VNSNY’s volunteers help out with a wide range of activities, from visiting hospice patients to data entry to knitting scarves and sweaters for our patients. They also share their time and talents with every department in our organization.

Some of the opportunities for volunteers include:

• Helping prepare layette gifts for nearly 1,400 infants in different Children and Family Services programs, including the Nurse-Family Partnership and our Bronx Fatherhood Program. Newborns receive a diaper bag stocked with clothing and supplies.
• Assisting at our Chinatown Community Center and Neighborhood NORC with recreational activities, from crafts classes to festivals and special events, and with tutoring clients, many of whom are elderly or retirees and just beginning to study English formally.
• If you prefer to exchange a wide variety of services with others in the community including computer lessons, language lessons, cooking, minor home repair, and companionship, the VNSNY Community Connections TimeBank may be a great opportunity for you.
• VNSNY Volunteer Navigators help newly diagnosed cancer patients through the maze of available services and supports, as well as provide assistance getting to and from appointments, providing comfort in the home, and fitting patients with a no-cost wig or head covering.
• Volunteers who prefer to work behind the scenes assist with fundraising, with office support, with coordinating our Holiday Toy and Gift Drive, and with other special events. Our volunteer services department can also help corporations to coordinate employee service days or establish a corporate volunteer project.
• Internships for college students

We take special care to match our volunteers’ interests and abilities with the needs of our patients and our organization. We provide the support and training necessary for you to have a rewarding experience. There are volunteer opportunities in all five boroughs, as well as in Nassau County.

Hospice Volunteer Opportunities

VNSNY’s Hospice Care volunteers are an integral part of the success of our program. In 2012, more than 1,000 volunteers, including those in hospice, donated more than 120,000 hours of service. Learn how to get started.

adult day center Volunteer Opportunities

The VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center in Woodside, Queens, provides a supportive and supervised program for the frail elderly and those with memory loss. Volunteers provide companionship and assistance with a wide variety of recreational activities, such as art, music, jewelry making, Wii computer games, gardening, bingo and exercise. If you have any activity ideas, we also welcome your suggestions! 

The Center is open weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and volunteer days and hours are flexible with your schedule. To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Center or to schedule an interview, please contact Anne Lorenzetti, Volunteer Coordinator, at (718) 888-6763 or anne.lorenzetti@vnsny.org.

To learn more about the CHOICE Adult Day Center, read our director Debbie Stricoff's posts on A Day in the Life blog.