VOLUNTEER WITH US
Building One Community offers volunteers who care deeply about immigrants the opportunity to help them succeed. Much of B1C’s success is due to the commitment and compassion of our diverse group of volunteers. Your time, skills, and talent make a real difference in people's lives. Through volunteering with us, you will learn about our local community, connect with other volunteers, and find a stronger sense of purpose.
HOW IT WORKS
1
Receive our orientation manual or schedule an optional tour
2
Register as a volunteer
3
Our volunteer team will follow up with specific opportunities
4
Log your hours on your Personal Volunteer Site. Fill out the form and use the link that is emailed.
Log Your Hours
Hear Nico and Mateo’s volunteering story.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
There are opportunities available for individuals as well as groups. Our most popular opportunity is tutoring adults English but we have many others. We will try to match your interests and schedule with available opportunities.
Join us in providing valuable services to our community. These are some sample volunteer opportunities:
- Teaching and tutoring English Language Learning (ELL) classes
Technology tutor
- Job skills training
- Homework help
- Personal support services
Review the section below called Current Volunteer Opportunities to see what is available. Click on the green arrow next to each opportunity to see the full description. If you have questions, contact the volunteer team at volunteers@b1c.org.
Georgia
This place has opened my eyes. It's definitely a different environment , even though it's so close to where I live.
Don
My students are so alive and yearning to learn more English. It's so gratifying to find people who are trying so hard and feel grateful.
Idania
B1C does its best to help others, no matter your color or race. They offer many programs and activities and they also provide a place to socialize.
Chiara
It has been a great experience. Just getting to know the people here, it's like becoming a part of a family.
Jeffrey
I've been an interpreter and I've also worked with computer literacy programs... by just doing simple things like these I can make a big impact.
CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - NOVEMBER 2024
Must be at least 14 years of age, preferably 16 or older.
- Description: teach or tutor an adult immigrant English in person at B1C.
- Responsibilities: After initial training, teach / tutor and plan sessions independently.
- Skills needed: ability to speak slowly and clearly. Patience and flexibility.
- Schedule and time commitment: (you only need to choose 1 shift)
- 417 Shippan Ave – Teach Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9:30am-11am. Tuesday and Thursday 11:30am-1pm or 6:15pm-7:45pm.
(for this location only, you must be able to commit for at least 80% of the time for 3 months).
- 75 Selleck St – Teach Monday to Friday 9am-11am or 11:30am-1pm. Monday and Wednesday 6pm-8pm.
- Training and supervision: ELL program staff.
- Resources available: ELL books, worksheets and ELL online library.
- Location: 417 Shippan Ave or 75 Selleck St.
Must be at least a junior or senior in high school, tech-savvy and have leadership experience or experience working with elementary school aged children. It is very important that a volunteer commits at least once weekly from September 12th – December 15th. There will be an interview process and observation period for this position and completion of B1C’s abuse prevention training is mandatory prior to volunteering with children.
- Description: tutor an elementary school child with homework help and enrichment educational activities. Nurture a mentor/mentee relationship with your student under the supervision of B1C staff.
- Responsibilities: help children with their homework, guide enrichment activities and classroom conversation.
- Skills needed: Experience with children and homework help, leadership skills a plus.
- Schedule and time commitment: minimum of one day a week/maximum of four days a week, from September 12 -December 15th. Sessions take place Mondays - Thursdays from 4:30pm - 6pm.
- Training and supervision: Academic Enrichment Program Staff.
- Resources available: educational resources provided.
- Remote/onsite/hybrid position: onsite at 417 Shippan Ave.
Must be at least 14 years of age. This opportunity is for high school students only. We emphasize responsibility, independence, communication and leadership skills.
- Description: tutor an adult immigrant English in person at B1C in one-on-one sessions.
- Responsibilities: tutor and plan sessions independently.
- Skills needed: ability to speak slowly and clearly. Patience and flexibility.
- Schedule and time commitment: sign up as available at least one day before session. Sessions available Saturday morning onsite at B1C 11am-12:30pm.
- Training and supervision: ELL program staff and Youth Group leaders.
- Resources available: ELL books, worksheets and ELL online library.
- Location: 75 Selleck St (entrance at 77 Selleck St).
Must be at least 14 years of age, preferably 16 or older.
- Description: Provide one hour of English instruction once a week to parents who are waiting for their children who are enrolled in Homework Club.
- Responsibilities: Teach English to a group of about 10-15 parents. The volunteer will introduce new vocabulary, practice pronunciation and conversation, do grammar practice, lead readings, and review any topics in English that the group might be interested in.
- Skills needed: The volunteer will need to speak English fluently, feel comfortable leading a group, be patient, and be willing to move slowly through material and repeat as necessary.
- Schedule and time commitment: One hour a week, preferably Mondays, from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.
- Training and supervision: ELL program staff.
- Resources available: ELL books, worksheets and ELL online library.
- Location: Onsite at 417 Shippan Avenue.
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Tax Preparer: Help individuals and families complete their tax returns accurately. Volunteers receive training to ensure they understand tax procedures and can assist clients with their filings.
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Interpreter/Translator: Provide language support for non-English speaking clients. Volunteers assist in translating documents or interpreting during meetings to ensure clear communication.
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Navigator: Work closely with clients to answer key interview questions and upload necessary documents, ensuring accurate and efficient tax preparation.
Must be at least 16 years old.
- Description: tutor basic computer skills to immigrants in person at B1C or via video conference.
- Responsibilities: tutor and plan sessions.
- Skills needed: English/Spanish fluency a plus.
- Schedule and time commitment: minimum 3 month commitment. 45 minutes a week tutoring + prep time. Day and time flexible depending on the tutor and student availability.
- Training and supervision: Workforce Development program staff.
- Resources available: educational materials. Instructor is expected to also research resources.
- Location: both onsite and online.
Must be 18 years old and fluent in Haitian Creole and English.
- Description: assist interpreting in Haitian Creole in our Immigration Legal Services Program.
- Responsibilities: Interpret during legal consultations or translate documents needed for legal proceedings.
- Skills needed: must speak and write Haitian Creole fluently and be computer literate.
- Schedule and time commitment: flexible depending on volunteer availability.
- Training and supervision: Immigration Legal Services program staff.
- Resources available: N/A.
- Location: 417 Shippan Ave.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We have both adult and youth volunteers. Youth volunteers must be 14 years of age in order to volunteer. Keep in mind that we expect youth volunteers to function independently as volunteers.
It is B1C policy that volunteer tutoring and mentoring be conducted in person at one of our facilities. There are very few online opportunities. We will occasionally ask volunteers to assist at partner locations or an off-site fundraising venue.
Fluency in another language other than English is not required unless an opportunity specifically calls for it. We currently serve participants who originally come from all over the world so Spanish is not required.
Most of our volunteers come from varied backgrounds and having a teaching background is not required. What we do ask is that you speak clearly, loudly and slowly. We offer shadowing and ELL training sessions before you start tutoring on your own.
Sometimes our students may not make it to their already scheduled tutoring session. Even though we make every effort to coordinate between participants and volunteers these instances will happen. We ask that our volunteers remain flexible and open to performing other volunteer tasks.
Keeping track of volunteer hours is crucial. We not only value your time and effort, but we also need a record of service hours so we can apply for grants that will help fund us.
You bet you do! Any time you spend planning or organizing for your volunteer opportunity must be logged. This includes any time spent planning lessons, photocopying, etc.
Once you register to volunteer you will receive a monthly newsletter containing information about current opportunities. You can also come back to this page to see our current opportunities or contact the Volunteer Director directly by emailing here.
You can go to your Personal Volunteer Site by clicking on the Log Your Hours button a the top of this page.
Sometimes in the course of volunteering, a volunteer may get to know details about a participant’s personal history which may be upsetting. Hearing about a traumatic event in somebody else’s life may generate feelings of sadness, helplessness or anger and even trigger memories of past traumatic events the volunteer may have experienced.
In order to help manage these feelings in case they arise, B1C has put together the following resources to identify and manage second hand trauma. Remember, it’s ok to take a break from volunteering or rotate to a different volunteer opportunity to take care of your wellbeing. Please reach out to B1C’s volunteer team at volunteers@b1c.org if you need support or would like to rotate to a different opportunity. Click on the links below for more information.
YOUTH VOLUNTEERS
Youth can start volunteering at 14 years of age and parents are intentionally not involved in the process. Our youth program strongly promotes independence, responsibility, self-confidence, and communication skills. If you are interested in volunteering, you can register online here.
We have opportunities available after school, on the weekend, during school breaks, and summer months. Below are sample opportunities. Go above to Current Volunteer Opportunities to see what is available.
ELL VOLUNTEER:
Become an English language teacher or tutor to an adult immigrant.
YOUTH GROUP:
Join our high school youth-led volunteer group on Saturdays from 11am-12:30 pm.
HOMEWORK AND ENRICHMENT CLUB:
Help with Homework on Mondays through Thursdays from 4:30-5:45 pm during the school year. Must be 16 or older.
SUMMER PROGRAM:
Join our Summer Program and help elementary school children with educational and enrichment activities. Must be 16 or older.
YOUTH AMBASSADOR:
Youth Ambassador opportunities may become available throughout the year. Volunteer with us first before inquiring about this position in which you can represent B1C and our mission at your school, place of worship, social club, or sports team. Organize a fundraiser to sponsor a drive, event, or collaborate with B1C to create your own volunteer project. If interested, reach out to our volunteer team directly at volunteers@b1c.org.
ELL Library
Welcome to the English Language Learning (ELL) Library!
The ELL Library is a curriculum tool created to better support teachers at Building One Community. It contains Curriculum Guides for each level of ELL at Building One Community with lesson goals, grammar, vocabulary, and materials for every day of the week.
Thank you to our wonderful 2023 Volunteers!
Susan Adamsen
Samir Afsary
Sonia Alcantarilla
Sophie Alcyone
Marina Alesi
Jordan Alexander
Alejandro Alfaro
Michelle Alfaro
Jaimie Alva
Naomi Alvarado
Victor Amerio
Nicholas Anaya
Brooke Andrews Peden
Leonel Arenas
Paula Argosh
Carolyn Armas
Rico Arocha
Grace Asness
Madeline Azrak
Daniel Babayev
Pauline Bailey
Alex Barbagallo
Maico Barillas
Evenshyson Bastien
Adair Beck
Carson Beck
Megane Benjamin
Asher Benn
Cami Benner
Emilia Bernal
Martina Bernal
Manuela Bettamio
Sahana Bhagavatula
Matthew Bilicznianski-Tromba
Ainsley Birmingham
Charlotte Boeckmann
Chris Bojanovich
Mark Bonasera
Susan Boria
Nadia Borja
Samuel Branyan
Lily Braun
Meg Broderick
Tancee Brodeur-Sassi
Jeff Brown
Brooke Brudner
Jared Buckman
Natalie Bunnell
Grace Butler
Sasha Cabanillas
Aldo Cabrera
Rosaicela Cabrera
Nahim Cagua
Franklin Calderon
Lorenza Camou
Georgina Campanelli
Julio Cardenas
Amy Carpi
Eugene Celentano
Claire Chan
Jean-Luc Charles
Kimberly Charles
Melissa Charles
Jordan Chiappetta
Beatrice Chodosh
Samantha Christopher
Christa Chu
Margaux Citrin
Adhlere Coffy
David Cohen
Joan Cohen
Valery Cojitambo
Eilish Collins Main
Natasha Colo-Quito
Harlie Confident
Alejandra Contreras
Manuel Contreras Jr.
Eric Coppe
Merybeth Cordero
Claudia Victoria Correa
Andres Felipe Cortes
Sebastian Cruz
Valentina Cuccolo
Arthur Cummins
Melissa Curran
Angeles Dam
Mia Delacruz
Joyce Huang
Tiffany Huang
Mariam Hussain
Joseph Delany
Ellie Dempsey
Debbi Dempster
Patrick de Saint-Aignan
Joaquin Diaz-Huerta
Alessandra DiGesu
Priya Dohil
Miguel Dominguez
Jennifer Donnalley
Jean-Garry Douze
Anne Downey
Sheila Doyle
Julian Du
Djemima Duvernat
Anna Eberwein
Alex Errico
Constanza Escobar
Izamar Escobar
Audreyanna Exantus
Sandra Farfan
Keith Farias
Caroline Fay
Alejandra Figueroa
Emily Filanowski
Tessie Filicetti
Bronwyn Fitzgerald
Elizabeth FitzPatrick
Janie FitzPatrick
Kathia Flemens
Chelsea Flores
Jackeline Flores
Jonathan Flores
Ximena Maria Flores
Bonnie Foos
Will Forshner
Ginny Fox
Sean Fox
Michael Frankowski
Marta Fromherz
Nicolas Galindo
Daniel Gallo Perez
Juan Manuel Garcia Ortiz
Sebastian Gardner
Annie Genovese
Rena Georgakopoulos-Ueta
Christopher Geotes
Michael Gifford
Mateo Gigliani-Alcantarilla
Nicolas Gigliani-Alcantarilla
Steisy Gil
William Glassmeyer
William Goggins
Gaston Gomez
Jaime Gonzalez-Ocana
Jill Gordon
Eleanor Goudie
Felicity Goudie
Jeff Greenberg
Anabelle Guarnera
Shannon Guerra
Joel Guerrier
Kathleen Guion
Patrick Gunn
Bettina Gunnerson
Maryan Guzman
Lisa Haas
Sophie Haas
Rana Arshed Hafiz
Talay Hafiz
Cesar Camilo Ham Benitez
Sarita Hanley
Bryce Heaton
Edmund (Ed) Hecklau
Carol Heller
Patrick Hentemann
Ana Hernandez
Camilar Herrera
Maria Herrera
Carol Hibbert
Harald Hille
Ian Hoffman
Michael Hoherchak
Deborah Holcombe
Belle Horwitz
Matthew Ichida-Marsh
Eliot Jacobs
Meher Jain
Joseph Janvier
Haley Johnson
Mar Joosten
Laura Jordan
Lourdes Jordan
Maryann Kann
Olivia Karanikolaidis
Barri Kaye
Richard Kelsey
Sebastian Kelsey
Liam Kennon
Benjamin Kessler
Barbara Kestenbaum
Filippa Keszti
Bennett Klein
Hanna Klingbeil
sofia klingbeil
James Knight
Julia Knispel
Gabriela Koc
Bruce Koe
Daphne Konstantinis
Nicolas Kopczewski
Gabriela Kopp
Neel Kothari
Abigail Kuffel
Viviani Kulig
Sarina Kulsakdinun
Louis Kural
Natalia Lacayo
Juan Laguna
Karla Lainez
Yves-Rose Laude
Vincent Leclercq
Richard Lee
Austin Lehn
Lila Leibowits
Zachary Lew
Andrew Li
Zach Libow
Scott Lichtman
Carter Lightburn
Elizabeth Linares
Alexa Loera
Anastasia Lohinska
Andres Lopez
Kevin Lopez
Marlon Lopez
Mari-Carmen Losada
Kherveleen Louis
Francesca Loverro
Tamu Lucero
Chris Lucey
Mary Maarbjerg
Ann Macenat
Sameera Madan
Maria Esther Magallanes
Lisa Magliocco
Tim Mahony
Suarana Maita
Beatriz Maldonado
Aven Mallie
Josue Manard
Spencer Marin
Justina Marque
Jeronimo Marsili
Nikholas Martin
Leidy Lorena Martinez Rojas
Mariana Martin Moreno
Brian McCarthy
Carolina McGoey
Sofia McGoey
Karen McGown
Liam McGuire
Adrián McMahon
Ginny Melvin
Diana Mendez
Diana Marcela Mendez Figueroa
Andrew Mendoza
Felipe Miguens
Ines Miranda
Gaishi Miyazaki
Gerardo Molla
Jackie Monahan
Alejandra Monegro
Lorraine Montero
Gustavo Montoya
Charlotte Moody
Santiago Morales
Frederick Moran
Ana Moran Arevalo
Camila Moreno
Mabel Moreno
Marcos Moreno
Mindy Morgan
Patrice Morley
Charlotte Morningstar
Jack Morningstar
Clarisse Moucha
Jack Moucha
Ellen Mullen
Betly Muralles
Juliette Murphy
Nabeeha Nafey
Anya Nagpal
Betsy Nagurney
Deniz Nalbantoglu
Serra Nalbantoglu
Kevin Neilinger
Pat Nelson
Andrea Nyquist
Brian Obando
Mateo Olea
Gary Olson
Ruben Ordonez-Lima
Jairo Orjuela
Cathy Ostuw
Helena Owens
William Owens
Maggie O’Callaghan
Luz Elena O’Rourke
Heleen Paparella
Ted Pardoe
Greg Parker
Doug Penn
Sofie Petricone
Vinny Petruso
Daniella Pineda
Jacklyn Pizzella
Elise Prather
Maddy Prather
Emelyn Principe
Violeta Pros
Liam Pufko
Eliza Raben
inna radoul
James Raidt
Karen Raidt
Tanvi Rajangam
Alex Ramos
Marilyn Ramos
Juan Rave
Olivia Recchia
Jane Renaud
Anne Rich
Lisa Rich
Cady Ridall
Arisleyda Riehl
Eleanor Riemer
Isabelle Riou
Malo Riou
Rémi Riou
Valentin Riou
Matt Rivera
Isabela Rizo
Max Rodgers
Alejandro Rodriguez
Bianca Rodriguez
Kate Rodriguez
Keely Rodriguez
Zayed Rodriguez
Luke Romanowski
Pierre Ronal
Sara Rosas Andrade
Eli Rosen
Zach Rosenberg
Anne Ross
Katie Ruhe
Allison Ruilova
Lilian Ruiz
Holly Russell
Cathy Sacks
Neev Sahgal
Fernando Salas
Michelle Saldivar
Yojanan Salinas
Joshitha Samineni
Elvira Sanchez
Cleidy Sandoval
Grace Sandoval
Maria Sandoval
Maria Isabel Sandoval
Amy Saperstein
Andrew Schau
Belen Scheggia
Tahlia Scherer
Sofia Schimmeck
Ben Schindelman
Jackson Schnabel
Zoe Schwartz
Aneri Shah
Elizabeth Shaw
Stephen Shealy
Conor Shepard
Eric Shepard
Obed Sierra
Mazin Sihweil
Peter Simari
Aiden Smith
Monica Smyth
Gael Sobrino
Mary Sommer Sandak
Lakeyva Spearman
Adam Spielvogel
Alex St. Andre
Charlie Stemerman
Walter Stewart
Patsie St Hilaire
John Stuart
Jolanda Sutherland
Noah Tabossi Zugman
Gabrielle Tagliaferro
Harper Teles
Emily Telesco
Frantzca Telima
Alec Tenebaum
Julie Thiele
Devi Thoka
purva thoka
Jack Thompson
Yana Thukral
Sabrina Tomei
Jonnatan Tovar
Alex Troyb
Hobie Truesdell
Nancy Truesdell
Hadley Tucker
Alana Ukperaj
Leah Ulloa
Paul Ulrich
Molly Umble
Jill Valderrama Vukelja de Patricio
Hannah Valverde
Robert Vargas
Elisa Vegas
Anna Ventker
Cristina Villarreal
Francisca Vivanco
Kathleen Walsh
Leon Wang
Eloise Warden
Kaya Wawrzonkiewicz
Sam Welch
Bob Welsh
Mackenzie Wenzel
Iris West
Paul Whitman
Anne Wichman
Ana Williams
Ellen Williams
Mike Williams
Betsy Wilson
Annie Wind
Arthur Wit
Evan Woods
Sophie Xu
Liam Yechiely
Jane Yezzi
Ariam Yohannes
Gigi Zaccario
Derek Zaeske
Avery Zakowich
Ignacio Zelaya
Charlotte Zelin
Jose Luis Zepeda
Dante Zimmerman
Bea Zimmerman
Please excuse any errors or omissions.
