Needs From: Volunteer East Tennessee

We're searching for caring friends to provide companionship and socialization for hospice patients. These kind volunteers would give families a break when they have things to do outside their home.

Being a Hospice Volunteer is about showing understanding and being there for others. It's a special way to spread kindness and help those who might need it during difficult times.

Requirements to Volunteer

We are looking for volunteer Swahili interpreters to support our budding G.R.O.W. gardening program for refugees!

G.R.O.W. stands for Growing Refugee Opportunity and Wealth, and it is a community-driven Bridge Refugee Services initiative centered on fostering sustained self-sufficiency through culturally informed vocational training, wellness education, and entrepreneurial opportunities.  We are expanding this program in partnership with the Knox Co. Community Gardens & Growers Alliance to provide gardening plots and tools; teach gardening skills; and provide the appropriate entrepreneurial instruction to navigate the local farmer’s markets.

We would love to use your valuable language knowledge to serve our local refugee population as a volunteer interpreter for these gardening classes and entrepreneurial instruction.

Volunteer Requirements:

Complete Bridge Volunteer Paperwork
Attend Bridge Volunteer Orientation (about 1hr via Zoom)
Background Check through Sterling Volunteers ($17.50 paid to Sterling Volunteers)

If you are interested or have any additional questions, please reach out to Peter Green, our Volunteer & Co-Sponsorship Manager, at pgreen@bridgerefugees.org. 

Come help us teach refugees how to sew and how to market that new skill on their path to self-sufficiency!

The three pillars of success for refugees in the United States are learning English, employment, and community engagement.  With our new G.R.O.W. program, we hope to provide our refugees a path to accomplish all three.

G.R.O.W. stands for Growing Refugee Opportunities and Wealth, and it is a community-driven Bridge Refugee Services initiative centered on fostering sustained self-sufficiency through culturally informed vocational training, wellness education, and entrepreneurial opportunities.  Right now, the program is centered around teaching sewing as a marketable skill, ESL, and the entrepreneurial instruction to use this new skill to bring in a steady income. 

We are looking for volunteers to help us as floaters/assistants, with transportation, with set-up and tear-down, and with childcare.  No sewing experience, foreign language skills, or experience with working with refugee populations needed!

This opportunity is on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 9:30am-12:30pm at First Presbyterian Church.

Volunteer Requirements:

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Peter Green, our Volunteer & Co-Sponsorship Manager, via email at pgreen@bridgerefugees.org. 

Groundskeeping for 36 residences is a full-time job even for our efficient and skilled maintenance department. Plus consider our home office location can be a tremendous responsibility as well. We take pride in the landscaping at our residences but also need to maintain a level of quality and aesthetics at our home office location. We are looking for individuals to volunteer on a monthly basis to do some general weeding and plant and shrub maintenance at our office at 1400 East 5th Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917. 

A background check is required, at our cost.

As part of our goal to support the independence of the individuals we serve, Sertoma has 36 supervised residences that provide homes for 95 individuals. There is general maintenance required to take care of these homes. One task that we desperately need help with is regular pressure washing of the exterior of the homes. We would like to have a couple individuals volunteer a few hours to come to one of our homes and pressure wash. Volunteers would need to be physically able to lift and handle a pressure washer.

This volunteer opportunity would be ideal for any students fulfilling their requirements to their TN Promise scholarship.

A background check is required, at our cost.

CASA is looking for volunteers able to commit to at least one year of service as Court Appointed Special Advocates. The 30 hour training and 3 hours of court observation prepare future CASAs for their role as advocates for children in abuse and neglect cases in the Knox County Juvenile Court. 

CASA volunteers are everyday citizens that judges appoint to advocate for the safety and well-being of children who have been removed from their homes due to parental abuse and neglect. They stand up for these children and change their lives. CASA volunteers listen first. Then they act. Volunteers get to know the child and talk with everyone in that child’s life—parents and relatives, foster parents, teachers, medical professionals, attorneys, social workers and others. They use the information they gather to inform judges and others of what the child needs and what will be the best permanent home for them. Being a CASA volunteer does not require any special education or background, just a heart for children and a willingness to speak out and represent their best interests.

You must be 21 or over, pass background checks, participate in a 33-hour pre-service training course and agree to stay with a case until it is closed (a year and a half on average).

Volunteers must attend all training sessions.

Blount Mansion, the Birthplace of the Volunteer State, is looking for a few good volunteers!

If you like leading tours of historical sites, helping out with interesting events and programs, sharing history with students, or rolling up your sleeves for a good cause, Blount Mansion could be the perfect place for you. Respond below and we'll be in touch to find the best fit!

Repair and refurbish used bicycles. We will train you at our shop. No experience needed.

Docents are the interpretive guides who conduct exhibition tours for all audiences. A background in Art, Art History or Art Education is not required to participate in our docent program. Docents must be motivated to learn about different subjects to enhance their tours and personal knowledge of art. Being a docent requires time and effort, as well as enthusiasm and flexibility. The commitment is substantial, but so is the payoff.

Marble Springs State Historic Site is always looking for volunteers to assist with school field trips, programs and events, and other volunteer opportunities as they arise. Contact us with your volunteering goals and we'll be sure to include you in any upcoming opportunities. No experience necessary!

We are seeking bi-lingual individuals to help us communicate with our Spanish speaking children and families.  Communications would include program registration and policies, inquiring about family needs, sharing child and program goal and accomplishments, and sharing family volunteer opportunities.  Needs include serving as an interpreter, teaching basic Spanish to staff and children, teaching English to Spanish speaking students and adults.