Volunteer Opportunities

Interested in volunteering?
Listed below are descriptions of various volunteer positions at the American Red Cross in Chester-Wallinford. Volunteer candidates will be interviewed by staff, provide two references and attend an orientation. The volunteer opportunities will be discussed in the interview. Volunteers will be trained in the position they have selected. To schedule an interview, please call Volunteer Resources at (610) 874-1484.

Disaster Services

• Emergency Services Representative
  Assist with disasters that strike your community by helping victims acquire food, clothing, a place to sleep, and medications. You can make a difference in someone's life, when they are in need. Work with your own borough/county team. Volunteers are needed for all shifts: day, evening, nights, weekends. Driver's license recommended.

• Canteen Response Team Member
  Join part of the Disaster Action Team that helps with the mass care and feeding needed at local disasters. Must be available for on-call schedule. Team slots are available in all boroughs and township within the chapter. Driver's license desirable.

• Staffing Associate
  Assist with the staffing required to run relief operations in times of disasters. Recordkeeping, interview skills, and human resources experience are all a plus. Computer knowledge desirable. Positions are open in Chester-Wallingford headquarters.

• Disaster Health Services
  If you are a licensed health care professional, i.e. EMT, Paramedic, LPN, RN, PA or MD, you could be of service to the Red Cross. Our Disaster Services Department is seeking professionals to assist in times of major disasters. Responsibilities include running operations at temporary shelters and assisting with local services that may be stretched to the limit during disasters.

• Disaster Mental Health Services
  During a disaster, more than buildings are destroyed. People have both physical and mental/emotional needs that need to be met. Here is an opportunity for trained mental health professionals (CSW, MA, PHD, MD) to help when help can't wait.

• Administrative Support Volunteer
  If being out in the field isn't for you, we need volunteers who can help us with all the logistical and administrative work that is also part of the relief operation. On a daily basis, records and reports must be prepared and filed. Computer and typing skills are desirable. We have needs at chapter on weekdays/evenings.

Military and Social Services

• Disaster/Military Caseworkers
  Assist clients who have been affected by disasters by providing vouchers for food and clothing according to the families needs. Assist military personnel and their families with the coordination of emergency communications, leave extensions, and emergency loans. All chapters have immediate openings.

• "PROJECT SEARCH" Caseworker
  PROJECT SEARCH is part of our international tracing service. Also known as the Holocaust and War Victims Tracing program, this service attempts to provide information for individuals searching for loved ones whom they have lost contact with due to WWII. Client service includes intake of information, record keeping, and working with both internal and external Red Cross sources. A volunteer needs compassion, untiring determination, self motivation, and the ability to see a project through to its conclusion. You can work at the chapter closest to your home or at the chapter headquarters.

Health and Safety Services

• Community First Aid & Safety Instructor
  This is where a volunteer teaching career starts. You will be trained to teach the CPR and First Aid certification programs. If you enjoy teaching and have a desire to reach out to the community, this may be for you. No prior experience is required but there are time commitment requirements. Openings exist.

• Chapter Health & Safety Instructors
  Reach out to various segments of your community with training programs that are tailored to their needs. Preschool Fire & Burn Safety, Babysitting, HIV/AIDS Education and Home Alone are several programs with which you may work. Each has different training and time commitments. Immediate openings at all chapters.

• Administrative Assistant
  Record keeping, filing, mass mailings, computer data entry and telephone confirmations all fall under the job description for the Health & Safety administrative assistant. These volunteer positions are available at the Chester-Wallingford chapter headquarters, weekdays, 9 to 5.

Support Services

Accounting

• Data Entry Clerk
  Provide clerical support with entering casework on to the computer system. Computer and data entry experience needed. Work at the Chester-Wallingford chapter headquarters, weekdays, 9 to 5.

Communications Center

• Communications Worker
  Receive telephone inquiries for information and/or tracing requests. Assist callers in the completion of tracing forms and refer callers to caseworkers when necessary. Provide direct crisis intervention, largely through telephone interaction, to members of the Armed Forces and their families when emergencies occur.

Volunteer Resources

• Office Assistant
  Provide office support by assisting with answering telephones, filing, light typing, preparing for classes and projects, and mailings. Work at the headquarters on weekdays and some evenings. On-call hours also available.

• In-Take Assistant
  Assist with appointments, interviewing, checking references and referring new volunteers to departments or programs within Chester-Wallingford. Weekdays with some weekends/evenings available.

• Orientation Instructor
  Upon completing training, you will facilitate orientation for new volunteers. Topics include history, mission and services of the American Red Cross. These positions are for individuals with public speaking experience and who are looking for an on-call basis volunteer opportunity. Teaching oportunities available at various Red Cross locations throughout the chapter.

• Data Entry Clerk
  Update volunteer database on a regular basis using. Training available. Weekdays during business hours.

Thank you for considering the American Red Cross in Chester-Wallingford for your volunteer activities. We have a history of service in times of disaster and emergencies. We are made up of friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers, young, elderly, self employed, business executives, civil service workers, union members, retirees, professionals, teachers, students. We reflect the diversity that is the Chester-Wallingford area.

As a volunteer candidate, you will be interviewed by staff, required to provide two references and attend an orientation training. The volunteer opportunities listed here will be discussed during the interview. As a volunteer, you will be trained in the service areas you have selected. It all starts with a phone call to schedule an interview.

Please Contact: Volunteer Resources
1729 Edgemont Avenue
Chester, PA 19013
(610) 874-1484
(610) 874-7229 - fax

For more ways to help, go to American Red Cross How You Can Help webpage.