Charlotte’s Homeless Children
Of the estimated
5,000 homeless
people in
Charlotte, 1,500
are children.
Need Your Help
Even more
“hidden homeless”
children are not
being counted or
reached.
2014-2015
Volunteer Information Packet
A Child’s Place of Charlotte
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 33302
Charlotte, NC 28233
Street address:
601 East Fifth Street, Suite 230
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: 704.343.3790
Web address: www.achildsplace.org
A Child’s Place
has sites in five
schools which are
located in areas
with low income
levels and high
transience – two
symptoms of
homelessness.
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Dear Potential Volunteer:
Thank you for your interest in the children served by A Child’s Place! Your time and talent will greatly impact the
lives of homeless children and families in our community.
Please take a moment to review the volunteer application packet. You can fill out the form at the end of the
packet and mail it to:
Volunteer Application
A Child’s Place
P.O. Box 33302
Charlotte, NC 28233
or fax it to (704) 343-3791. Please fill out the application in its entirety to ensure we put you in the volunteer
capacity best suited to your interests, location and available time.
You can also visit our website and complete the form online at www.achildsplace.org.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Diosa Adams, Philanthropy Associate for
Volunteers, at (704) 343-3790 or [email protected]. Again, thank you for your interest. We look forward
to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Randy Boone
Director of Philanthropy
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Background
Mission
A Child’s Place works to erase the impact of homelessness on children
and their education.
4,770 homeless
children are enrolled in
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools.
Overview
For kids, homelessness isn’t just about where you lay your head at
night; it’s also about where your mind is during the day at school.
Homeless children are twice as likely to repeat a grade. They are more
likely to miss school due to frequent moves and gaps in enrollment.
They have a greater tendency to become sick. Confidence diminishes
and anxiety rises as an unstable home life takes its toll.
School is sometimes the only normal part of a homeless child’s life.
Support from ACP means homeless children wear clothing and shoes
that fit, get needed medical care, receive the attention of a caring tutor,
and carry the same school supplies as their peers. These and other
services provided by ACP allow homeless children to focus on their
homework and learning, not on feeling alienated and left behind in their
schoolwork.
87 percent of
homeless children
spend their day
worrying that
something bad will
happen to their
family.
A Child’s Place
services identify all
the issues which
impact a homeless
family and develop
a coordinated
course of action to
address them.
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The Need
Homelessness is a result of poverty.
Poverty rates decrease dramatically as education increases. The poverty
rate for adults who have not completed high school is more than 3½ times
the poverty rate for adults with one or more years of college (U.S. Bureau of
the Census). The cycle of poverty for homeless children ends through
education.
Education is the key to reducing poverty.
ACP has Social Work Teams working in nine CMS public elementary and
middle schools, chosen for their high enrollment of homeless children. Each
team includes a student advocate and social worker. The student
advocates ensure client children have the tools necessary to learn while the
social workers help their parents identify and address the issues behind
their housing crisis. Four Flex Social Work Teams based in ACP’s main
office provide triage and services to homeless students attending 24
additional schools in the CMS system.
The goal is to minimize the effects of their homelessness on the children
and their education while helping homeless parents effectively use area
housing resources to create new, stable homes.
The “hidden
homeless” live
doubled or tripled
up with family and
friends or in payby-the-week
motels and do not
qualify for many
housing programs.
Homeless children
go hungry and are
sick four times the
rate of other
children.
Students lose up
to 3 months of
academic
achievement
when they change
schools.
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How You Can Help
Volunteer Opportunities
36 percent of
homeless children
repeat their grade
Classroom Assistant: Assist teachers in facilitating classroom activities. Responsibilities may include
tutoring, leading small group learning activities, art projects, etc. Time commitment: two hours/ week
Breakfast/Lunch Buddy: Provide a mentoring friendship for an identified ACP student and have
breakfast/lunch, play games, read together, talk, etc. Time commitment: 30 minutes/week
Tutor: Assist student with homework or school assignments. Responsibilities may include meeting with the
teacher and A Child’s Place staff on behalf of the child. Time commitment: one hour/week
In June 2013, 4,770
homeless students
Snack Providers: Individuals or groups who pack hearty, healthy snacks regularly. Snack providers can pack were identified by
snacks in the office or deliver them already packed. Time commitment: once/week or twice/month
CMS
Snack Deliverers: Individuals or groups who deliver snacks to a designated school regularly. Snack delivers
can pack snacks or pick up packed snacks from the office. Time commitment: once/ week or twice/ month
****************************************************************
Resource Room Coordinator: Coordinate and inventory in-kind goods, facilitate distribution of in-kind
donations to Social Work Teams and maintain the Resource Room inside the ACP main office.
Office Volunteer: Volunteer at the ACP main office by assisting the Office Manager with organizing the
resource room, answering phones, etc.
Pen Pal: Communicate with a student through letter writing and enhance their writing skills. This opportunity
is limited. Time commitment: twice/month
ACP Elementary and Middle Schools (2013-14 school year): Additional schools available upon request
 Druid Hills Academy
 Ranson Middle
 Albemarle Road Elementary
 Hidden Valley Elementary
 Sterling Elementary
 Ashley Park
 Martin Luther King Middle
 Thomasboro Academy
 Barringer Academic Center

Nathaniel
Alexander
Elementary
 Walter G. Byers School
 Billingsville Elementary
 Nations Ford Elementary
 Whitewater Elementary
 Bruns Academy
For more information contact: Diosa Adams, Philanthropy Associate for Volunteers
Phone: 704.943.9532 Email: [email protected]
Address: 601 E. 5th St. Suite 230 Charlotte, NC 28202
Website: www.achildsplace.org
During the 20132014 school year,
ACP helped 2,843
homeless children
in the Charlotte
area
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Student and Family Sponsorships
Opportunity Calendar
July
Toiletry Drive
August
Back To School Supply Drive
September
School Uniform Drive
October
Coat Drive
November
Thanksgiving Sponsorship
December
Holiday Sponsorship
January
Toiletries Drive
February
Valentine’s Day Gift Bags
to assist a family with meals. Also, provide
each family member with a minimum of one
gift from their wish list and one article of
clothing. ACP will provide wish lists that
include age, gender, sizes and requested
gifts. Please do not wrap gifts.
March
Snack Drive
Adopt A Child - Provide an item from the
April
Underclothes Drive
May/June
Swimwear Drive & My Place
Summer Day Camp Sponsorship
Sponsorship Information
For more information on sponsorship
contact: Diosa Adams
Phone: 704-343-3790
Email: [email protected]
Federal law
mandates that
homeless children
are allowed to enroll
in school and may
continue to attend
their home school
throughout their
housing crisis
Thanksgiving – Provide a grocery store
gift card to assist a family with their
Thanksgiving meal.
Holiday - Provide a grocery store gift card
student’s wish list. SUGGESTION: Setup
your Adopt A Child in an open area at work,
church, neighborhood center, or distribute
names and wish items to employees, family
or friends.
NOTE: Before coordinating a large drive,
please contact us to ensure the
anticipated need is still unfilled as we
have limited storage space.
47 percent of
homeless children
experience anxiety,
withdrawal and
depression
A Child’s Place
clients tend to be
the working poor
– a paycheck or
two ahead until
something
occurs to tilt their
financial balance
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General Wish List
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
CLOTHING
Sizes:
Grades:
4T - Adult
Pre-K – 12th
UNIFORMS – Public school uniforms (navy or
khaki pants or skirts and white shirts with collars
for boys and girls, sizes 4T-Adult)
CLOTHING – Must be new
pants, skirts, shorts, shirts, shoes, coats, sweaters
UNDERWEAR – Must be new
All Sizes
Briefs and panties
Bras
T-shirts and socks
HYGIENE ITEMS
Soap
Feminine hygiene products
Deodorant
Toothpaste and toothbrush
Shampoo and conditioner
Hair care products (including African-American)
Comb and brush
Hair accessories
Lotion
Pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Erasers
Highlighters
Pens
Crayons
Markers
Colored pencils
Combination locks
Loose leaf paper (wide/college ruled)
Composition notebooks
Spiral notebooks (5-subject)
Binders (2-3 inch)
Pencil Pouch
Rulers
Scissors
Glue sticks
Glue
Index cards
Folders
Book Bags (elementary/middle school)
YEAR-ROUND NEEDS
Gift Cards: $25 and $50 to Wal-Mart,
Target and Food Lion
Snack items
Bus passes
Donations can be delivered to: 601 East Fifth Street, Suite 230, Charlotte, NC 28202
Mon-Fri 9:00-4:30
Barriers to
success in school
for homeless
children include
family mobility;
poor health; and
lack of food,
clothing, and
school supplies
Our Community
Resource office
at A Child’s
Place collects
$800,000 or
more annually
in in-kind
donations,
making it
possible for our
donated dollars
to go further
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