Mid-Florida
Get Involved
There are so many exciting opportunities to make a difference in the life of a child! We'd love for you to join us in "Embracing Children. Inspiring Lives."
Auxiliary
Join the Auxiliary!
Are you interested in making a tremendous difference in your community in collaboration with Children's Home Society of Florida? We greatly rely on the support and help of our Gainesville Auxiliary. The auxiliary is a group of dynamic women volunteers passionate about our mission, vision and values who provide exciting ideas to benefit the children in our community at risk for abuse and neglect.
The Gainesville Auxiliary focuses on fundraising and community education for Children's Home Society of Florida, our programs and our services. The women coordinate and manage events such as the Family Visitation Center Holiday Party and Puttin’ on the Ritz and advocate in the community and with elected officials to help spread awareness about the need to protect children and families.
Contact:
Board of Directors
Children's Home Society of Florida's Mid-Florida Division Board of the Directors supports Children's Home Society of Florida through fundraising, political advocacy and community development.
2011-2012 Mid-Florida Board of Directors
Dan Kuhn, Chair
Aaron Bosshardt, Vice Chair
Franklin Lentz, Jr.
Alan Chatman
Representative Charles Chestnut
John Donahue
Mayor Kent Guinn
Mailande "Becker" Holland
Sally Lazo
Truitt Oliver
Carl Walls
Dana Parker
Kelly Hamer
Missie Schneider
Susan Parrish
Rev. Karl Anderson
Contact:
The Mid-Florida Division Board of Directors is currently looking for board members from any of the 18 counties that we serve. If you live in Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, LaFayette, Suwannee, Dixie, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Gilcrist, Alachua, Levy, Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, or Hernando County and are interested in serving on our Board of Directors, Please contact Jennifer Anchors at (352) 334-0955 or Truitt Oliver at(352) 376-3780.
Internships
Our “Embracing Children. Inspiring Lives.” Internship Program offers hands-on learning and experience in a variety of settings. We have internship opportunities in programs dedicated to breaking the generational cycle of abuse and neglect for increasing numbers of children.
The following is a list of possible internships:
- Family Visitation Center (Help to monitor and document family visits for children in foster care.)
- Family Treasures Thrift Store (Assist with marketing projects, providing clients with needed items and retail support. )
- Development (Support our team with media, events, donor cultivation and volunteer coordination.)
- Adoptions* (Help children find their forever families.)
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Dependency* (Assist case managers in helping abused and neglected children.)
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Healthy Families* (Provide families with information, guidance, emotional and practical support.)
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Family Partners Program* (Help provide counseling, parent education and support services to at-risk families.)
* Master-level internships also available for these programs.
Though our internships are not paid, you’ll benefit from working closely with seasoned professionals dedicated to serving children and families in our community. As you apply your knowledge in the workplace, you’ll see firsthand how your contributions and expertise can change lives.
Qualifications
You must be enrolled as a college or university student at the time of your internship in order to receive college credit for the internship.
Application
If you’d like to gain valuable experience while making a considerable difference in the lives of children and families, we invite you to apply to join our team. Simply fill out the
Intern Application and e-mail it to
InternMidFlorida@chsfl.org with your resume.
Applications will not be accepted without a resume.
Contact
jive -Teen Leadership Program
The goal of jive is to empower, motivate and inspire teens to develop their leadership skills by providing an atmosphere in which teens can make positive changes in our communities. To learn more about jive, please visit the jive Web page.
Search and Shop
Speakers' Bureau
Speakers' Bureau
Our Speakers' Bureau is an outreach program to raise awareness of and educate about the importance of child abuse prevention and intervention within our communities. This free program is available to the business community, churches, clubs, homeowners' associations, schools and other organizations. Qualified, professional staff members speak on a variety of subjects, including:
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Adoption process
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County facts and affairs
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Importance of family counseling and mentoring
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How to make a difference in the community
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What children expect from their forever families
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Current issues and statistics
We can help you choose the right topic, or you can request a speaker to tailor a presentation to your audience’s specific needs. Once we find the right speaker for you, we’ll coordinate his/her participation, and we’ll also ensure the presentation meets your needs. We look forward to sharing CHS’ heartwarming stories and fascinating history with your group.
Please note - We need to know specifics relating to audio-visual equipment, as well as the size of the audience.
Contact:
Volunteers
You can help to break the cycle of child abuse for more children in our area! Together, we'll strive to ensure more children are safe, healthy and prepared for life.
Volunteer opportunities include:
Thrift Store
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Children's Home Society of Florida Family Treasures Thrift Store support our programs and provide items for the children and families we serve.
Individuals and groups are welcome to volunteer at the store year-round. Volunteers help sort and process donations, greet customers, operate the cash register and make sure the store is in tip-top shape! Volunteers help us to "shop" for program clients who receive items from the store (free of charge!) ranging from back-to-school clothes to racecar beds!
As a volunteer, you cna receive a voucher to use in the Family Treasures Thrift Shop depending on the number of hours you volunteers a month.
The Children's Home Society of Florida Thrift Shop offers monthly community events. We need individual and group volunteers who would be interested in assisting with these events. Some examples of events include reading days and arts and crafts.
Thrift Shop volunteer orientation dates: Please call 352.334.0955 or email volunteermidflorida@chsfl.org to find out upcoming dates.
Event volunteers
Individual and group volunteers are needed throughout the year to assist with special events. Currently, we are looking for groups with members who are at least 21 years old to volunteer for our 25th Anniversary for Puttin' on the Ritz. The event is March 25. Please email erin.cleary@chsfl.org if interested.
Check back often for updated special event needs, or send your email address to volunteermidflorida@chsfl.org to be added to our e-newsletter listing these opportunities.
Donation organizers
We need volunteers who have some time to help organize the donation rooms in our offices. Often times, the community donates many items for our clients. We are looking for volunteers to take inventory of these items and help organize the donation areas. We are looking for individuals in the Gainesville, Ocala, Wildwood and Hernando areas.
Donation drives
Holding a donation drive is a great way to help Children's Home Society of Florida! Some ideas for what can be collected include: clothing, diapers, books, school supplies, holiday gifts, etc. Contact us for more information.
Programs to get involved in:
Adoptions Program
Seeking a business/accounting Intern or volunteer to come in twice month to work on administrative duties and grant reports. If you are currently a business major and need an internship or are a retired professional and would like to put your great skills to use, please contact us!
Family Visitation Center
Volunteers are needed in Gainesville and Lake City Family Visitation Centers to monitor and supervise court-ordered visits between parents and their children. Volunteers must commit to volunteer for a minimum of three months for one to two hours a week.
Family Partners Program and Family Team Coaching
Volunteers are needed in Gainesville, Starke, Trenton, Brooksville, Ocala, Wildwood and Taveres. The in-home counseling program helps families and children who may be at risk for experiencing abuse and neglect. We provide counseling, parent education and support services.
Application:
If you’d like to gain valuable experience while making a considerable difference in the lives of children and families, we invite you to apply to join our team. Simply fill out the Volunteer Application and mail to:
Children's Home Society of Florida
Attn: Volunteer Coordinator
711 NW First Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
To ensure safety and privacy for our clients, all volunteers are required to fill out a volunteer application and complete a full background check and fingerprint scan.
Wish List
Mid-Florida
Wish List
General Requests:
• Monetary donations to help us meet the unique needs of our children and families
• Donations of services (printing, design) so we may produce brochures to spread the word about the critical need to protect our local children
• Ads in newspapers for public awareness
• Digital cameras for programs and development
• IT equipment
• Sponsorships to conferences so our staff can remain on the leading edge of best practices and care for clients
• Sporting goods (ex: tennis rackets)
• Disposable cameras
• Toddler beds
• Bedding
• Twin beds & bunk beds
• Baby items
• New strollers
• Diapers
• New car seats/booster seats
• Personal hygiene supplies
• Household items (ex: brooms)
• Gift certificates (Publix, Walmart, Target, etc.)
• School supplies
Family Visitation Centers provide a safe, home-like environment for families to visit in a supervised environment. To provide the best setting for these visits, we need help with the following to improve our Family Visitation Centers:
• Gutters cleaned and repaired
• Insulation added to the attic
• Exterior power washing and painting repairs
• Mold removal
• New handle and lock for front double doors.
Children’s Home Society of Florida needs some help sprucing up our office buildings. Donations of the following will help us reserve funds for critical program and services, while maintaining well-kept, professional office spaces:
• Artwork in the theme of children & families
• Office supplies for any office location
The Family Treasures Thrift Store not only brings in revenue for the programs and services of Children’s Home Society of Florida but also empowers those in our community to purchase the items they need at a cost they can afford. The Thrift Shop also allows clients in our programs to shop for free. The following will help the store thrive:
• Funds for marketing
• Donations of services (printing, design) so we can produce flyers and public awareness materials to increase the number of shoppers visiting the store
• Radio and/or television ad space
Dependency Case Management provides full-service case management to children and families that have experienced neglect or abuse and are now involved with the court system. Through this program, we work to keep children safe while also working with their families so, when appropriate and in the best interests of the children's safety and well-being, they can safely return home. The following would help us provide desired services to these children and families:
• Funds to provide pizza and activities for youth group support meetings
• Donations of funds or tickets for enrichment activities for youth in the dependency program (e.g. taking them to the Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios or other theme parks, taking them to a baseball or football game, spending a day at the beach etc.)
• We would like to begin a mentoring program for foster parents to help birth parents develop their parenting skills. We would like to provide a small stipend for the mentors when they successfully complete the mentoring process with the birth parents.
• Cell phones, phone cards and funds for plane tickets. This will allow these children to maintain connections with their family and extended family while they are in foster care.
• Sponsor a tutor for a child in foster care who is struggling in school due to family difficulties
R.E.A.D. (Reading to Enhance Attachment and Development) is an educational program designed to encourage reading in families. When families read together and discuss issues in their home, they develop an open forum for growth and development.
• We would like to offer special events in different locations with parents and children focusing on reading. Donations of meeting spaces, funds for the meetings, and/or your educational or event planning expertise would be appreciated.
Children’s Home Society of Florida’s Adoptions team works to find forever families for children in foster care who cannot safely return to their birth parents. We provide specialized training and preparation for adoptive parents and case management for children.
• Adoption Recruitment & Community Education Efforts: We have secured a competitive quote for the following items to help inform the community about adoption and specific children looking for forever families:
$2,500 - display boards
$60 - business cards for two adoptions specialists
$241 - brochures
$30 per child - take-home cards (50 count, size 5.5 x 8.5)
• Recruitment yearly or monthly budget
Contact