Opportunity Details

Volunteers would be serving and busing tables at Applebees for a Short Stack for a TALL Cause (pancake breakfast) fundraiser. Proceeds go to Dorothy's Light to help provide a Holiday Party for children and adults in foster and developmental homes.

Available Shifts

Shift Name	Signup Max	Start	End
General	no limit	n/a	n/a

Opportunity Details

Volunteers are a truly necessary part of the mission we perform, since they help us with the day-to-day work of both a horse farm and a therapeutic riding program. Without our volunteers we couldn’t get it all done! We have two volunteer shifts every day:
morning shift (8:30 – 12:30) – no horse experience required - includes farm chores such as stall cleaning
afternoon shift (2:00 – 6:00) horse experience required –includes horse grooming
These two shifts are available seven days a week. Clients’ therapy sessions take place during both shifts from Tuesday through Friday, as well as on Saturday mornings. So, both shifts may have some need for horse leading or side-walking, depending on the daily schedule (side-walking is available to those without horse experience).
We start all our volunteers with a training shift which includes an orientation to the farm and our programs. From there we’ll determine where you best fit into the schedule during the week. Volunteers without horse experience can certainly gain it if they are interested – we are willing and happy to share what we know!

Opportunity Details

The Down Syndrome Association of Connecticut supports families who live with Down syndrome and advocates and educates the public and elected officials on their behalf. We also provide social opportunities for families to connect. As a nearly all volunteer organization, our board plays a significant governance and service role. The board meets the second Wednesday of the month, January through June and in September and October.

Opportunity Details

Individual and corporate team volunteers needed to set up, breakdown and support activities and food service. Lunch and volunteer t-shirt provided.

This is a fun-filled day of family entertainment for families, friends and the public to celebrate the potential of people who have Down syndrome. We expect more than 1,000 people to join us at this fundraiser and social event.

Available Shifts

Shift Name	Signup Max	Start	End
Set Up	5	n/a	n/a
General	5	n/a	n/a
General	5	n/a	n/a
Break Down	5	n/a	n/a

Opportunity Details

Where would I be volunteering?
We have two locations, one in the North Lake region of Charlotte (3701 Kidd Lane, Charlotte, NC) and one in Mount Holly (328 Whippoorwill Lane, Mount Holly, NC). Each farm has its own schedule, but the same tasks and structure.


What will I be doing?
Here at Shining Hope Farms volunteers usually do one or a combination of two things:

1) Barn work
This can include a variety of activities like grooming the horses, filling water buckets, mucking out stalls, tacking horses, sweeping, etc.
2) Participation in the arena for a therapy session or riding lesson (minimum age of 13)
This includes acting as a side-walker (someone who helps to hold a child steady on the horse while walking around the arena for a session) or as a horse-leader (someone who leads the horse around the arena and is responsible for the horse during a session)

We can also usually use volunteers for a) help in our office, b) for our special events, and c) for special projects. If you have special skills we're sure we could use them!

We understand that our volunteers may have tons of experiences with horses, some experience with horses, or even none at all! We want our volunteers to be happy and comfortable so we are always willing to work with your schedule, interests, and skills and abilities.


When can I volunteer?
We understand that people volunteer for a variety of reasons. Some individuals need to meet a certain amount of volunteer hours, some only have an hour to give each week, and some may want to be around the horses all day! Fortunately, we can usually accommodate and help with the structure you are looking for.

It does so happen that we can only have volunteers when we have therapy sessions or riding lessons going on. We have a relatively steady schedule each week, but it can fluctuate depending on client cancellations, if we have added new clients into the schedule, and the weather.

Our current schedule follows at the end. Please keep in mind if you will be side-walking or horse-leading for a session you must arrive at least 10-15 minutes in advance of the session.


How much time do I have to commit?
Did you know we provide our services free of charge to the majority of our participants? We can only do this because of amazing people like you! Unlike many organizations, we rely on our volunteers much like staff members. If it weren’t for our amazing volunteers, many of our therapy sessions would be too short staffed to go on. Additionally if we can’t rely on having consistent volunteers, there is no way for us to know how many children we will be able to serve each week.

Because of this, we prefer each of our volunteers to commit to at least an hour a week for at least eight weeks. However this requirement is flexible.

How soon can I start?
We require all volunteers to go through a volunteer training before they can begin volunteering. Trainings are offered about once a month in a group setting and involve an orientation to our nonprofit, safety standards, horse-care, barn chores, side-walking, and horse-leading in sessions. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please let us know so we can schedule you for our next volunteer training. The training takes place at our Mt. Holly farm, but it trains volunteers for both farms.

We want to make this a great and enjoyable experience for you! Volunteering is fun and volunteering around horses is even better!


Here is our current schedule (which is subject to change):

Gaston/Mount Holly Schedule:
Monday – 8 AM – 12 PM & 1 PM – 6 PM
Tuesday – 8 AM – 12 PM & 1 PM – 5 PM
Wednesday – 10 AM – 5 PM
Thursday – 8 AM - 12 PM & 1 PM – 5:00 PM

Mecklenburg/Charlotte Schedule:
Monday – 8 AM – 12 PM & 1 PM – 6 PM
Tuesday –8 AM – 12 PM & 1 PM – 5 PM
Wednesday – 8 AM – 12 PM & 1 PM – 5 PM
Thursday – 9 AM – 12 PM & 1 PM – 5 PM
Friday – 9 AM – 12:30 PM

(Volunteers are not required to volunteer for the entire block of time, but can choose a block of time that works for them during our morning or afternoon sessions)

** All volunteers must have health insurance!

Opportunity Details

We are entering the third year of a three year grant project to rewrite and expand our curriculum. As we rollout this innovative product, we have a web component we would like to add as well. This will require an overhaul of our existing website. We are setup to create the new site on InMotionHosting- so we can begin this at any time. We are looking to revamp the layout as well as add some password protected pages for teachers/parents/new clients to access and share information. Creating the "UD@Home" section of the website is a requirement of our grant. It will be a major asset to our program, allowing the conversations to continue from the classroom to home. It will also give teachers a space to collaborate and share ideas on incorporating UD themes into their everyday lessons. With social and emotional learning taking center stage in schools, this is becoming increasingly vital.

Opportunity Details

No Experience Necessary

Volunteers help in a variety of ways with all levels of time commitment. The area most people want to help in is arena coaching and supporting our riders however, there are many other opportunities where you can help. We are looking for help with many areas from fundraising to Marketing to Social Media and just about anything that you can think of!

To sign up please go to our website at www.silverliningriding.org then go to You Can Help / Volunteer / Become A Volunteer and complete the application. Once you have completed the form you will receive an email from our volunteer manager a few days prior to the next Orientation & Level 1 training classes.

You will learn all about our program and see for yourself how Silver Lining Riding changes lives.

Opportunity Details

We need volunteers to help with our Kids Program on Sundays. Every Sunday, weather permitting, we hold our Kids Program from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Families with special needs/disabled children come during this time for their child to have a 10 to 15 minute horseback ride assisted by volunteers.

We need volunteers to help in the following areas:
Volunteers to help set up tables, paperwork, and arts & crafts prior to the start of the program.
Volunteers to greet the families and assist with parking.
Volunteers to ensure the families have completed Release of Liability forms and have signed our Sign-Up sheet.
Volunteers to help with an arts and crafts/activity table for the children while they are waiting their turn.
Volunteers to take photos and video of the program.

Volunteers who would like to take a class to learn how to groom and handle a horse and how to be a side-walker next to a child on horseback can take a class to learn how to perform these duties in a safe and secure manner. There is a modest fee for these classes.

Opportunity Details

Our Special Needs program is looking for willing volunteers to assist with homework, arts and craft and gym activities. Our participants have a developmental or intellectual disability, autism, or down syndrome and it is of great benefit for them to get one-on-one attention to enhance their learning experience, build friendships and socialize with new people. This is an ongoing opportunity, volunteers can come from Monday to Friday from 3 pm - 5.30 pm for one session or on a regular basis. We will also accept groups and single volunteers.

Opportunity Details

Volunteer in our Adult Day Health Services, a program that serves adults with acquired disabilities. During Bingo, volunteers will be paired with Easter Seals' Participants who need assistance playing the game. Please email Coordinator of Volunteer and Student Engagement, Nicole Oidick noidick@esdel.org to register.

Available Shifts

Shift Name	Signup Max	Start	End
Bingo Volunteer	8	n/a	n/a