Get Connected v2
Serving God by Serving Others
You can support our special ministry of service in many ways. Whether you choose to donate your dollars or your time, you are making a difference. We can’t fulfill our mission without you!
Hope Begins Here Monthly Tours
Hope Begins Here program tours are the perfect introduction to our organization! Every tour is informative, inspiring, and a one-of-a-kind experience created just for you.
*Tours are the first Wednesday of every month and begin at 11 a.m. CST.
Volunteer
Any volunteer wanting to serve in-person must sign a COVID-19 liability waiver included in the online application.
When Volunteers of America was founded in 1896, volunteering meant stepping forward to commit yourself to a cause. Individuals pledged their whole lives—their hearts, spirits and professional careers to help people in need. Today, our staff of paid professionals adopts this same ideal of service. Yet, we cannot be successful without our dedicated volunteers who give their free time and talent to support our most vulnerable neighbors.
If you would like to join our ministry of service, follow these steps:
1. Consider where you would like to volunteer. Look through our List of Volunteer Opportunities or create your own project.
2. Complete our online Volunteer Application form.
3. Review the Volunteer Policy Manual.
4. Complete the Consent to a Background Check online form and pay a $20 background check fee ($10 for students). You can click here to pay your Background Check Fee online. Minors under the age of 18 years do not need to complete a background check form. If you are a minor, a legal guardian will need to sign the Release and Acknowledgement Form.
5. Once the background check is completed, you will be contacted to schedule a time to discuss volunteer placement and begin your onboarding experience.
Volunteer Opportunities
Whether you’re looking to volunteer as an individual or as a group, we welcome your help and compassion! The volunteer needs are a bit different for each program, so we’ve divided them based your time to give below.
| Volunteer job | Location | Available dates/times | Job description |
| Tutor | LightHouse | Community Sites: Downtown LightHouse (820 Travis Street, Shreveport La) and Bossier City LightHouse (2101 Scott Street, Bossier City, La); Mondays-Thursdays. School-Based Sites: Atkins Elementary, Booker T. Washington High School, Broadmoor Stem Academy, Creswell Elementary, Fair Park Preparatory Academy, J.S. Clark Elementary, Westwood Elementary. Tuesdays- Thursdays. | Tutoring children and helping them with their homework during the school year. Reading to children, helping with arts and crafts, sports, etiquette and other enrichment activities. |
| Tutor | Communities In Schools | Atkins Elementary, Booker T. Washington High School, Broadmoor Stem Academy, Caddo Heights Elementary, Creswell Elementary, Caddo Middle Career and Technology School, Fair Park Preparatory Academy, J.S. Clark Elementary, Oak Park Elementary, Woodlawn High School. | Tutoring children in subjects where they have difficulty and helping them with their homework during the school year. Volunteers hours available in am and pm. |
| Teen Club Speaker | LightHouse | Community Sites: Located inside the Highland Center (520 Olive Street, Shreveport La) and Bossier City LightHouse (2101 Scott Street, Bossier City, La); 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs | Speaking to high school students about your career, personal story, hobbies, etc. |
| Arts and Crafts Leader | LightHouse | 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs | Plan and lead and arts and crafts activity for the children ages Kindergarten through 12th grade. |
| Teach a Physical Activity Class | Corbitt Lodge | 10 a.m. on a Monday or Tuesday | Teach a physical activity class for residents, such as stretching or chair yoga. |
| Teach a Creative Writing Class | Travis LightHouse | 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs | Plan and implement activities that will increase and enhance our middle school youth’s creative writing and poetry skills. |
| Community Gardeners | Greenwood Lodge and Travis LightHouse | daytime hours | Assist children and/or people with disabiltiies in the maintenance and care of the community garden and growing station. |
| Adult Life Skills Trainers | Veterans Home | Weekdays | Speak to Veterans about common life skills such as money management, owning a home, health care |
| Volunteer job | Location | Available dates/times | Job description |
| Provide a Sunday Dinner | Veterans Home | 4-6 p.m. Sundays | Prepare and serve Sunday dinner for the 48 residents of the Veterans Transitional Living Center. Meals must be prepared and ready to serve upon arrival. |
| Table Server/Host | Highland Center | 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursdays | Join Highland Center Ministries in serving dinner to the local community at weekly meals. |
| Bingo Caller | Corbitt Lodge | Twice a month – 4:30 p.m. Wed. | Call Bingo games for a group of residents |
| Check Blood Pressure | Corbitt and Independence Lodges | Corbitt: 2 or 3 p.m. Thursdays or Fridays Independence: 2 or 3 p.m. Mondays or Tuesdays | Conduct biweekly blood pressure checks for our residents. |
| Lead an Activity | South Pointe Place | once a month or more often | Lead an activity, such as quilting, card games, or educational talks with group of residents. South Pointe Place is a 50 unit apartment complex for low income senior adults.. |
| Plan an Ice Cream Social | Corbitt and Independence Lodges | Noon (12 p.m.) Thursdays or Fridays | Plan a fun social and provide ice cream for 10 residents. |
| Fitness Class | LightHouse Teen Club | 6-8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays | Lead teens in a fitness class. They are up for anything from dance to kickboxing to yoga! |
| Volunteer job | Location | Available dates/times | Job description |
| Prepare a meal | Group homes | Evenings or weekends | Prepare and serve dinner with the residents of our group homes for people with mental illness. Facilities house between 6 and 9 residents. |
| Teach a Topic | Vision of Hope | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon-Fri | Provide educational/recreational workshops for participants, i.e.teach an art or nutrition class. Visions is our day program for people with mental illness. |
| Landscaper/painter | Veterans Home | Daytime hours – could be weekends | Landscape the patio and front of the home. |
| Guest speaker | LightHouse | 3 to 5:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs or from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon-Thurs in the summer | Provide educational/recreational workshops for students ages kindergarten through 12th grade, such as art projects or healthy living |
| Host a collection drive | ongoing | Host a collection drive to fill our program wish lists. | |
| Share your recipes | ongoing | Teach a group of children or senior adult residents your favorite no-cook recipe. Volunteers would need to supply ingredients and bring needed kitchen tools. | |
| Share your hobby | ongoing | Are you passionate about a particular sport, topic or interest? Come share it with our clients. Bring pictures and a slide show to help engage everyone! | |
| Plan an outing | Veterans Facility | Evenings or weekends | Plan a trip to go fishing, bowling, attend a sporting event or go to the movies for a group of men from the Veterans Transitional Living Program |
| Friend of Volunteers of America | varies | varies | Sometimes we need help for a few hours with a special event. Let Shelby McCarty know you want to be a friend, and you will receive regular updates of how you and/or your group can: run check-ins, organize donations, serve food, or help with various other tasks for one of our one-time events. |
Thank you for whatever service you can give.
For more information about our Volunteer Program, contact connect@voanorthla.org or give us a call at 318-221-2669.
Visionaries
Visionaries is a group of engaged young adults committed to helping the needs of vulnerable people in Shreveport-Bossier. We partner with the mission of Volunteers of America North Louisiana to serve Children and Families, Senior Adults, Veterans, and Adults with Disabilities. Visionaries provides high-impact, low time-commitment service opportunities throughout the year because we know all about busy lives.
Committee Leadership
Wesley Lazarus
Courtnei Gabriel
Ashby Davis
Jordan Ring
Mac Zentner
Nick Oliver – Past Chair
