That is true both for our clients, who benefit from the services and care that volunteers provide, and for the volunteers themselves who are taking steps to help better their community in a meaningful way.

Volunteers are a critical and necessary part of our team here at Lighthouse of Oakland County. Your personal care and concern does wonders to help clients achieve independence from what previously may have been a crisis or poverty situation.

We encourage you to view our list of Volunteer Opportunities below and see what fits your interests, schedule and skills. Many of our volunteers have also met professionals, neighbors and friends who ultimately became a part of their personal network through volunteering at Lighthouse.

If you are interested in volunteering at Lighthouse of Oakland County, please complete our volunteer application under the Get Involved tab or call our Volunteer Resources Department at (248) 920-6060 ext. 2210 or email us at volunteering@lighthouseoakland.org.

Current Volunteer Openings at Lighthouse of Oakland County:

Michigan Renaissance Festival 2010

We’re Getting Medieval – Again!

Summer might be just arriving now but at Lighthouse we are already preparing for our summer fun – starting with jousting this August. That’s because Lighthouse once again will be an official charity of the annual Renaissance Festival being held later this summer in Holly.

The Michigan Renaissance Festival will team up with Lighthouse of Oakland County to benefit the Lighthouse Emergency Services (LES) Food Pantry for the first three weekends of the Festival; August 21 & 22, 28 & 29 and Labor day weekend September 4,5 & 6.

Every person who brings four items for the pantry will receive a voucher for a Buy One, Get One Free Ticket into the festival.

Volunteers are Needed! Not only do we need and value the canned goods, but we also need eight to ten volunteers working each three and a half hour shift to help manage this effort. Volunteers can enjoy being outside and they will receive a free entry ticket and food vouchers to the Festival. The available shifts for each day are:

Morning Shift is: Mid-Day Shift is: Afternoon Shift is:

8:45am to 11:45am to 3:00pm to

12:00pm 3:15pm 6:30pm

If you are interested in any of our volunteer opportunities please contact Patricia Pulis, Volunteer Coordinator for Lighthouse of Oakland County, 248-920-6000, ext. 2362 or email ppulis@lighthouseoakland.org.

The Renaissance Festival is one of the most popular annual late summer traditions here in the area and last year Lighthouse was able to collect tens of thousands of pounds of non-perishable items from guests. These items filled six large portable containers and were provided to residents in need throughout Oakland County and southeastern Michigan. This is the single largest food drive for the Lighthouse pantry.

Receptionist for LOC, LES, PATH: The Receptionist is the first contact our callers and visitors encounter. With a warm smile and a pleasant voice this person will answer the switchboard phone and redirect callers to a staff person. They will greet visitors as they arrive for meetings with staff members. They will also be responsible to assist with mailings and other administrative tasks as needed. We ask for a 6 month commitment, 4 hours per week, 8am – noon or noon – 4:00pm.

Drivers: Lighthouse of Oakland County is looking for several volunteer drivers to pick up donations at schools, churches, businesses, stores or residential homes within Oakland County (Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham and Troy) and deliver the items to Lighthouse. We need drivers on a weekly basis, as well as those who can be on call Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

If you enjoy driving and are able to lift up to 40 - 45lbs., we can certainly use your assistance in picking up donations from within the community. Donations can be from food drives held at local schools, churches or businesses or stores donating food, household items or furniture. The volunteer will have to use their own vehicle; therefore, a SUV or truck would be most helpful. Unfortunately, we do not reimburse for mileage. However, you can claim the miles on your income tax.

Senior Services Program Assistance: The Senior Services program at Lighthouse Emergency Services is looking for volunteers to help with in-home assessments to determine what the clients needs are. We also need people to work in the office making phone calls and filing paperwork. Once a month we could use people for packing and delivering fresh fruit, vegetables and Focus Hope commodity foods to low income seniors. We provide a monthly luncheon here at Lighthouse for seniors and we are looking for volunteers to help with this. We also need help with calling seniors when it is very cold or very warm outside to see if they need assistance. We ask for a 6 month to one year commitment.

Direct Service Interviewer: Lighthouse Emergency Services conducts interviews with all of the clients. This volunteer position assesses the need for assistance and where possible, fulfills the client’s needs. This job requires training which consists of an orientation, individual on the job shadowing with a staff member or experienced volunteer, and software training using our client database. This volunteer should be comfortable using the computer. We do ask for an ongoing commitment of one year due to the substantial training and at least 4 hours per week.

Foreclosure Prevention Assistant: Lighthouse Community Development needs volunteers to handle follow-up calls. These calls will be to clients asking them to bring in documents or to lenders to get status updates. They will also help organize files and do some filing. We ask for someone with some clerical experience including computer skills. Good phone skills would also be helpful. We ask for a 6 month commitment and at least 4 hours per week.

Tutor: Lighthouse PATH and Pontiac Schools S.K.I.L.L.S (Supporting Kids in Literacy, Learning, and Success) Program is in need of volunteer tutors. It you have at least 2 hours a week during school hours we will train you to tutor students in grade K – 4 and we will match you with a school that has identified a need for tutors. We ask for a 6 month commitment.

We also need your help ensuring we have the supplies necessary to assist client in their transition from crisis to independence. Volunteers are needed to coordinate drives in their community for any of the following items:

LIGHTHOUSE WISH LIST
(Click the headings to view the list of items)

For Babies