Since 1978, OASIS, Inc. volunteers have been providing crisis intervention and support for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Volunteers make it possible for OASIS to be available to victims and survivors 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Sometimes people contact OASIS with the desire to volunteer but they aren’t sure in which capacity they would like to serve. Volunteer options include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Judicial Systems Advocate
- Crisis Line Volunteer
- Office Volunteer
- Shelter Substitute
- Shelter Maintenance Volunteer
- Spanish Interpreter Volunteer
If you are interested in any of the listed volunteer opportunities, please review the Volunteer Job Descriptions below and complete a Volunteer Application. You can submit your volunteer application by emailing the completed form to casemanager@oasisinc.org or fax it to our office 828-264-1538.
Judicial Systems Advocates (JSA):
OASIS Judicial Systems Advocates receive a minimum of 9 hours of training that teaches crisis counseling skills, education about domestic and sexual violence, how to navigate judicial systems, OASIS services and other resources in the community.
Judicial Systems Advocates are required to commit to one day of advocacy in court each month for a minimum of one year. Volunteers need to be available between 9am and 1pm on court days, which are typically Wednesdays. Volunteers are needed to provide emotional and logistic support while accompanying clients to court or the Magistrate’s office. Volunteers should be good listeners and have an empathic understanding of survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Crisis Line Volunteers:
OASIS’s Crisis Line Volunteer training is an 18-hour program that teaches skills and educates individuals about resources in the community, enabling volunteers to provide support for people in crisis. The crisis line is a 24-hour service that OASIS has been operating in the community for nearly 30 years.
Crisis Line Volunteers staff the 24-hour OASIS crisis line during the evenings and on weekends while staff is not available in the office. Volunteers are asked to take at least one crisis line shift per month and commit to at least one year on the line. Phone shifts are between 6pm and 8am during the week and 8am to 6pm/ 6pm to 8am over the weekends.
The crisis line is transferred to a volunteer’s personal land line or cell phone, so the volunteer on the line can spend the evening reading, studying, eating, sleeping—basically going about their regular routine, so long as they are in a quiet place, near the phone and able to respond to callers in crisis.
Office Volunteers:
Office volunteers provide administrative support during normal business hours (8am to 5pm, Monday-Friday). Duties include data entry, translation, copying, answering phones, accepting and organizing donations, cleaning, mail pick-up and drop-off, posting flyers, and other special projects. Office volunteers receive a training packet and individual training. OASIS asks office volunteers to commit to at least 2 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months.
Shelter Substitutes:
Shelter Substitutes provide overnight supervision of the emergency shelter and all shelter residents. Shelter Subs can also serve as on-call staff during normal business hours during holidays or scheduled office closures. Shelter Subs must participate in the Crisis Line Volunteer training and commit to at least one year of volunteer service with OASIS. Shelter Subs are paid for completing the training and each time a shift is covered.
Shelter Maintenance Volunteers:
Shelter Maintenance Volunteers provide OASIS staff with assistance in responding to scheduled and unscheduled lawn care and maintenance tasks in and around the emergency shelter and Transitional Program unit. There is no training required for this position and no minimum service requirement. Maintenance Volunteers also participate in the Spring and Fall Shelter Maintenance days alongside shelter staff.
Spanish Interpreter Volunteers:
Spanish Interpreter Volunteers are bilingual volunteers who have committed to being on call or scheduled to provide interpretation services for Spanish-speaking clients and OASIS staff Interpreter Volunteers do follow basic guidelines and there is no specific time commitment to be a Spanish Interpreter Volunteer. Spanish Interpreter Volunteers may be called upon to assist staff with interpretation in the office or shelter, in court, in a hospital or in another community organization.
Update 4.2014
