Direct Program Support

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center provides programs to adults who have developmental and intellectual disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. While there are no cures for these disabilities, people with cognitive disorders can still achieve personal and professional fulfillment.

We need volunteers to help assist our Direct Support Professional (DSP) staff by engaging our students in a variety of indoor and outdoor programs that include aquatics and fitness, education, crafts, and more. Program Support volunteers assist in the Direct Support Professional’s daily tasks of cleanup, supervision, and engaging students with the class. Hours are flexible : M-F from 8 : 30am-2 : 30pm.

Lunch buddies are also needed to encourage healthy eating habits and help with lunch time duties. During lunch, buddies will help warm up students’ food, hand out utensils and napkins, supervise for any hazards, socialize, and clean up after. Hours for lunch buddies are 10 : 30am-12pm M-F.

Volunteer Requirements :

• Can provide 30 hours of service in 3 months or 1 year of service
• Volunteer application and Interview
• Physical, tuberculosis screening and drug / alcohol screening (Provided by SMSC)
• Fingerprinting (Provided by SMSC)
• Proof of citizenship or immigration status
• If you are under 18 years of age, you must provide consent from a legal guardian
• 2-3 hour orientation training
• Acknowledgement of receipt of SMSC Volunteer Handbook

Benefits :

Volunteering at SMSC will help you build priceless soft skills necessary in the workplace such as problem-solving, adaptability, communication, time management, and more. This is a two-way street where you will help us with your time and effort, and we will help you gain valuable experience and develop new social networks.

Impact :

Our mission is to educate and empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To give them the space and resources to let them realize their full potential. By volunteering, you will bring our students one step closer to realizing that they, too, can make an impact on the world. The smiles you will see will be even more rewarding than our free lunches.