Volunteer Opportunities

How Can I Get Involved with OAR?

Many volunteer opportunities exist to help OAR further its mission to rebuild lives and break the cycle of crime to create a safer community. OAR volunteers provide vital services and program support to ex-offenders and their families.  The following are some of the ways OAR volunteers serve our community.  For information on these and other opportunities contact our Volunteer Coordinator, at tcoleman@oarfairfax.org or call (703) 246-3055.

OAR's most pressing volunteer needs are listed below. For a list of additional on-going Volunteer Opportunities, please click here. Applicants may apply for positions listed in either group. The link to the Volunteer Application is found at the bottom of this page.

 

Mentors: Volunteers are needed to mentor inmates before and after their release from the Fairfax County jail. Mentoring pairs will be matched based on age, gender, interests, and need. Volunteers will mentor the same person during the 15-month commitment (3 months mentoring in the jail; 12 months in the community). Weekly commitment is approximately 2 hours plus travel time to the jail.  Training is provided by OAR and the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department.  A background check will be conducted

Minimum age: 21

Time Commitment: 2 hours per week 

Work Empowerment Program Facilitator:  Volunteers are needed to assist individuals in building job-readiness skills and address barriers to finding work.  Volunteers teach a set curriculum to groups of up to 20 people and must have good public-speaking skills.  While not required, experience with teaching and/or assisting people find employment is preferred.   This is a wonderful opportunity to help people find a job and reinvent their lives!

Minimum age:  18
 
Time commitment: 4 hours per week on Wednesday morning

 

 

Court Room Volunteer: Judges refer non-violent, first-time offenders to OAR for community service placements as an alternative to incarceration. Volunteers are needed in the courtroom Monday through Friday to assess prospective clients’ eligibility and process court documents.

 

Minimum Age: 18

 

Time commitment: 4 hours a week

 

Service Coordinators: This is a fast-paced volunteer position. The position requires both people skills and computer skills. Service Coordinators interface with OAR staff and clients at OAR’s main office in Fairfax. The Service Coordinator discerns and addresses the immediate, emergent needs of the client. Effective service coordination supports the entire organization’s ability to render competent professional services to clients.

 

 Minimum age: 18

 

 

Time commitment: 4 hours per week

 

Violence Intervention Program (VIP) Facilitators: VIP is a certified “Batterer Intervention” Program designed to change the behavior and attitudes of those responsible for acts of domestic violence and to eliminate future violent behavior. Volunteer VIP facilitators help provide program participants with the necessary skills and insights to be accountable for their behavior and lead a violence-free life. The Volunteer co-facilitator works with a trained staff facilitator. 

 

Minimum age: 21

 

 

Time commitment: 3 hours a week in the evening

 

Computer Resource Room Assistant:  Tech-savvy volunteers are needed to assist individuals with basic employment-focused computer training and assistance.  This includes: resume writing, creating an email address, applying to online job postings, etc.  Volunteers are needed for 2-4 hours shifts to help individuals on an appointment or walk-in basis.  This is a wonderful opportunity to help people find a job and make a fresh start in their lives!

Minimum age:  18

 

 

Time commitment: 2 hours per week

Is Training Provided? Yes. Volunteers attend an initial two-hour orientation session designed to educate volunteers to become fully functioning members of the OAR team.  Volunteers also receive individual training based on the volunteer task they have selected.  Those volunteers whose responsibilities require access to the Adult Detention Center will attend a half-day training conducted by the Fairfax County Sheriff’s office. In addition, volunteers are encouraged to attend regularly held Continuing Education sessions on topics such as:

·          Effective communication

·          Gang awareness

·          Understanding the probation and parole system.

·          Understanding institutionalization

·          Respecting confidentiality and client boundaries

 

   

For a Volunteer Application form, click here