Volunteer

Mentor a child

Children without parents need positive adult role models.  Weekend Miracles® mentors spend time with a child on a regular basis, sharing new activities and having fun together. The mentor provides a listening ear and help to a young person who is exploring his or her place in the world. Mentors commit to weekly contact with the child and outings at least every two weeks. Ideally the mentoring relationship continues even after the child is adopted. Mentors are an important component of the DC Weekend Miracles program. If you are interested in becoming a mentor in the DC Weekend Miracles program, please complete a volunteer form.

Advocate for a child's adoption

Advocates expand the circles of people who know about a child and his or her desire to be adopted. Advocates share information with friends and family, communicate with local media, and make presentations at work or worship services. Advocates might plan an activity where interested adults could meet and spend time with a child or children in the program. Advocates increase the chances that the child will meet an interested person or couple and be adopted. If you are interested in becoming an advocate for our Weekend or Summer Miracles® Programs, please complete a volunteer form .

Volunteer your services

We gratefully accept support from health care professionals, transportation providers, attorneys, media agencies, fundraisers, event organizers, translators and anyone who can help ensure that children in our programs receive good care and meaningful experiences.  If you have adopted, you can be a buddy to our host families.  We also accept administrative assistance in our offices. If you are interested in learning more about our volunteer opportunities, please complete the volunteer form.

Schools

Schools can
• Help raise money for Kidsave and involve families in hosting. Kids who pay $5 to not wear their uniforms to school can collect that money and give to Kidsave.
• Offer to run a weekend event for the Weekend or Summer Miracles kids. Plan something interactive that involves the parents and teachers in your school doing things with the kids in our program – like a field day, pumpkin carving, cooking, feeding the homeless or bowling. Be creative, figure out what your parents would enjoy doing with our kids and take charge.
• Take on a specific child and make it the school’s job to find that child a family. Introduce the child to people who go to the school, send flyers home about the child encouraging families to get involved, talk to people at church or in a social club and share news about that one special kid. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you have a hunch about someone and that child.
• Do an assembly on orphans and foster youth. Show the Kidsave video and run a panel discussion about what your school can do for kids without parents – those living in your own town, and those overseas.
• Go online and give. Make a regular donation of $5 per month that comes from students or parents. If half of the kids in your school gave $5 per month, every month, imagine how many more kids could be helped.
• Ask your history teacher to take you to a hearing of your local City Council or Board of Supervisors. Ask that body of elected officials how many children in foster care do not get adopted and do not return to their parents every year. Ask the Council to demonstrate what programs are provided to help foster youth not fall through the cracks. Ask what the rates of success are with those programs. Check up on the programs yourself. Make your own decisions. Is your community doing enough?

Churches

Churches are ideal communities for helping orphans and foster youth.
• Dedicate a Sunday sermon to educating the congregation about the challenges local children without parents face in your own community. Share the Kidsave video and discuss what it would take for the church to sponsor a child.
• Conduct an orientation after a Sunday meeting to pull together people in the church who care about helping orphans. Explore whether they would like to help orphans at home or abroad, and discuss how the congregation could support getting a Weekend or Summer Miracles program started in your community.
• Give a foster child or an adopted child – and an adoptive parent – the chance to speak at a meeting to address how adoption has touched their lives. Give people a chance to ask questions, help them understand why it is important to focus on permanent family care for orphans rather than building more orphanages or just saving the children’s souls. Kidsave’s video and program resources are available to help. For more information contact terry@kidsave.org.