Family Resource Network
How to Help
Volunteer Opportunities
There are several ways to help the FRN do its work of improving services for children and families in the Eastern Panhandle. They include:
Board of Directors: The FRN Board of Directors is unique in that half of its members must be community members, especially those who are or have received services from state or local providers. The Board meets quarterly for two hours. Board members are expected to serve on a Board committee such as Finance, Planning, Nomination or Child Abuse Task Force. The committees meet as needed.
Promise Committee: The Promise Committee meets to plan and staff the annual Mardi Gras Celebration of Families event in late February or early March. The committee plans and orders materials for crafts, secures the entertainment, plans the schedule, arranges for the location and food, helps to sell tickets and promote the event and recruits volunteers to help on the day of the event. Approximately 225 children and parents are served by this event each year.
Mentors for the Teen Support Group: Adult mentors are needed for the Teen Support Group. Mentors serve teens who are in foster or kinship care. They are invited to attend monthly support group meetings, held on a weekday evening, and monthly service activities, usually held on a Saturday morning. Mentors are encouraged to help develop the teens' self esteem, confidence and leadership skills.
Grant Writing: The Relatives as Parents (RAPP) and Teen Support groups rely on donations and grants to fund the activities they host for kinship caregivers, the children in their care, and for teens in foster and kinship care.
Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships: This eighteen month process is aimed at creating a concrete plan to improve the health of community members in the Eastern Panhandle. Through a series of four assessments, the group will identify community health needs and identify barriers to improving the most urgent health concerns in the community. Volunteers are needed to distribute and collate surveys, host and lead focus groups and community forums, meet with community members and leaders to discuss health issues. Experience with community assessment or the ability to speak Spanish is a plus, although no previous experience is necessary.