{"id":4100,"date":"2017-10-06T15:35:33","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T15:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/maimi11\/?page_id=4100"},"modified":"2026-01-09T13:36:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:36:42","slug":"volunteer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/volunteer\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Volunteer<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"volunteers\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"pj\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"IMG_0579\"\n\t
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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

Group Program Volunteers<\/h3>\nProgram Assistants:<\/strong> Do you love to interact with other people? Then consider being a Program Assistant! These program volunteers help support program execution by preparing set-up, welcoming and engaging with families, facilitating activities, supporting participants’ successes, and cleaning-up after the program. The program assistant role requires orientation, about 2 hours of virtual training, group program observations, and a background check.\u00a0 This volunteer opportunity is open to people aged 13 and up. Minimum commitment is 1 session (3 – 4 months), with programs occurring weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.\nProgram Leaders:<\/strong>\u202f Are you a natural-born leader and 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 programs.\u202f It is preferred but not required that Program Leaders have experience or studies in education, music, dance, art, nutrition, fitness, 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! This role requires orientation, about 4 hours of virtual training, group program observations, and a background check. This volunteer opportunity is open to people aged 18 and up. Commitment is for one session (3 – 4 months), with programs occurring weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.\nProgram 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. This role requires orientation, about 1 hour of virtual training, and a background check. This volunteer opportunity is open to people aged 13 and up, depending on the program. Commitment is for one session (3 – 4 months), with programs occurring weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.\nGen G Youth Board Mentor:<\/strong> Are you interested in mentoring the next generation?\u00a0 We are looking for a leader interested in mentoring high schoolers with and without Down syndrome in creating the Gen G Youth Board for the GiGi’s Playhouse New Orleans location.\u00a0 The goal is to help teens support the Playhouse and spread the message to “Be Accepting. Be Generous. Be Kind.”\u00a0 This role requires orientation, about 4 hours of virtual training, group program observations, and a background check. Commitment is for one year.\u00a0 Please list “Gen G Youth Board Mentor” in the comments section of the Volunteer Application.\n

One-on-One Tutors<\/h3>\nLiteracy and Math Tutors: <\/strong>Do 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 Literacy tutoring program has flexibility in choosing which books and activities to do every week and is well-suited to creative volunteers. The Math tutoring 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. This tutor volunteer role requires orientation, 3 to 4 hours of virtual training depending on subject and level, and a background check. The time commitment is 1 hour per week plus prep time for lessons. Commitment is for one session (about 10 weeks). Tutors will be matched with a learner (child or adult) based on mutual availability input in the tutor application. This volunteer opportunity is open to people 18 and up (or 16 and up during staffed hours).\nNew Family Coordinator:<\/strong> Are you interested in checking-in with families who have a new baby with Down syndrome?\u00a0 We are looking for a volunteer interested in reaching out to new families in our community.\u00a0 This role requires orientation and about 3 hours of virtual training.\u00a0 A parent of a child with Down syndrome is preferred.\u00a0 Commitment is for one year.\n

Event Volunteers<\/h3>\n

Event volunteers help plan, set-up, decorate, staff, manager, and\/or clean-up for our special events which are essential to fundraising and keeping GiGi’s Playhouse’s free for participants. GiGi’s Playhouse New Orleans’ main events are the Golf Tournament (spring), the GiGiFit Acceptance Challenge (summer), and the Lagniappe Gala (fall).\u00a0 Event volunteers sign-up for shifts using a Sign-Up Genius list that is emailed a few weeks prior to the event. This role requires orientation. 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Administrative Volunteers<\/h3>\n

Administrative volunteers help with various tasks that need to be completed at the Playhouse. This role requires orientation and is open to people aged 13 and up. Please state “I want to help with administrative projects” in the comments section of the volunteer application.<\/p>\n

Volunteer Committee Members<\/h3>\n

All committee roles require volunteer orientation. Committee chairs may require additional virtual training and\/or a background check.\u00a0 Commitment is for at least 1 year (or one major event for the Events Committee).\u00a0 Please state which committee(s) you are interested in on the volunteer application.<\/p>\n

Events Committee:<\/strong> Events committee volunteers plan and execute fundraising events.\u00a0 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!\u00a0 A team of committee members will be needed for each major fundraiser: Golf Tournament (spring), the GiGiFit Acceptance Challenge (spring), Crawfish Boil (summer) and the Lagniappe Gala (fall).\u00a0 Commitment varies but is generally short term, with strong emphasis on the 1-2 months before the event.<\/p>\n

Fundraising Committee:<\/strong> Do you have a development background, or do you 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.\u00a0 Members identify major donor opportunities, research, write and follow-up on grants, execute donor presentations and ensure proper donor acknowledgements and stewardship.<\/p>\n

Marketing Committee:<\/strong> Marketing Committee volunteers plan communications to families, donors and community members including social media, monthly e-newsletter, periodic blog posts and content updates to website, all using GiGi’s Playhouse’s standardized templates and tools. Members also seek ways to engage with the local media to promote GiGi’s Playhouse coming to our community.<\/p>\n

Outreach\/Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee:<\/strong> Committee members build relationships with schools, therapy centers, medical professionals, community organizations, local businesses, and people of different backgrounds\u202fto spread the word about\u202fGiGi’s Playhouse in the community!<\/p>\n

Program Committee:<\/strong> Program committee volunteers learn about the various GiGi’s Playhouse program options, define the program lineup, learn about family preferences, recruit program volunteers, and ensure proper training and execution of programs.<\/p>\n

Facility Committee:<\/strong> Facility committee members help with minor items: paint touch-ups, light bulb & air filter changes, and minor repairs & installations.<\/p>\n

Board Members<\/h3>\n

Board Members<\/b>:\u00a0 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!\u00a0 The board is responsible for ensuring sustainable success of the playhouse.\u00a0 Commitment is 2 years, with a minimum of 5 hours per month.\u00a0 All board members must either serve in an executive role (President, Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary) or serve on a committee.\u00a0<\/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<\/h3>\n

GiGi’s Playhouse is happy to help high school students needing service hours. Please note that the New Orleans location of GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center is a relatively new and small non-profit, our volunteer management capacity is limited, and we cannot guarantee any amount of hours. The GiGi’s Playhouse New Orleans manager will only discuss scheduling directly with students since part of the goal of the school assignment is for students to learn how to navigate their responsibilities in the world. Students should please reach out as soon as they know their volunteer requirements and not just before their deadlines. If parents have concerns other than scheduling, they can email neworleans@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a>, and a Board Member will be in contact.<\/p>\n

High School volunteers seeking service hours can support GiGi’s Playhouse New Orleans Down Syndrome Achievement Center in any of the four roles below.\u00a0 Participants should complete the volunteer application and attend a virtual volunteer orientation prior to starting service.\u00a0 Virtual volunteer orientations are offered twice per month (RSVP on calendar<\/a>) so please factor in time to complete this prior to your service.<\/p>\nAdministrative Task Volunteering
\n<\/strong>After you have completed the volunteer application and attend the virtual volunteer orientation, please email neworleans@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a> to schedule a time to volunteer to complete administrative tasks.\u00a0 These tasks include things like preparing mailouts, binding booklets, and toy sanitizing.\u00a0 Please 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.\nTeen Peer Program Participation<\/strong>
\nTeen peers participate in the teen-aged group programs at GiGi’s Playhouse along with fellow teenage program participants with Down syndrome.\u00a0 Programs may include GiGi’s Kitchen Teen and TeenTastic.\u00a0\u00a0In addition to volunteer orientation, this role requires an hour of virtual training.\u00a0\u00a0You can email additional questions to volunteerneworleans@gigisplayhouse.org.\u00a0 You will be assigned your program participation days based on available programs on the calendar.\nEarly Childhood and School-Age Program Assisting\u00a0<\/strong>
\nProgram Assistant volunteers help support program execution by preparing set-up, welcoming and engaging with families, facilitating activities, and helping with program clean-up.\u00a0\u00a0In addition to volunteer orientation, this role requires an hour of virtual training, a background check, and a minimum of 20 hours of commitment.\u00a0\u00a0Please note that the program assistant onboarding process takes about 2 to 4 weeks,\u00a0so please keep this in mind when planning out your service.\u00a0 You can email additional questions to volunteerneworleans@gigisplayhouse.org.\nLiteracy and Math Tutors
\n<\/strong>Tutoring is open to volunteers age 16 and up only during staffed Playhouse hours, Monday through Friday. In 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 on the same day and time for the 10-week sessions (with limited advance notice rescheduling for vacation conflicts). The 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. We offer tutoring three times per year. Sign-up for the spring session will be available soon in December. Check our social media @gigiplayhouseneworleans for more updates!\nThe Literacy tutoring program has flexibility in choosing which books and activities to do every week and is well-suited to creative volunteers. Email\u00a0literacyneworleans@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a>\u00a0for additional questions about literacy tutoring.\nThe Math tutoring 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. Email\u00a0mathneworleans@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a>\u00a0for additional questions about math tutoring.\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 New Orleans 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.\u00a0 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

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  1. Fill out the Volunteer Application Form by clicking on the orange “Volunteer” button below. (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.) Please also note whether you are volunteering through your high school, college, graduate school, or place of employment.<\/li>\n
  2. RSVP for the next Volunteer Orientation. In-Person volunteer orientations are offered once a month at GiGi’s Playhouse New Orleans, 1023 Ridgewood Drive, Suite 2, Metairie, Louisiana. Virtual orientations are offered twice a month on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. RSVP on our calendar<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. Call the Playhouse at 504-321-6771 or email neworleans@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 add you to our Volunteer Facebook group to let you know our upcoming needs.<\/p>\n

    In addition, if you are interested in being a Program Volunteer,\u00a0 1-on-1 Literacy or Math Tutor, or Board Member<\/strong> you will also do the following:<\/p>\n

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    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 Checkr.<\/li>\n
    3. If you are interested in being a 1-on-1 tutor, please fill out the tutor registration form<\/a> so 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
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      Volunteer 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. Group Program Volunteers Program Assistants: Do you love to interact with other people? Then consider being a Program Assistant! These program…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4100","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/neworleans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}