Please send any questions to our Volunteer Coordinator at Makayla.Smith@familyabusecenter.org.

The Family Abuse Center depends on volunteers who share their time, talents, and skills to help us make an impact on the lives of domestic violence survivors and their families. Whether you choose to join us on a weekly basis, just a few times, or one time, there is a variety of different volunteer opportunities available.

If you are inquiring about an internship, please look at our internship opportunities page and contact our Volunteer Coordinator at Makayla.Smith@familyabusecenter.org.

Steps to become part of the Family Abuse Center’s Volunteer Team:

• Step 1: Complete our volunteer application by clicking "Apply Here" below. The Volunteer Coordinator checks daily for any new submissions. Please allow 1-2 days for the Volunteer Coordinator to email you in response to your completed application.
• Step 2: Background check. The Volunteer Coordinator will send the background check form for you to complete. Please allow 1-2 business days for the Volunteer Coordinator to run the background check and for the system to process your information.
• Step 3: Attend a Volunteer Orientation. The Volunteer Coordinator will email you the status of your background check and then provide upcoming volunteer orientation sessions once your background check is processed.
• Step 4: Sign Up for Available Volunteer Opportunities. If the background check is clear, the Volunteer Coordinator will share open volunteer opportunities.

Your volunteer time and efforts create a positive impact on Family Abuse Center’s clients and the community as a whole.

The Family Abuse Center provides volunteer opportunities year-round. All volunteers will register on the volunteer website during their orientation. This website ensures maximum flexibility as volunteer opportunities are posted 3 months in advance. Volunteers may sign up for as many opportunities as they would like. If there is a task a volunteer would like to perform, but not at a time they are available, they may request the Volunteer Coordinator add the task to the schedule at the proposed time. If a volunteer requires mandatory volunteer hours for a class, please try to schedule an orientation before the semester starts to ensure the availability of volunteer opportunities and positions.

Please see our volunteer opportunities below to see which option best matches your passion, talents, and interests:

Children’s Group:

Spend time with children at our shelter by engaging in age-appropriate activities while their parents are learning about domestic violence-related issues, skills and support. Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Additional children’s training is required. Weekly or bi-monthly commitments are preferred.

Hotline:

Volunteers can be trained to answer hotlines. Extensive training is required in addition to the regular volunteer onboarding process.

Receptionist:

Volunteers will man the front desk and help with administrative tasks, answering phones, and responding to the buzzer/opening gates. Additional training will be given.

Meal Assistant:

Help serve meals to our clients at dinner time on weekdays and then breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays.

Resident Advocate (RA) Assistant:

RA Assistants help with various RA tasks like cleaning, helping with meals, organizing, answering buzzers, etc.

Cleaning:

Clients and staff both receive weekly chores. FAC does not have designated cleaning staff, so having volunteers help keep our space clean and safe for our clients is huge!

Handyman/woman:

Family Abuse Center is always looking for help around the shelter with unique tasks that require specific physical skills (i.e. moving furniture, fixing blinds, hanging bulletin boards, painting etc.). Please email the Volunteer Coordinator for more details.

Gardening: 

Family Abuse Center provides a Meditation and Reflection Garden for clients to enjoy while in shelter that requires maintenance and upkeep along with other landscaping needs throughout the shelter grounds. Please email the Volunteer Coordinator for more details.

Seasonal Volunteer Opportunities:

Family Abuse Center looks to decorate for all holidays to make our shelter festive and cozy for our clients.

Dancing with the Waco Stars:

This event is FAC's annual fundraiser. Volunteers can help complete tasks as the Development Committee plans for DWTWS. Volunteers can also help in many ways day-of and ensure the event runs smoothly.

Children’s Summer Program:

Throughout the summer children are not in school and sometimes are unable to attend camps. Our Children’s Services Coordinator plans events throughout the week for the children and needs help in facilitating those activities and/or chaperoning on field trips. Additional children’s training is required. Inquire more details by emailing the Volunteer Coordinator.

Holiday Helpers Gift Wrapping:

During the Holiday season, Family Abuse Center accepts gift donations for our families in shelter and housing programs. We need volunteers to help wrap the gifts for our families. This is a fun opportunity to get into the holiday spirit! Please email the Volunteer Coordinator for more details.

If you are interested in applying to volunteer at Family Abuse Center, fill out our volunteer application by clicking "apply here" below. We will then let you know of upcoming dates and times for volunteer orientation. The training lasts about 90 minutes and is required before you can begin volunteering or receive further training.