Volunteer Reflections
Life Skills Volunteers Help Clients Succeed in Life
How to manage money and find employment are just two areas covered by the Life Skills Classes at the Hope Center. Providing our clients with the tools they need to live independently helps prevent them from returning to life on the streets. Life Skills classes are offered to Phase 1 recovery clients and are taught by community volunteers and staff members. They teach employment skills, resume writing, nutritious cooking, stress management, and money management.
“I found the finding employment part of Life Skills to be very helpful in learning how to help me get back on my feet,” said David Todd, a Hope Center Recovery Client. “If you have a felony, there actually are services to help with job placement and I did not know they existed until Life Skills.” Life Skills classes help clients to live healthy, independent lives once they graduate from the Hope Center Recovery Program.
Volunteers Dave Norat and Mike Carter teach a job skills class as part of the Life Skills curriculum. By sharing their knowledge, they are helping Hope Center clients rebuild their lives and gain employment and independence.
Volunteering Not Only Helps Hope Center Clients, but Brings Coworkers Together
Prior to participating their company’s day of service, our Amazon employee volunteers had only met over the phone and via email conversations. They finally met each other face to face at the Hope Center, where they volunteered their time for an entire 8 hour shift of work. They were offered the day of service in lieu of a regular work day- and these employees jumped at the chance to give back to their community. The group painted the hallways of the Privett Men’s Recovery Center, which has over 130 residents and gets a whole lot of wear and tear. They enjoyed getting to know the other members of their customer service team, since most of them work from home and had never met before.
The day of service was a great way for Amazon to provide much-needed assistance at the Hope Center while strengthening their team of employees at the same time. The volunteers were able to learn about the wide variety of services provided by the Hope Center, with several of them taking brochures and resources to pass along to friends. Thank you to Amazon for providing the Hope Center with such a wonderful group of volunteers.