{"id":18,"date":"2014-09-25T13:56:26","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T13:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston11111111011\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2026-01-09T11:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T18:23:10","slug":"volunteer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/volunteer\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\tVolunteer Opportunities\n\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\"volunteer1\"\n\t\t\t\t\"volunteer2\"\n\t\t\t\t\"volunteer3\"\n\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t

Click here to Volunteer<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVolunteer Opportunities\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHigh School Volunteers\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to Apply\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tVolunteer Opportunities\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Please see below for the details for various volunteer roles and the “How to Apply” tab for details on the volunteer onboarding process.<\/p>\n

Program Volunteers<\/h3>\n

Program Leaders:\u202f<\/strong> Are you a natural-born leader? Do you love making things happen? Then consider being a Program Leader! Program Leaders play an integral role in facilitating educational and therapeutic skill development activities and connecting with families by leading GiGi’s Playhouse programs.\u202fIt is preferred but not required that Program Leaders have education or personal experience in education, music, dance, art, therapy (any discipline), or a related field. GiGi’s Playhouse provides program guides, sample lesson plans, and a host of resources to help support program success! Commitment is for one session (3 – 4 months), with programs occurring weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.<\/p>\n

Program Assistants:<\/strong> Are you a Hands-On person? Do you love to immerse yourself in interacting with people for extended periods of time? Then consider being a Program Assistant! These program volunteers help support program execution by preparing set-up, welcoming and engaging with families, facilitating activities, and supporting participants’ successes. Program assistants also help with tracking outcomes and doing clean-up after the program. Minimum commitment is 1 session (3 – 4 months), with programs occurring weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. This volunteer opportunity is open to people age 13 and up.<\/p>\n

Program Greeters:<\/strong> Are you a People Person? Do you have a few hours where you would just like to tell people “Welcome!”, chat, and help them when needed? Then consider being a GiGi’s Greeter! We want to make the program check-in and check-out process as smooth and friendly as possible. Greeters ensure the safe entry and exit of program participants and their families during our busiest times. During slow times, greeters can help with administrative items or do personal reading with the expectation that they will put aside what they are doing to assist or chat with anyone who enters the Playhouse entry area (from outside or from the program rooms). We are looking for a team of greeters so that volunteers can rotate once per month.<\/p>\n

One-on-One Tutors<\/h3>\n

Literacy Tutors:<\/strong> \u202fDo you love to read? or Do you love numbers? This is an exciting one-on-one opportunity to help those with Down syndrome learn to read or do math skills! The time commitment per week is 1 hour plus prep time. We ask our tutors to commit to one full session (about 10 weeks). You will work directly with the family of the child or adult you are tutoring to determine when you will meet for your session each week. This volunteer opportunity is open to people age 16 (with some restrictions) and up. The Literacy tutoring program has flexibility in choosing which books and activities to do every week and is well-suited to creative volunteers. The math program is laid out with learning activities in a step-by-step order and is well-suited to volunteers who like to follow set instructions.<\/p>\n

Board and Committee Roles<\/h3>\n

Board Members:<\/strong> Seeking members of the community who are natural leaders, work well in a team environment, can bring connections to the playhouse and who want to support our mission of changing the way the world views Down syndrome! The board is responsible for ensuring sustainable success of the playhouse. Commitment is 2 years, with a minimum of 5 hours per month. All board members must either serve in an executive role (President, Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary) or serve on a committee.<\/p>\n

Committee Members:<\/strong> Looking for a way to contribute in a way that is more hands-on, or in only in one specific area of the Playhouse? Then a committee role may be for you!\u00a0 Committee work ranges broadly and we have a role for all kinds of skills, interests and commitment levels.<\/p>\n

Events Committees:<\/strong> Execute fundraising events. From logistics and planning to promoting the event and filling the room to securing in-kind donations and sponsorships to making the room beautiful, the events committee knows how to throw a party, engage donors and ensure smooth events for all guests! An Events Committee will be needed for each major fundraiser. Commitment varies widely, but is generally short term in nature, with strong emphasis on the 1-2 months in advance of the event.<\/p>\n

Finance Committee: <\/strong>Responsible for\u202fensuring the financial health of the Playhouse. The finance committee helps build budgets, helps ensure the whole board understands the financial health of the\u202forganization and establishes the bank relationship.\u202fNOTE:\u202fThe national office\u202fmanages all bookkeeping,\u202freconciling funds, and entering transactions into financial systems.<\/p>\n

Fundraising Committee:<\/strong> Do you have a sales background or just love engaging with people and telling the story of GiGi’s Playhouse? The fundraising committee builds a fundraising execution plan to achieve funding goals from a mixture of events, grants, donations, and campaigns. Identify major donor opportunities, research, write and follow-up on grants, execute donor presentations, and ensure proper donor acknowledgments and stewardship.<\/p>\n

Marketing Committee: <\/strong>Execute communications to families, donors, and community members including social media, monthly e-newsletter, periodic blog posts, and content updates to the website, all using GiGi’s Playhouse’s standardized templates and tools. Also seeks ways to engage with the local media to promote GiGi’s Playhouse coming to our community. Specialized technology experience is not required.<\/p>\n

Outreach Committee:<\/strong> Build relationships with schools, therapy centers, medical professionals, community organizations, local businesses, etc.\u202fto spread the word about\u202fGiGi’s Playhouse coming to this community!<\/p>\n

Program Committee: <\/strong>With a lineup of over 50 different potential programs, this committee will help learn about GiGi’s programs, define the initial program lineup, learn about family availability to establish initial program days and times, recruit program volunteers, and ensure proper training and rollout of programs as our playhouse opens.<\/p>\n

Event Volunteers<\/h3>\n

Event volunteers help decorate, set-up, staff, and\/or clean-up for our special events. These volunteers sign-up for shifts using a Sign-Up Genius list that is emailed out a few weeks prior to the event. To be added to our event volunteer sign-up list distribution, please state “I want to be an event volunteer” in the comments section of the volunteer application.”<\/p>\n

Facility Volunteers<\/h3>\n

Are you a handy person? We occasionally need help with minor items: paint touch-ups, light bulb & air filter changes, and minor repairs & installations. A major plus is if you can bring a tall ladder with you!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHigh School Volunteers\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

High School volunteers seeking service hours can support GiGi’s Playhouse Houston Down Syndrome Achievement Center in any of the four roles below.\u202fParticipants should complete the volunteer application and attend a virtual volunteer orientation prior to starting service. Virtual volunteer orientations are offered twice per month (RSVP on calendar) so please factor in time to complete this prior to your service.<\/p>\n

Administrative Task Volunteering<\/h3>\n

After you have completed the volunteer application and attend the virtual volunteer orientation, please email\u202fdchilds@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a>\u202fto schedule a time to volunteer to complete administrative tasks. These tasks include things like preparing mailouts, binding booklets, and toy sanitizing.\u202fPlease note that there is high demand for completing service hours, so please make an effort to schedule your service times at least one week prior to your available service times.<\/p>\n

Teen Peer Program Participation<\/h3>\n

Teen peers participate in the teen-aged group programs at GiGi’s Playhouse along with fellow teenage program participants with Down syndrome.\u202fPrograms may include GiGi’s Kitchen Teen and TeenTastic.\u202fIn addition to volunteer orientation, this role requires an hour of virtual training.\u202fYou can email additional questions to volunteerhouston@gigisplayhouse.org.\u202fYou will be assigned your program participation days based on available programs on the calendar.<\/p>\n

Early Childhood and School-Age Program Assisting<\/h3>\n

Program Assistant volunteers help support program execution by preparing set-up, welcoming and engaging with families, facilitating activities, and helping with program clean-up.\u202fIn addition to volunteer orientation, this role requires an hour of virtual training, a background check, and a minimum of 20 hours of commitment.\u202fPlease note that the program assistant onboarding process takes about 2 to 4 weeks,\u202fso please keep this in mind when planning out your service.\u202fYou can email additional questions to volunteerhouston@gigisplayhouse.org.<\/p>\n

Literacy Tutors<\/h3>\n

Tutoring is open to volunteers age 16 and up for the Summer session only during staffed Playhouse hours Tuesday through Friday.\u202fIn addition to volunteer orientation, this role requires three hours of virtual training, a background check, and a commitment to volunteer the same person on a weekly basis at the same day and time for the 10-week summer session June through August (with limited advance notice rescheduling for vacation conflicts).\u202fThe time commitment per week is 1 hour plus lesson prep time (at home) and set-up time (at the Playhouse) – approximately 2 hours total per week.<\/p>\n

The\u202fLiteracy tutoring program<\/a>\u202fhas flexibility in choosing which books and activities to do every week and is well-suited to creative volunteers.\u202f Email\u202fliteracyhouston@gigisplayhouse.org\u202ffor additional questions about literacy tutoring.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to Apply\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer!\u202fGiGi’s Playhouse Houston relies on the skill and dedication of parents, family members, community members, clinicians, and individuals who believe in the GiGi’s Playhouse mission to ensure we can always deliver our programs for free. Volunteers with a broad range of expertise keep our organization running smoothly from programs and events to administrative operations and serving on our Board.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in donating your time and talent,\u202fplease start the volunteer onboarding process!<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form by clicking on the orange “Volunteer” button below.\u202f (Please note in the COMMENTS section whether you are interested in being an event volunteer, administrative volunteer, program volunteer, 1-on-1 tutor, and\/or Board member.)<\/li>\n
  2. RSVP for the next Volunteer Orientation. Virtual orientations are offered twice a month on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. RSVP on our\u202fcalendar<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. Call the Playhouse at 832-772-7554 or email houston@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a> to schedule a tour or observe a program in action!<\/li>\n
  4. Our Playhouse Manager will send you links to fill out Ethics, Confidentiality, and Hold Harmless forms to fill out online.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you about volunteer opportunities and let you know our upcoming needs.<\/p>\n

    In addition, if you are interested in being a\u202fProgram Volunteer,\u202f1-on-1 Literacy Tutor, or Board Member\u202fyou will also do the following:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. You will complete program, tutor, or board training in the virtual Learning Management System (LMS) which may range from 3 to 5 hours.<\/li>\n
    2. GiGi’s Playhouse will request a background check for you through HireRight.<\/li>\n
    3. If you are interested in being a 1-on-1 tutor, please fill out the\u202ftutor registration form<\/a>\u202fso we know when you are available for tutoring sessions which are Spring (January – May), Summer (June – August), and Fall (September – December).<\/li>\n
    4. Program Volunteers & Tutors will receive a Program Volunteer T-shirt to wear during sessions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t
      \n\t
      \n\t\t
      \n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\n
      \n\t\t\t
      \n\t
      \n\t
      \n\t\t
      \n\t

      Click here to Volunteer<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

      <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Volunteer Opportunities Volunteer Opportunities High School Volunteers How to Apply Volunteer Opportunities Please see below for the details for various volunteer roles and the “How to Apply” tab for details on the volunteer onboarding process. Program Volunteers Program Leaders:\u202f Are you a natural-born leader? Do you love making things happen? Then consider being a Program…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"wpo365_audiences":[],"wpo365_private":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/houston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}