2008 Volunteer Opportunities

Fortress YDC exists to provide opportunities for inner city children and youth to experience powerful life change in order to become productive Christian adults.

• Fortress Literacy Center – daily after school

• Summer JAM (Jesus And Me) – daily summer program

• Sunday JAM – Sunday afternoon program

Fortress Literacy Center Opportunities – School Year

Fortress Literacy Center (elementary)

Volunteering with this after school program entails assisting students Kindergarten through 5th grade in our literacy lab, reading to them, assisting with homework and interacting with them during park time. The elementary portion of the literacy program runs from 3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and every other Friday.

Fortress Literacy Center (junior high/high school)

Volunteering with this after school program entails assisting students 6th grade through 12th grade in our literacy lab, helping in the homework room and participating in our daily schedule.  This portion of the literacy program runs from 4:30-7:30.  From 4:30-5:25 students go to the Lounge where topics will range from Q&A time, Artistic Expression, Free Time, Clean up Day.  5:30-7:30 students will work in the literacy lab, homework room, and F.O.R.T (faith, obedience, and Real Talk)-Monday through Thursday and every other Friday. Seeking committed daily and weekly volunteers.

Meal Provider

We provide a healthy snack for our students daily.  To host a healthy snack drive, contact us and we’ll send you our needs list.

Strong Christian role models, teenaged, adult, male & female are needed to facilitate these programs and encourage our students!

Weekends/Work Groups – Year Round

Fortress YDC – within our own building, there are a lot of options for working, such as painting, vacuuming, cleaning, organizing the storage facility ‘the barn’, etc. are wonderful volunteer opportunities for a group or an individual.

Chaperone

We will be taking weekend Field trips at least once a month and volunteers are needed to chaperone.

Community Service Sponsor

Organizing a group to work in the neighborhood to reach out and give back to the community. Many groups do yard work, paint houses and/or organize a community pick up (picking up trash, cleaning up parks, etc.)

Sunday JAM

On Sunday’s we come together, eat lunch and fellowship together from 12:30-2pm. Volunteers are needed to facilitate the teachings, provide praise and worship, and simply participate with the youth.  Other opportunities are available during Sunday JAM.

Organizing A Drive

You may choose to do something as simple as setting out a box at your school or church for drive. Drive you may consider: book, back-to-school, office supply, cell phone and / or other Fortress needs (cell phones can be recycled for funds).  Volunteer hours would include advertising, collecting & delivering items.

Organizing a Fundraiser

You may choose to organize a fundraiser.  If you so choose to host a fundraiser on our behalf, our students, will be happy to assist.  Past fundraisers include: car washes, concession stands, calendar sales and dinners.  Volunteer hours would include time it takes to organize and advertise.

Summer JAM 

During the summer Fortress has anywhere from 100 – 200 volunteers, staff, and youth in and out of our building a day.  We provide most of these people both breakfast and lunch.  Our volunteers in charge of these meals love to help!

Peanut Butter & Jelly – individuals or groups of 2 – 3 volunteers can come out in the morning and help make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Lunch – Give our Kitchen oversight volunteer an afternoon off! Make & serve lunch to our kids, the mission groups staying at Fortress and summer interns!

There are many ways for an individual or group to volunteer at Fortress.  If you don’t see an option listed above that works for you let us know!  Chances are there is a way to plug you in!  Ideas/suggestions are welcome!

Fortress will work with time availability of volunteer students including coming in at a later time or varied week days due to extracurricular activities and / or jobs – we are flexible with the times posted for volunteers to come and leave – if you can only commit to one hour a week, or once a month for example, please go ahead and contact us with your information.

Committed daily/weekly volunteers will receive volunteer information and a short training in regard to student discipline and their role / responsibilities – volunteers 18 and older will be asked to submit information for criminal background check.

Volunteer hours will include planning, organizing and travel time.

Volunteers are encouraged to come check us out! Inner city outreach is not for everyone, but we would love to tell you about our programs and introduce you to our work and students!

We would love to have you volunteer. Please contact Dr. Kristen Guillory at kristen@fwydc.org or 817.335.1007 with questions or to arrange your time to volunteer!

Thank you for your interest!