We have a wide range of volunteer opportunities at Polaris, from chaperoning fieldwork or swimming to running a book drive.
If you have any questions about the opportunities listed below, or are interested in volunteering, please contact Will Thomas at 773-656-0150 or wthomas (at) pcachicago.org.
Fieldwork Chaperones
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
We are always in need of reliable chaperones for fieldwork and swimming.
Whether it is a short walk to a local park or institution, or a half or full day excursion, we need confident adults who can support students as they conduct their fieldwork. You’ll be more than just a “body” – you will help students with their field investigations by pointing out something they have missed, encouraging teamwork, or giving some guiding observations.
Details:
- Time: From 2 hours to a full day
- Date:Multiple opportunities each month. Typically each student has two fieldwork excursions a month.
Swimming Chaperones
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
Every week we make a trip each Thursday throughout the school year – each with a 1 or 2 hour stay depending on the number of students swimming. Students swim for 30 minutes. We need chaperones to swim with the students and also to supervise students in the changing rooms.
Details:
- Time: 1-2 hours of pool time (allow 4 hours total if starting at the school with the students, or 3 hours if meeting us at the pool).
- Date: Multiple opportunities each month.
- Note: We are especially in need of male chaperones for swimming.
Reading Buddies
Contact: Roel Vivit, rvivit@pcachicago.org, 773-534-0820
This is a well-established program at Polaris that connects youth volunteers with beginning and intermediate readers at the school. This is a great opportunity for youth to get engaged at the grass roots level at Polaris and see the immediate impact of their time and efforts. Both buddies get a lot out this program.
Details:
- Days: We offer Reading Buddies three evenings a week, (Tu, Wed, Thur).
- Time: from 4:30pm to 6pm.
- Length of commitment: Please commit to being a reading buddy once a week for a trimester.
- Age: 7th grade students and above.
- Parents: You are welcome to stay on site while your child reads with his or her buddy, or you can run a quick errand or grab a cup of coffee etc. Occasionally we also have some tasks that we could use your help with, such as photocopying for a teacher, filing, preparing a mailing and so on.
Run a Book Drive
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
Polaris Book Drives are a great opportunity for youth looking to meet their “service hours” requirement at school. Book Drives are a way to add to our classroom libraries. Polaris students typically read 100-200 books each year, so we always need a fresh supply.
Details:
- Adults: 1 adult (typically a parent of a youth volunteer) to coordinate the efforts of a team of youth volunteers.
- Youth: 4-6 youth volunteers using their networks (school, sports, friends) to secure gently used books.
- Schedule: Most activity takes place at youth volunteers discretion/ on their schedule and there is no need to come into the school.
- How: Email, flyers/ posters at school, social networking services are all tools that can be used to get the word out. Youth volunteers would collect books and drop off at Polaris when project is complete.
- Time frame: Open, but we suggest setting a goal/ end date (especially if you have a date to report on your service hours).
Run a Book Drive PLUS!
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
Consider the impact of combining the above project with a fundraising component to buy new books! Provide books for the classroom through your book drive, while providing new books to Polaris students so that they can begin their own libraries at home. Every dollar you raise will go towards books for students to take home and own. Depending on your school’s rules, you might also be able to count this time towards your service hours!
Rummage Sale
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
Last year, our rummage sale was very successful. We had a wonderful response from families who donated clothing and other items. We had so many donations!! The Polaris community benefited a great deal from the event.
Last year we offered Polaris students the opportunity to “buy” items for their parents as holiday gifts. What dad wouldn’t appreciate a well made “new” suit and what mom would pass up a nice designer label blouse and jacket? We would like this to be the focus of our rummage sale this year. We request the following items, all in new or nearly new condition:
- Children’s clothes (age 5-10)
- Adult’s clothes
- Toys
- Games
- Jewelry
- Other
Details:
- Adults: We would love a volunteer manager to help run this project.
- Drop off Dates: Please drop off donated items after 1pm on Sunday 29th of November or during the school day (8am – 4pm) on Monday 30th November or Tuesday 1st December.
- Event Date: The rummage sale will be on Thursday Dec 3rd and Friday the 4th.
Volunteer “Project Managers”
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
The Rummage Sale and Book Drives need someone to manage them and make sure they are well executed. Unfortunately, we have a limited number of staff hours available for such projects, and so would welcome volunteers to become project managers for these activities.
Working closely with both the operations, development and academic teams, you would lead the project from startup through execution and debrief. We would make sure you have the tools, resources, support and access to make the project effective and beneficial to the Polaris community.
If you are looking for a way to contribute to Polaris in a way that has some depth to it, then this is the job for you. There will be multiple opportunities throughout the year for different projects, so please reach out to us if you are interested.
Coat/ Hat/ Glove/ Winter-boot Drive
Contact: Will Thomas, wthomas@pcachicago.org, 773-656-0150
Most of our students have the winter clothing they need. However, some children are in need of one or two items – a warm coat, a pair of gloves or boots.
This year, we would like to distribute a list of specific needs for our children.
We would appreciate being able to call on you as a group to seek contributions for this drive. We will post information about our specific needs on our website shortly, and also will include this list in the emails we send out in the coming weeks.
