Present Volunteer Opportunities
Make new friends, open your heart, and gain the satisfaction of helping someone in a time of need. Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Volunteers are needed to serve in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, acute care, subacute and rehabilitation hospitals. The program eases the loneliness and distress of illness or injury, with a friendly face and a compassionate listener at the patient’s bedside. Volunteers spend time with critically ill patients of all ages, bringing encouragement, hope and joy

The Raggedy Ann & Andy experience provides the essential training, skills and strengths for all of the Adventures in Caring volunteer programs. All Adventures in Caring volunteers learn the art of visiting the sick and giving support for the heart and soul during illness. A 30-hour experiential training is provided. The volunteer commitment is to visit a hospital or nursing home once per week, for two hours, for at least one year.

In addition to the Raggedy Ann & Andy visiting programs, Adventures in Caring also conducts other patient support programs such as: a dialysis patient support program at the Santa Barbara Artificial Kidney Center, and a music therapy program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Other Volunteer Opportunities
Raggedy Costumes and Dolls: make Raggedy Ann & Andy outfits, wigs, and dolls; acquire materials, train & organize seamstresses; do quality control; check inventory on a regular basis to see what’s needed.

Special Events Assistance: help staff in planning and organizing special events for volunteer appreciation, community open house, and fundraising. Help with the outreach and set-up of informational presentations to various organizations or communities such as college campuses, churches and service clubs.

Sponsor research and fundraising: identify and approach possible sponsors for the Raggedy Ann & Andy programs, in the Tri-County area.

Help with special projects/handyperson: assist in-house with tasks that need special skills such as painting, carpentry or computer maintenance; help with general Raggedy House touch-ups and cleaning.

Office support: help with projects in the office if you have particular skills, such as word processing, page layout, graphic design or calligraphy… We also need help with writing correspondence, filing and keeping the office organized; and archiving program photos, videos, and news clippings.

Raggedy Ann & Andy Training Assistant: assist with on-going training for new Raggedy volunteers as well as trained and active volunteers

How Else Can I Help?
• Share your stories. If Adventures in Caring has helped you, your family, or improved your ability to care for others, please let us know.

• Pass the word: share the book What Can I Say? show the Communicating with Compassion video; refer people to the Adventures in Caring website.

• Give feedback. The Adventures in Caring program is built upon the insight gained by hundreds of people through thousands of experiences over many years – but it is not complete, and the learning continues. Please feel free to share with us the valuable lessons you learn that could add to this body of knowledge, so that we can pass on this wisdom to future generations.

• Donate towards a service-learning scholarship for an undergraduate student.

• Donate your old car, or other valuable (and tax deductible) in-kind gift.

• Sponsor the Raggedy Companions program in a local nursing home.

• Sponsor an Adventures in Caring publication, such as an upcoming book, video, newsletter, or the website.

• Contribute to the Adventures in Caring Endowment.

Call (805) 687-5803 or 1-(800) 833-5678 today.