There are three basic types of volunteer opportunities at the Travis Fisher House I & II:
Regularly Scheduled Volunteers
A volunteer who would like to come each week, on a specific day, during a specific time period. You pick the day and the time period you have available. Half an hour to a whole day, the choice is yours. These volunteers do the types of chores that have to be done each day. Some of the jobs include, unloading the dishwasher, baking brownies, making beds, re-ordering the refrigerator, arranging flowers, washing bed linens, and straightening up. Regularly Scheduled Volunteers also do those jobs that occur infrequently, like help turning mattresses and dusting behind the beds.
Occasional Volunteers
A volunteer -- usually a person who works swing shifts or is out of town often -- who calls in a day or so before they will have some time to volunteer. If we know they are coming we can have a selection of jobs that need doing and they can choose from all sorts of duties.
Special Functions Volunteers
A volunteer who volunteers for a specific project or job. This volunteer can choose a job such as maintaining the library or stocking the kitchen, create project/fund-raiser like our annual Viking Challenge or Golf Tournament, or even take a position on the board of directors. One might be the volunteer coordinator, maintain mail lists, or create theme days for the guests. These folks often work on their projects away from Travis Fisher House or do them seasonally. It depends on your talent, preference and the amount of time you have to invest.
All volunteers are asked to keep track of their hours in the Travis Fisher House Volunteer Book, so that we know how many wonderful people and how much time is invested in keeping our Travis Fisher House running smoothly. We cherish each and every volunteer because without them, Travis Fisher House would not exist. It's the work of these great people that raise the funds, and provide the love and support that spreads out to support our guests when they need us most. From the teen that helps out ½ an hour a week to the senior that's here for a day, our volunteers are needed, wanted, and appreciated!
Miscellaneous
Any skill you possess can probably be utilized to help the Travis Fisher House. So if you don't see the type of opportunity you would like listed and have an idea, just call Travis Fisher House at (707) 423-7550. The staff will be glad to work with you to make your volunteer experience an enriching and rewarding.
Additionally, many folks who are not listed here donate many hours and many meals to keep our military families that stay here fed. There are groups that volunteer one day per month to provide meals to our guests. Some cook here, some bring the food and drop it off, and some cook the meal (enough for themselves and guests) and invite the guests to join them. These volunteers often go unseen and sometimes unknown as individuals -- but never, ever go unappreciated.