At Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care, we have volunteer opportunities all year long, but during the summer, we have a few unique ways to bring joy to our patients and their families.
The season typically offers more free time to students and gives them the chance to add to their resumes or earn volunteer hours that may be needed for graduation. Summer also gives college graduates the opportunity to gain experience in their fields as they apply to jobs or decide on a career path. In fact, we’ve extended job offers to some of our volunteers who have done extremely amazing jobs. The best way to get your foot in the door with our company—or really any hospice—is to start by volunteering first.
We do not require a set number of hours from our volunteers. That means you can volunteer as many hours as you want each week, and still be able to enjoy the freedom of summer. We’re open to a wide range of schedules and availabilities, so there are no restrictions and plenty of opportunities.
Each location—Palm Springs, Fresno, San Diego, and Delano—has its own roles and openings, but here is a general idea of the different volunteer positions Ardent has over summer.
Community Services
Our community services opportunities are perfect for students interested in marketing, communications, and event planning. These volunteers represent Ardent out in the community, whether that be at fundraisers, community events, or speaking engagements.
Over the summer, we typically hold several special events, including our yearly Uncork and Unwind, which is a fundraiser for the No One Should Die Alone Foundation. If you have a background in coordinating events, finding sponsorships, or hosting parties, we’d really appreciate your volunteering and help.
Patient & Family Services
Many families travel over the summer, so our patients can usually use extra company and support during the season. We’re always looking for volunteers with special talents and skills, who can offer services like music therapy, pet therapy, art therapy, and massage therapy. Of course, companionship can come in different forms; sometimes, patients just want someone to read with them, talk to them, or even just sit with them.
In the summer, dehydration is more prevalent with patients, so we do need more Patient and Family Services volunteers to visit with and check in on patients on a frequent basis. While nursing students can’t perform actual medical care as volunteers, helping patients stay comfortable while they deal with the higher temperatures can help them increase their on-the-ground knowledge and face-to-face time with patients. If you’re considering a career in the medical industry, this could be a chance to gain experience in hospice care, which might open new doors or lead to a new perspective and career path.
Administrative Services
Our Administrative Services volunteers provide our offices with clerical and organizational support. Volunteer duties may include answering phones and emails, preparing handouts and admissions packets, and writing newsletters and thank you notes. If you’re a high school student or have just graduated and want office experience at any level, this is a wonderful opportunity to see how an office operates and add the experience to your resume.
Bereavement Services
The main responsibility of our Bereavement Service Volunteers is to provide support to families as they grieve. These roles are available to anyone who is compassionate and has the ability to deal with death, but would offer students who want to go into social services or counseling valuable experience.
Being a small, “boutique-style,” personalized hospice, we’re able to give our volunteers the ability to create their own roles, in a way. While we offer four specific areas of service, if you choose to volunteer with us and want to bring something new to our team and help out in a different way, let us know! To apply to volunteer with us, click here.
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