Volunteering Options: Agency Volunteer vs. Advocate Agency Volunteer
Agency Volunteers work with office staff to
fulfill administrative duties. Projects available to volunteers include,
but are not limited to: folding brochures, filing, making Care
Packages, designing SARC flyers and posters, and assisting staff during
presentations and health fairs. By performing these functions, Agency
Volunteers provide a vital service; allowing center staff the ability to
concentrate on projects which raise awareness about sexual assault in
our communities.
Agency Volunteers must submit an application,
come into the office for an interview, and pass a background check. No
formal training is required for this position. All we ask is that Agency
Volunteers commit to volunteering for a few hours per month.
Advocate
Advocates provide direct client services. Our
Advocates answer our 24 hour hotline; provide support to survivors at
hospitals, police departments, and court proceedings; provide
face-to-face counseling; represent SARC at presentations and health
fairs; and help with other SARC projects. Our Advocates are our lifeline
and the voice of support that survivors hear in the middle of the
night; without them, the center would cease to function.
Advocates must be at least 18 years of age,
submit an application, come into the office for an interview, and pass a
background check. Potential Advocates will then be admitted into a
training class which is approximately 40 hours long for certification.
Advocates are requested make a 6 month commitment to the center and sign
up for 2-3 hotline or escort shifts per month. Weekday shifts are from
5PM-8AM. Weekend shifts are from 8AM-5PM and 5PM-8AM. Advocates are able
to answer the phone from their home as all calls are forwarded from the
center to either a landline or mobile phone.
SARC has conducted 66 Advocate Training Classes
since 1983. In May 2009, SARC conducted its first ever Advocate
Training Class for residents of Leon and Madison Counties. Brazos County Advocate
Program
Advocates in the Brazos County Program answer
the 24 hour hotline and accompany survivors to hospitals, law
enforcement agencies, and court proceedings in Bryan and College
Station. Advocates can also help staff with special programs such as the
Cross Town Lockdown, a summer softball tournament benefiting the
center, semi-annual Safety Awareness and Self Defense Workshops, the
Watch Your Drink, Watch Your Friend Campaign, our annual Candlelight
Vigil, Take Back the Night, and other SARC events.
Advocate Training Classes are held every
February and August at the Center. If you have any questions about
becoming an Advocate for SARC, please contact Audrey Bohannon, Volunteer Coordinator, at abohannon@sarcbv.org or 979-731-1000.
Leon/Madison
County Advocate Program
Advocates in the Leon/Madison County Program
answer the 24 hour hotline and accompany survivors to the hospital, law
enforcement agencies, and court proceedings in Leon and Madison
Counties. Because advocates who provide escorts to the hospital are
required to arrive within 45 minutes, only Advocates who live within 30
miles of the hospital can sign up for escort duty. Advocates can also
help staff with special programs such as our Safety Awareness and Self
Defense Workshops held annually in each county, educational
presentations, and other SARC events.
Training sessions are split between training
locations in Centerville and Madisonville. Interviews for potential
advocates will be conducted in either Madisonville or Centerville,
depending on the applicant's preference. If you have any questions about
becoming an Advocate for SARC, please contact Kristen Montgomery, Outreach and Education Specialist, at kmontgomery@sarcbv.org.
In the Words of SARC
Volunteers
Having advocates available for hospital
accompaniment, a 24-hour hotline, and an office staff that truly cares
about what they do, allow survivors to feel safe and in control at a
time when it seems both of those things have been taken away.
-Courtney M.
Advocate since 2006
I
cannot prevent the crime but my empathy, understanding, and the
knowledge I share during those moments I believe helps victims, gives
them hope, and arms them with the information and tools to take back
control after being assaulted.
-Charlotte
S.
Advocate
since 2005
There are numerous benefits to being a
volunteer at the Rape Crisis Center, Brazos Valley, but to me the
biggest benefits are: (1) gaining valuable knowledge through the initial
and on-going training allowing you the skills to be able to help
someone in a time of need; and (2) knowing that you may have improved
lives in a positive way by being there to support victims of sexual
assault at a time when reaching out is very difficult for them to do.
-Bridgette G.
Volunteer since 1997 One of the most important aspects of
volunteering for me is being there to answer the cries in the night.
-Sandi O.
Volunteer since 1986 |