One of the Bible's central messages is the importance of giving generously and wholeheartedly to others. Donating money can help charitable organizations fund their crucial work, but volunteering your time and skills can be just as valuable.
Many seniors living in assisted living communities want to volunteer but worry about the practicalities. Fortunately, the internet lets Christians volunteer virtually without leaving their couch. Below, you can find some of the best websites for volunteering from home, whether you wish to volunteer on a casual basis or get involved in long-term projects.
Crisis Text Line helps people going through hard times and struggling with loneliness by giving them instant access to counseling services via text message. Remote volunteers give service users the space and time they need to talk through their problems and help them plan ways to improve their situations and keep themselves safe.
As a Crisis Text Line volunteer, you will receive 30 hours of free online training to help you learn reflective listening and problem-solving skills. You'll also learn how to support service users in crisis. You can complete your online training from the comfort of your assisted living apartment, and the skills you acquire can also help you support others more effectively in your Creve Coeur community. Training volunteers is expensive, so the organization asks its volunteers to commit to 4 hours of volunteering work a week for approximately a year.
Catchafire is a one-stop shop for people who want to support critical charitable missions from home. The website features a project board where volunteers can browse a range of volunteering opportunities for various worthy nonprofit organizations and apply for tasks and organizations that suit their requirements. All the projects are online only, and there are a range of long- and short-term posts available to fit in with your schedule.
Many of the volunteer roles posted on Catchafire require specific skills, making it an ideal resource for retired adults who want to use the skills acquired during their careers to help others. Catchafire needs volunteers from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including people with skills such as accounting, writing and management.
Church Web Fund's mission is to support under-resourced churches to spread God's word and serve their communities by improving their online presence. It was set up to help churches connect better with people looking for spiritual support by making it easier for locals to discover nearby churches online.
Church Web Fund also provides churches with education and funds, and it needs volunteers to perform a wide range of tasks to help fund its work and support participating churches. Therefore, it's an ideal opportunity for seniors in the Creve Coeur community to help others know the grace of God from their assisted living apartment. You can register your interest in volunteering through the Church Web Fund website.
Chatnow is a project coordinated by NeedHim, a Christian organization that provides access to Christian counsel and support to people in need. Volunteers work through an online chat platform that is easy to use and doesn't require any special equipment or software. You can choose the types of conversations you're interested in having according to your knowledge and experience.
You don't need to be a professional counselor to volunteer for Chatnow. Instead, you'll receive training to learn how to share the Gospel with people looking for answers to big questions and encourage them through prayer and compassionate listening. Volunteering for Chatnow is ideal for people with busy schedules because you only need to commit one hour a week, but you can do more if you wish. The online system notifies you when someone wants to talk, letting you keep going with other tasks in your assisted living suite while you wait.
If you're unable to commit regular hours to volunteering but want to help others on an ad-hoc basis, consider contributing some time to help Cards for a Cause. This inspirational nonprofit seeks to provide comfort and encouragement to disheartened children who are hospitalized or living with a serious or terminal illness.
Volunteers can help the cause by making a card containing messages of comfort and sending it to Cards for a Cause to distribute to hospitals. Your card will go to a child in need to uplift and support them during difficult times. Cards for a Cause supports children from all backgrounds, so it asks that volunteers refrain from writing religious messages. It also asks volunteers to avoid referring to recovery from illness because some of the children it supports have a terminal diagnosis. You can find guidelines for making and writing your card and the mailing address on the Cards for a Cause website.
