Prospective Volunteer,
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with World Relief Jacksonville.
Enclosed is the information and application you will need to get started as a
volunteer.
Volunteer’s Covenant:
 Ability to serve for a minimum of 3-6 months
 Compliance with World Relief’s Mission, Vision and Values
 Record your volunteer activities and donations through Track It Forward
Become A Volunteer – The Process:
1) Application [pages 3-5]
2) In-Person Interview
3) Background Check
4) Attend Volunteer Orientation Training
5) Placement / Household Match
We look forward to engaging and equipping you as a volunteer with our refugee
families!
Sincerely,
Silvia Almond
Volunteer Coordinator
[email protected]
5107 University Blvd. W. Jacksonville, FL 32216
(Note: We are located *behind* the Racetrack gas station next to Sonny’s BBQ)
(904) 448-0733 (ext 128) Fax: (904) 367-1436
www.worldreliefjacksonville.org
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Volunteer Opportunities
Friendship Partners
The Friendship Partner Program is designed to match individuals or small groups
of volunteers with newly arriving refugees to the United States. You will be
trained and equipped to assist us in the resettlement of refugees through service
in areas such as: Life Skills, ESL (English as a
Second Language), Transportation Assistance and
most importantly: Friendship!
During your 6 month commitment you and your
group will walk alongside your assigned family (or
group of singles) and assist them in adapting to US
culture and their new lives in
Jacksonville. Friendship Partner volunteers will
always be in close communication with WR staff
and case workers through the entire process.
Requirements:
 Volunteer Application
 Interview
 Background Check
 Training
The end goal is that refugees are:
 Moving towards self-sufficiency
 Empowered to start their new lives with dignity
 Proficient (or becoming proficient) in speaking English
 Aware of what cultural challenges and goals they have
 Befriended and connected with members of their community
_________________________________________
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Good Neighbor Teams
A Good Neighbor Team (GNT) is a group of people partnered with a refugee
household to assist in their first 6 months of resettlement into the United
States. Generally, a GNT will consist of 5-15 individuals who have completed the
volunteer process which includes:
Requirements:
 Meeting with Church Mobilizer
 Volunteer Application
 Background Check
 Training/Orientation
GNT's commit to assisting World Relief in resettlement tasks such as
employment assistance, housing, transportation to appointments as well as
befriending and connecting their refugee household into their community. This
includes weekly visits with their matched refugee household for at least 6
months. GNT's are team-based volunteers, meaning that within the GNT there
will be individual focuses such as: Welcome Team, Employment Team, ESL Team
etc...
A GNT is often a pre-existing small group from a local church, but it can be any
group of people who desire to be in relationship with newcomers in the
Jacksonville area.
_________________________________________
Cultural Orientation Support
 Classroom Assistant - [Fridays 9:00am-11:30am] at World Relief
(topics include: Employments readiness, interview skills, resume and
application skills)
 Client Care – [Times Vary] one on one Employment coaching
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Statement for Applicants:
“World Relief’s mission statement is to “Empower the Local Church to Serve the
Most Vulnerable.” As such, World Relief seeks like-minded churches and
individuals to partner with us as volunteers as we seek to ‘love first’ regardless of
any refugees’ race, religion, nationality or creed. Our desire is to equip and train
evangelical churches to come along-side newly arrived refugees where the shared
goals are: (1) to make refugees feel welcomed, valued, respected and accepted and
(2) to promote refugee self-sufficiency and interdependence with our community
and churches and (3) to equip refugee families to contribute as Americans and
integrate into this society.
_________________________________________
MISSION, VISION AND VALUES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR
VOLUNTEERS
Mission
Empowering the local Church to serve the most vulnerable
Vision
In community with the local Church, World Relief envisions the most vulnerable
people transformed economically, socially, and spiritually.
Values
The Example of Jesus as we serve those who are suffering from poverty and
injustice, regardless of color, belief, or gender, as part of God’s plan to redeem,
reconcile, and restore the world. We seek to follow Jesus by living holy, humble,
and honest lives individually and corporately.
The Local Church as a primary agent of bringing peace, justice, and love to a
broken world. The integrated “word” and “deed” dimensions of God’s mandate, as
evidenced through the church’s integral, or transformational, mission are necessary
to bringing reconciliation and restoration to God, others, and the environment.
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People whether staff, volunteers, clients, beneficiaries, donors, and partners, as
important actors in bringing peace, love, and justice. We recognize and affirm
World Relief as a multicultural organization and seek to understand and respect the
multiplicity of cultures among us. As we seek change in the world, we recognize
that we, too, are changed, by those we serve.
Excellence/Continuous Improvement in all our program initiatives and support
services, following best practices and standards in a manner that is sustainable to
the community from a spiritual, social, and economic perspective. We also seek to
apply our human and financial resources in such ways that maximize impact and
sustain benefits to the greatest number of people.
Empowerment by prioritizing the leadership and participation of those we serve,
whether people, churches, or local institutions, as critical to creating and sustaining
change. We seek to catalyze a movement of worldwide volunteers to multiply
impact, and we value capacity-building as a means towards that end.
Partnership by seeking, facilitating, and promoting collaboration among all
stakeholders, including local governments, the worldwide church, mission
agencies, other NGO’s, and the business community, recognizing partnership as
essential to serving the most vulnerable. We believe each expression of the
worldwide Church has a unique and interdependent role in bringing peace and
justice to the world.
Prayer is the priority and foundation to accomplishing our mission.
I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understand the Mission,
Vision and Values of World Relief and will respect them in the manner
in which I serve.
_______________________
Volunteer Signature
________________
Date
5
Official Use Only
Date Received: _____
Interview:
_____
Passed BGC: _____
Handbook:
_____
R.O.L.
_____
Orientation:
_____
Placement:
_____
Complete pages 5-7; submit via email, fax or mail or in-person.
5107 University Blvd. W. Jacksonville, FL 32216
P: (904) 448-0733 (ext 128) Fax: (904) 367-1436
Email: [email protected]
Volunteer Application
Personal Information
Name:
Address:
City:
Home Phone:
E-mail:
Occupation
Church Information
Name:
Address:
City:
Phone:
Pastor
State:
Work Phone:
Zip:
Mobile Phone:
If no church, please provide the name of a “spiritual mentor”
State:
Zip:
State:
Zip:
Web site:
School/Work Information
Name:
Address:
City:
Phone
Supervisor:
Web site:
Volunteer Information
Have you worked with refugees before? If so, please describe your experience.
Why do you want to serve refugees through World Relief?
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What type of assistance do you most want to provide?
Do you want to work with a particular ethnicity and/or age group?
What languages do you
speak?
References
List two references who are not relatives. At least one should be someone who supervises you in some way.
Name:
Relationship:
Address:
Daytime
Phone:
E-mail:
Name:
Relationship:
Address
Daytime Phone:
E-mail:
Opportunities I am interested in:
Friendship Partner
Good Neighbor Teams
Cultural Orientation Assistant
Professional Services: ________________________________________________
Other: _____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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