The Union College Center for Civic Engagement finds opportunities to join students with quality non-profit organizations throughout the region in order to engage students in service while making a positive impact in the lives of the individuals receiving services. Ideally, we seek organizations that will place students in situations that both utilize their skills and challenge them to fulfill self-set learning goals.
There are numerous volunteer opportunities for service within Barbourville and the greater region that Union serves. Take a look at some of our community partners for immediate service opportunities.
Community Partner Agencies
- Rainbow Center, Barbourville Independent School (Human Services-Childcare)
- Appalachian Children's Home
- Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter
- Lend-A-Hand Farm
- Family Resource and Youth Services
- KCEOC Child Development Program
- Christian Life Food Bank (Human Services – Food Distribution/Poverty)
- KCEOC Housing Project
- Knox County Board of Education (Program Support-Public Relations)
- Emergency Fund and Service, Inc. (Program Support-Clerical)
Rainbow Center, Barbourville Independent School (Human Services-Childcare)
Agency Description: Family resource and youth service center serving preschool to grade 12 students and their families. Services range from adult education, emergency relief, and child care. The Rainbow Center sponsors a clothing closet, various clubs and special events.
Program Aid in Barbourville, Kentucky
Position Responsibilities: Academic Mentor in an after school program, help setup activities, preparing/serving snacks, community publicity, maintenance of clothing closet, and other services as needed.
Contact
Robin Rosentiel-Jones, Program Director
Phone: 606.546.3338
E-mail: rrosentiel@bville.k12.ky.us
Appalachian Children’s Home
Agency Description
The Children’s Home is a state licensed institution and emergency shelter for boys and girls under the age of eighteen. Our staff are regularly trained and educated to meet or exceed the strict guidelines set forth by the State of Kentucky. Our Home strives to provide the best possible care available for the children placed in our custody.
Adolescent Mentor in Barbourville
Position Responsibilities: Spend time with adolescents who live at the Appalachian Children’s home, engage in recreational activities, help the residents with school work.
Contact
Phone: 606.546.3805
Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter
Animal Caretaker in Rockholds, KY
Position Responsibilities: Clean kennels, talk to the public, adoption counseling, and basic care of animals.
Lend-A-Hand Farm
Agency Description
A private, nonprofit community service organization located on a farm in southeastern Kentucky. Lend-A-Hand began in 1958 to work with the people along Stinking Creek in Knox County. It was designed to help the community by utilizing good farming techniques, by provision of medical services by providing Sunday School and day camp programs for children in the area, and by setting an example of compassion, service and cooperation with one another.
Position in Stinking Creek, KY
Position Responsibilities: Assist with farm related work such as animal care, basic construction, painting, some plumbing and electrical, and equipment repair. Maintenance of buildings and grounds. Direct contact with local people through provision of services as needed; minor construction and repair, and tutoring/literacy work.
Contact
Charles Carnes
Phone: 606.542.4212
Email: Cdcarnes84@yahoo.comd
Family Resource and Youth Services
The purpose of the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers is to promote the flow of resources and provide support to families in ways which strengthen the function and enhance the growth and development of the individual members and the family unit, by ensuring that families have access to and are connected with appropriate community resources and receive from those resources the help they need, to promote young people’s progress toward capable and productive adulthood by assisting them to recognize their individual and family strengths, and to address problems that block their success in school.
Position Responsibilities: From academic help to working with students on social skills.
Contact
Website: http://www.knox.k12.ky.us/content/contact/frysc/
KCEOC Child Development Program
Agency Description: A Federal program for preschool children from low-income families. Children who attend Head Start/Early Head Start participate in a variety of educational activities. They also receive medical and dental care, have healthy meals and snacks and enjoy playing indoors and outdoors in a safe setting. Services are offered to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. Most children in Head Start/EHS are between the ages of 0-5 years of age.
Child Care Assistant
Position Responsibilities: Assist in the home-based program, help teach parents child development and healthy family practices through an age appropriate curriculum, help with planning and implementation of socialization events.
Contact
Rosetta P. Sherman, Parent Involvement Specialist
Phone: 606.546.3152
Website: www.kceoc.com
Christian Life Food Bank
Agency Description: The Christian Life Food Bank gives out good boxes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to noon. The food boxes consist of a daily nutritional diet including all food groups. The Food Bank serves about 550-650 families per month. Approximately 280 hot meals are prepared and delivered to Senior Citizens on the last two Saturdays of each month.
Stocking volunteer
Position Responsibilities: Place food in food boxes, stocking the counters with canned goods, inventory control, food distribution, and preparation.
Contact
Mickey Warren
Phone: 606.546.9415
165 Black Street Barbourville KY, 40906
KCEOC Housing Project
Agency Description: A community action agency offering programs designed to eliminate poverty and promote self-sufficiency through housing issues.
Weatherization
Assist eligible households in reducing their energy cost by providing weatherizing maintenance to their home.
Project Winter Care
This program assists eligible families with heating cost assistance by restoring or maintaining the energy source to their home.
Southeastern Kentucky Housing and homeless Alliance (SKHHA)
Volunteers assist with case management, direct client contact, help client in development of a self-sufficiency program, help provide basic computer education.
Housing Development Program
Volunteers assist residents and housing counselors in the process of home construction (from financing to buying land to hiring contractors), work with the contractors to help with actual home construction, work with clients on follow up after the home is built, help with home rehabilitation to bring buildings up to code.
Contact
Jennifer Smith, Housing Coordinator
Phone: 606.546.3152
Website: www.kceoc.com
Knox County Board of Education
Agency Description: Kindergarten through High School Education and Community Education.
Program Support-Public Relations
Position Responsibilities: Volunteer will work with the public relations department and community education office to create community television programs that develop and organize community activities and events sponsored by the Knox County Schools.
Contact
Frank A. Shelton Jr.
Phone: 606.546.3157 or 606.546.8911
Email: fshelton@knox.k12.ky.us
Emergency Fund and Service, Inc.
Agency Description: EFSI is a non-profit self-help program started in 1965 to provide assistance for people facing emergency financial, medical and natural disaster situations. The services provided are small emergency loans, counseling, community referral service and special programs throughout the year.
Program Support-Clerical
Position Responsibilities: Help with client intake for services, filing, answering phones; computer work (data entry); organize food pantry and helping with crafts.
Contact
Phone: 606.546.4622