Guidelines for Youth Volunteers

Note: All Youth Volunteers must read the guidelines listed below to be considered as a volunteer at the AFCHS.

General Rules:

1. Your cell phones must be given to your parents. If you need to make a call, use the AFCHS phones. No playing games on cell phones!

2. While with the cats, your volunteer job is to brush, pet and play with as many cats as possible. Please stay calm so that the cats stay relaxed. This is their home.

3. Please clean any brush or comb you use after each use, PLEASE do not put it back in the drawer dirty or full of hair.

4. Play with the cats gently using their own toys. DO NOT throw toys or beds or water at them. DO NOT TEASE THE CATS. The more you interact with them the more friendly they become.

5. Please help with washing and refilling water bowls and then put them back exactly where you found them. Also clean/scoop litter boxes.

6. Please let us know if you think a cat is behaving strange or looks ill.

7. Please treat our cats and dogs and other volunteers with the utmost respect.

8. If you are used to dogs and want to play ball or brush them let us know. If you are able to teach dogs to sit and stay we can use your help for that. Again treat them with respect this is their home.

9. Dog walkers are also needed (Walk “n” Wag – walking group) or any time.

10. You, MAY not tease or pick on any other volunteers or you will not be allowed to come back. We will immediately call your parents.

11. Volunteering for a non-profit corporation will look good on  your college application and is sometimes used as extra credit in school.

12. Do not move our supplies or equipment around without permission.

13. Depending on the youth’s age, we prefer no more than 2-3 hours per volunteer.

14. High School and College students may stay longer than 2-3 hours.

15. No one younger than 12 years old will be allowed to volunteer without an adult family member present.

16. We expect all of our volunteers to be responsible and follow directions given by our staff.

17. By offering volunteer opportunities to the community, AFCHS is providing an opportunity for community service for the youth of our schools, churches and other organizations. Most other organizations don’t accept youth volunteers less than 16-18 years of age. While we appreciate all of the help you will be providing for us, it does take time away from our staff performing their duties to help train the volunteers. Please be respectful of this.

18. We do not accept any volunteers that are not willing to give us a minimum of 10 hours. For youth 12 to 14 years old that is five, two hour shifts. The time it takes to train takes away from our other duties. Please understand and don’t ask to do less than 10 hours.

19. We are pleased to have a small group of men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities that come to volunteer once a week. They come to us through “Arc of San Joaquin” which is also a non-profit. They generally come on Tuesday and Thursdays arrive around 11:30 AM and are gone by 12:30 PM. They have a care taker with them. They wash dishes, fold laundry and interact with the cats and some dogs. They are wonderful men and women and it is good for the dogs and cats to be around them. If you prefer that your children not be there at that time, do not drop them off at that time on those days.

20. Friends may not volunteer together unless we have the assurance of both the volunteers and their parents that they will be here to help and take their volunteer duties seriously. We have a small facility, therefore, if you are sitting or standing around not doing anything we will assume that you don’t want to be there and will be asked to help out or your parents will be called. No more than two friends at a time.

Your time here should be pleasant, but you are here to help the cats, dogs and us.

NOTE: Special accommodations will be made for groups like Fraternities, Key Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts etc.

These are the duties that Youth Volunteers might participate in:

• Walk sanctuary dogs
• Brush cats/dogs
• Play with the dogs
• Brush cat trees
• Scoop litter boxes
• Socializing with cats/dogs
• Wipe down walls and ledges
• Top off water and food bowls
• Folding laundry
• Dusting
• Cleaning windows
• Washing dishes

Volunteers are not to sit, stand or socialize in the outer office area unless you are spending time with the dogs.

We accept volunteers 12 years and older. However no one younger than 14 years old will be allowed to volunteer without an adult family member present the first time. If you sign the form on the right, assuring us that your child is old enough. Should he or she not be old enough, we will not be held liable. No more than two students who know each other at one time!

Is there something on this list that you don’t want your child to do? If so, please indicate it in the volunteer application form.

ATTIRE: Long pants and closed-toe shoes.