2019-2020 Placement Application
Applications due Friday, June 1, 2018 by 3 p.m.

COMMUNITY PLACEMENTS

The Junior League of Fort Worth makes a difference in the community by providing trained volunteers to non-profit agencies. The following community agencies have been selected to receive Junior League volunteers for 2017 – 2018.

ACH CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES
For over 100 years, ACH has protected children from abuse, neglect and family separation and helped children overcome these things when they do happen. The ACH LIFE (Learning Independence from Experience) Project targets young adults aged 18-23 who have aged out of foster care and have previously been wards of the state due to abuse or neglect. This population has a high incidence of homelessness and drug and alcohol abuse when no assistance is offered after age 18. The program is designed to help these young adults transition to independent living successfully. Volunteers will serve in the Circle of Caring Mentor Program. The program will assist with Life Skills including educational classes and activities focusing on nutrition, exercise, job skills and other life and social skill-building instruction and experiences. Additionally, residents will be matched with multiple volunteers for ongoing mentoring between the scheduled classes.

AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION: CAMP AURORA
Camp Aurora is a day camp for children ages 5-12 who have either Type1 or Type2 diabetes. The goal is to provide a safe recreation experience for children with diabetes. The program offers a fun-filled week of outdoor activities such as swimming, fishing, horseback riding and canoeing, while teaching valuable lessons on positive diabetes management. Camp Aurora promotes self-confidence, independence and peer support. Volunteers will serve as Camp Counselors helping with organization and supervising camp activities as well as supervise blood sugar monitoring.

BREAKTHROUGH FORT WORTH
During the summer, volunteers participate in and/or execute programming in six different areas: Teacher Welcome, Clubs Fair, Club Presentation Days, Mock Fancy Meal, Summer Clubs, Breakthrough Champion’s Day and the Closing Celebration Event. The Clubs Fair gives the Breakthrough students an opportunity to learn about community involvement activities. The Club Presentation Days educates the students on merging their personal interests with community volunteering. Service Mentors for Summer Clubs will give a short presentation on community service, the history and impact of JLFW, and how community service aids in the college application process. Additional opportunities are available during the school year as a College Workshop Mentor and College Tour Chaperone Mentor.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES: ASSESSMENT CENTER
Catholic Charities provides a safe environment for children prior to being placed in foster care homes. Volunteers help the children housed in the agency’s Assessment Center reach their full potential, build self-esteem and keep them engaged while tutoring them to reach grade level. Volunteers will work with Catholic Charities staff and a FWISD teacher who work at the facility.

CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES
The Center for Transforming Lives runs the Resale & reDesign Store. JLFW volunteers will assist with receiving, sorting, pricing and displaying donated merchandise in an organized and visually appealing arrangement that invites customer engagement and purchases in support of Center for Transforming Lives programs. Job duties will also include assisting in the ongoing maintenance of an organized sales floor and ensuring merchandise remains in designated locations.

COLONIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
Colonial Country Club annually hosts a world class PGA tournament which positively impacts the Fort Worth community through economic impact, national exposure, and charitable contributions. JLFW volunteers assist with events that lead up to the tournament and duties during the tournament, including managing the Will Call Booth.

COOK CHILDREN’S MEDICAL CENTER
Cook Children’s Medical Center’s purpose is improving the health of children. Their services range from simple preventive checkups to highly-specialized critical care. JLFW volunteers assist the hospital in improving the experience of the children undergoing medical treatments and their families by reading books, playing in the playroom, holding and rocking babies, and educating parents. Volunteers will also assist with the hospital’s dental initiatives.

DOWN SYNDROME PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH TEXAS
Down Syndrome Partnership of North Texas’ purpose is to support people with Down Syndrome, their families and communities in reaching their full potential. Volunteers will assist at the I Can Bike Camp, doing administrative duties, along with tracking numbers of hours served. Volunteers will also “spot” and run alongside campers who are on bikes.

FORT WORTH ISD JUNIOR MINTS
The Junior MINTS (Mentor-Inspire-Nurture-Tutor-Support) program is to support our public schools by giving assistance to teacher-selected children who need one-on-one or small group time to develop learning or social skills, and assist with reading or math. School Buddies will spend time mentoring with one child or in a small group at one of our schools. School Support volunteers will plan and implement weekend and evening activities at all the schools, such as Math & Science Night, Literacy Night, Fitness Night, Open House, or other parent and student activities.

FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY: FAMILY NIGHT
JLFW volunteers will work closely with the education team and volunteer coordinator on the administrative level to organize, schedule, and coordinate the Museum’s family and school outreach programs, Family Museum Nights and Family Science Festivals, as well as assist with ideas and concepts for activities, marketing, and promotion. Volunteers will also work the floor throughout the Museum during Family Museum Nights and/or work at off-site schools during Family Science Festivals to assist in the delivery of interactive activities and program evaluation.

FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW ART PROGRAM
The Stock Show Art Program was created to provide Fort Worth area students an opportunity to display their artistic abilities and study western heritage. Students compete for awards and cash prizes. Junior League volunteers will check in entries, assist with data entry, coordinate ceremony and display set-up, and provide information to area schools prior to the contest. JLFW volunteers work as a group under the direction of the Guns & Roses Stock Show Art Committee and Stock Show staff members.

GIRLS INC. OF TARRANT COUNTY
Girls Incorporated is a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be “strong, smart, and bold!” Girls Inc. has provided educational programs such as self-esteem, teamwork, body image, bullying, and healthy relationships for over 65 years to millions of American girls, particularly those in high-risk, underserved areas. Girls Inc. believes all girls are at-risk and their programs give girls the skills and education they need to prevent poor decision making. JLFW volunteers assist program instructors with lesson facilitation, monitor classrooms/hallways/restrooms, meal/snack distribution, and serve as a positive role model for girls in the program.

HISTORIC FORT WORTH: ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
Many Junior League members grew up in Fort Worth and have a basic knowledge of Fort Worth buildings and neighborhoods, and that knowledge and experience is extremely valuable at HFW. JLFW volunteers are well connected and interested in improving the community, and they are a trusted resource for rare and often unduplicated files. Volunteers will learn to digitize, store, and retrieve irreplaceable documents; they will be able to respond to community inquiries about specific buildings; and they will learn to design and write an invitation about an historic building, as well as organize and lead the tour at that building.

JPS FOUNDATION
JPS Foundation has an Improving Aging program set up to meet the social needs of elderly patients throughout the JPS Health Network and to provide a meaningful volunteer experience. Volunteer time will be spent socially engaging with elderly patients. They will be asked to visit patients at their bedside or walk with them and provide sympathetic support, encouragement and companionship.

KIDS WHO CARE, INC.
Kids Who Care, Inc. is a theater company that produces confident and creative children through musical education and performance. This organization provides the “Night of Giving” as a special evening for children and families who would not normally be exposed to musical theater. JLFW volunteers will be given the opportunity to plan a reception, intermission program, backstage tour and more.

KINDERFROGS SCHOOL AT TCU
KinderFrogs is an early childhood education facility on the TCU campus serving young children with disabilities. This collaborative effort between parents, teachers and administrators has one major goal in mind—to make the lives of these children rich with possibility. JLFW volunteers serve as classroom assistants and provide an extra set of hands to do anything and everything to help their mission.

MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF NORTH TEXAS
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. The Southwest Region has granted more than 400 wishes in the last 5 years, with most being granted in Tarrant County. JLFW volunteers organize and plan wishes for children referred to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This includes meeting with the child and his or her family and discerning their wishes, as well as helping coordinate all aspects of the wish-granting.

MAYFEST
For more than 40 years, Mayfest, Inc. has been providing a family fun festival on the banks of the Trinity River. Funds raised help to beautify the river and support the programs throughout the community. JLFW volunteers assist with the planning and preparations for the festival. They also play a major role as volunteers during the event. JLFW volunteers can participate in Mayfest as a general volunteer or as a member of the Central Committee of Mayfest. The Central Committee is made up of 80 volunteers from throughout the community, including 15-20 Junior League members.

MOTHERS’ MILK BANK
The Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas passionately dedicates its services to saving tiny, premature, and critically ill infants by providing lifesaving donor human milk. For premature and critically ill infants, human milk dramatically increases their survivability. Breast milk is donated by healthy, lactating mothers who have an oversupply. The donated milk is pasteurized, tested for bacterial growth and nutritional value, and dispensed by a physician’s prescription to sick babies in need. JLFW volunteers assist with filing, copying, and other office duties. They also assist with the pasteurization process of milk in the laboratory.

PERFORMING ARTS FORT WORTH
Performing Arts Fort Worth (PAFW) owns and operates Bass Performance Hall. The Hall functions as a “classroom” for more than 70,000 children each year, enriching their educational experiences through a variety of performing arts programs – provided free of charge by the PAFW Children’s Education Program. To ensure that the performing arts are a fundamental part of every student’s education, a partnership was established with Fort Worth ISD, leading to a district-wide mandate that all students in 1st-5th grades attend a Children’s Education Program (CEP) curriculum-based performance each year. Now in its 19th year, the CEP continues to provide free programs to school-age children to experience the best of the performing arts. JLFW volunteers are CEP ambassadors or representatives who extend a personal connection, delivering critical communication to the schools, including CEP policies and procedures, transportation guidelines, study guide details, maps, and signage and contact information.

RECOVERY RESOURCE COUNCIL
Recovery Resource Council runs the Camp L4 (Live, Learn, Laugh, Love) day camp for at-risk youth ages 6-12. Children are from local homeless and domestic violence shelters, foster homes and children whose parents have used Recovery Resource Council Services for drug and alcohol addiction. JLFW volunteers serve as camp counselors and are actively involved in a variety of youth activities throughout the week including both indoor and outdoor activities such as support groups, crafts, games, hiking, fishing, canoeing, and swimming.

RIVERTREE ACADEMY
Rivertree Academy educates children from Como to learn well, work well, love well, and lead well. JLFW volunteers will work as mentors to offer encouragement and assistance with reading and math. Volunteers will coordinate monthly Enrichment Outings for students and parents to keep students engaged in educational activities throughout the year.

RONALD MCDONALD ROOM AT COOK CHILDREN’S
The Ronald McDonald Family Room opened inside Cook Chlldren’s Medical Center in 2004. The Family Room serves as a haven of respite and hospitality to families whose children are in treatment. Located just outside the pediatric intensive care unit and outpatient service area, the space provides a place where families can get away from the stress of the hospital, allowing them a moment to rest and rejuvenate, so that they can face the stress of the hospital visit with renewed energy. JLFW volunteers will answer phones, refer families with special needs to the appropriate contact person, log room usage, and maintain coffee and snacks for the Family Room.

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
The Ronald McDonald House provides a “home away from home” for families of children receiving medical treatment at area hospitals. Volunteers have the opportunity to serve as Front Desk Volunteers, House Services Volunteer or Ronald Room Hostess.

SAFEHAVEN OF TARRANT COUNTY: CAMP HEART
CampHeart is the only local camp designed exclusively for children recovering from domestic violence.  While other camps in the area target children in need, none provide the domestic violence expertise and support that CampHeart provides to these children.  Most of the children attending CampHeart have never attended a camp before. JLFW volunteers are asked to interact with youth in a number of different ways, one-on-one, small groups, etc. This provides children attending CampHeart the opportunity to interact and work alongside a group of engaged community members who are dedicated to making a difference through hands on action and leadership. Children attending CampHeart learn that they are cared for and cared about, a strong message conveyed with the inclusion of JLFW volunteers. Incorporating JLFW volunteers allows for a more diverse camp experience and provides support to SafeHaven staff as well. SafeHaven cannot provide everything it takes to offer children an opportunity to have an outlet such as Camp without the support of an organization like JLFW.

SAFEHAVEN OF TARRANT COUNTY: SAFEPLAY
SafeHaven’s mission is to end domestic violence through safety, support, prevention and social change. SafeHaven’s shelters have served domestic violence victims in Fort Worth, Arlington and the surrounding areas for almost four decades. JLFW volunteers will help at the Fort Worth emergency shelter with recreational activities such as field trips, games, art projects and crafts. While their children play, mothers in the shelter are free to attend SafeHaven support groups.

TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK
The Tarrant Area Food Bank works to eliminate hunger in Tarrant County and 13 surrounding counties by providing food, education, and other resources to a network of partner agencies and their communities. JLFW volunteers provide vital assistance by working hands-on in the Community Kitchen and through the “Operation Frontline” project to provide nutritional education instruction to pregnant and parenting girls.

THE FIRST TEE, INC.
The First Tee, Inc. is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation. The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop – through golf and character education – life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. JLFW volunteers provide hands-on delivery of life skills instruction, golf skills instruction and mentoring to participants in Life Skills Classes, Camps, and Community Outreach Initiatives.

WINGS OF HOPE EQUITHERAPY
Wings of Hope is a nonprofit equestrian therapy program that provides quality equine-assisted activities for children and adults with disabilities. The organization’s purpose is to provide hope and gentle healing through horses and the love of God. JLFW volunteers help conduct riding lessons by serving as lead walkers (leading the horse around an arena; reserved for volunteers with equine experience) or assisting as a side walker (making sure riders do not lose their balance). If a volunteer has equine experience and is interested, she may also be asked to assist with grooming and tack of horses.