Family Services is a division of Catholic Charities of Baltimore, which includes nearly half of the agency's 80 programs. This hub covers volunteering opportunities for our child welfare, behavioral health, and violence prevention programs, including St. Vincent's Villa, Safe Streets, and the Villa Maria programs.
Behavioral Health - Working with Youth - Book Buddies - relational reading partnerships
Reading aloud to children has been determined to be “the single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading.” [citation] That’s compelling at Villa Maria School, where children are largely working below grade level in reading -- sometimes by multiple grades. Besides academics, VMS school children are addressing emotional and behavioral challenges that keep them from participating in general education settings, therefore the psychological and relational payoffs of listening to stories are also a boon to treatment.
Reading partners, or “Book Buddies,” will partner with one child in a third grade classroom to read stories aloud and build a positive relationship. Once a week, during the school day, volunteers will join a student either in-person (preferred) or in a virtual setting (backup) to share a story by reading aloud and engaging in conversation.
Volunteer candidates must be consistent, positive, patient, flexible, and adept at appreciating “What’s strong” instead of “What’s wrong.” If engaging virtually, we require individuals who are tech-competent, comfortable using the full-functionality of the Zoom platform; who are expressive, and possess clear diction – qualities that will be essential when engaging children through a virtual platform.
Commitment: 45 minutes total, once a week for two school semesters (mid-October through mid-June). Tentatively, Book Buddies will arrive Tuesdays at 12:20. Children arrive 12:30 PM. Active reading time is up to 30 minutes, ending by 1:00 PM.
Pre-Service Training (orientation for all new volunteers): Weeknight from 6-8PM - opportunities are scheduled quarterly
Mentor Trauma Training (required for all volunteers who serve in one-to-one roles with children): Weeknight 6-9 PM via Zoom (opportunities are scheduled 3/year)
Book Buddy Training: September 2024, two 1-hour sessions at Villa Maria School
To apply, please click where prompted "I would like to volunteer." Background checks will be required as well as influenza vaccination.
Qualifications Required
- Child Protective Services check Must be at least Submitted to DSS
- Influenza Vaccination Must be at least Vaccination received
- Interview Must be Interview complete
- MSDE Background Check Must be Complete
- Policy forms Must be at least Completed
- Pre-Service Training (2 hr. training) Must be at least Completed PST
- Reference check Must be at least 2 clear
- Sterling Volunteers Criminal Background Check Must be at least Clear
- Tuberculosis risk screening Must be at least Questionnaire cleared by Director of Nursing
Schedule Summary
The next 10 shifts (out of 35 total shifts) for this activity are as follows
| Date | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 05, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 26, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, December 03, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, December 10, 2024 | 1:20 PM | 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, December 17, 2024 | 12:20 PM | 1:00 PM |
| Tuesday, December 24, 2024 | 12:20 PM | 1:00 PM |
About Us
Mission
Inspired by the Gospel mandates to love, serve and teach, Catholic Charities provides care and services to improve the lives of Marylanders in need.
Vision
Cherishing the Divine Within, we are committed to a Maryland where each person has the opportunity to reach his or her God-given potential.
Values
To Love, To Serve, To Teach and To Work for Justice
Who We Are
What We Do
St. Vincent's Villa, Villa Maria Schools, and Villa Maria Behavioral Health provide state-of-the-art behavioral health, child welfare, special education, early childhood and family-development services. Known for creativity, innovation, excellence, and our nationally-recognized Family-Provider Partnership, our programs focus on building and unifying families and helping families and individuals of all ages to achieve healthier lives.
- Safe Streets Baltimore (Sandtown-Winchester, Brooklyn-Curtis Bay, Penn-North, and Cherry Hill posts) provides evidence-based violence prevention and interruption services in West Baltimore.
Thank you
Thank you to Zapier for helping us expand our capacity to recruit and retain volunteers by making our team extra efficient. :)
