Volunteering at Kate's Club
Volunteer Opportunities
Program Buddy Volunteer (primary need in person)
Kate’s Club “Buddies” are the heart of Kate’s Club! We cannot provide services without the support of Buddy Volunteers. Buddies serve as positive role models for 'active' Kate’s Club member children and teens. They create a safe space by supervising and facilitating club activities. After completion of a New Volunteer Orientation, Buddies enjoy a flexible schedule with shifts on weekday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings and afternoons. Buddies also serve as helpers at Camp Good Mourning which is offered twice a year in person.
Program Buddy Volunteer (virtual)
Kate's Club has created unique opportunities for volunteers to lead therapeutic activities in a virtual platform. After completion of a New Volunteer Orientation, Buddies can sign up to lead activities on our Clubhouse Programs that are scheduled at least twice a month. This is a perfect opportunity to become engaged while not being physically here in Atlanta.
Clubhouse Cleaning Crew/Painting
Kate’s Club is always looking for small to medium sized groups of volunteers to keep our Clubhouse in top shape. This is typically scheduled during business hours and provide a group with the opportunity to get to know our Clubhouse. Groups help with the much-needed cleaning and refreshing/painting, creating a welcoming environment for Kate’s Club members and their families.
Clubhouse Cleaning/Painting - These are great projects for a corporate group that only has a few hours. They are done during business hours and provide a group with the opportunity to get to know our Clubhouse. Groups help with the much-needed cleaning and refreshing, creating a welcoming environment for Kate’s Club members and their families.
- Cleaning is done at least once every quarter – a super deep clean, top to bottom, scrubbing walls and organizing closets.
- Kate’s Club also may have a need for rooms to be painted.
Adopt a Meal
Kate’s Club provides a meal for each program at no cost to our members, so we are always in need of meal donations! Volunteers prepare and serve lunch for the kids at weekend programs and provide home cooked family dinners for New Family Orientations and Family Nights on weekday evenings. Adopting a meal is a great service project for a work team or family and no training or screening is required.
Supply and Snack Drives
Hold an art supply or snack food drive at your business, school, and place of worship, scout troop or club. Kate’s Club maintains a list of currently needed items. You can check out our wish lists below:
- Click Here for our list of approved snacks.
- Click Here for our general clubhouse needs.
- Click Here for our current wish list for Camp Good Mourning.
Clubhouse Support Team
Kate’s Club encourages small groups to help during Clubhouse programs on weekends. Your small group will be paired with our morning or afternoon contractors who lead therapeutic activities between 9:00am-1:00 PM or 12:00-4:30 PM. You will provide hands on support, engaging with our kids during programming that will focus on building upon a healthy grief journey. This is a perfect volunteer opportunity to see first-hand what we do and how we do it.
Have the team leader reach out to [email protected] to get the sign up link with dates.
Special Projects
Kate’s Club can create unique volunteering experiences for medium to larger corporate groups. These special projects can be planned around what a group is looking for in their volunteer experience. Kate’s Club strives to create an experience that is meaningful for volunteers as well as has purpose for our families. Projects could include indoor or outdoor projects. Kate’s Club is working on two specific projects in 2022; Creating a labyrinth, which is a space for meditation and reflection as well as a Sensory Garden, where members can touch, smell and see a variety of special plants to encourage exploration.
Camp Good Mourning
Camp Good Mourning is the highlight of the year for Kate’s Club members and volunteers! This special weekend brings kids together in a traditional camp setting to enjoy activities, build friendship and learn how to deal with their grief in a positive way. At Camp Twin Lakes in Winder, Georgia campers participate in a variety of activities such as swimming, archery, rock climbing, fishing, paddle boating as well as an all-camp party. Campers also participate in grief-centered activities, which support the following areas: sharing their stories of loss with their peers, learning healthy ways to cope with their feelings, and fostering social connections with peers who have similar loss stories. Volunteer groups help with camp prep before each weekend, camper check in, the morning of the first day of camp, the Camp Party on the Saturday night of each weekend and camper pick up, which occurs on the Sunday of each weekend.
Please email Debra Brook, Director of Clubhouse & Volunteer Services, at [email protected] to get more information on any of the above volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer Highlights
“I initially volunteered at Kates Club, because I could relate to having a parent die at a very young age. I came back to Kates Club because of that first welcome circle where I saw a large group of courageous kids say out loud who died, something that was still difficult for me.
I keep coming back to Kate’s Club because the grief journey is a journey and these kids need buddies to stand shoulder to shoulder with. I keep coming back because although the initial devastation of loss lessons with time, sharing the hope of survival with a child now going through loss strengthens me.”
