get involved
Volunteer
Each year, over 1,000 dedicated volunteers join Shineforth in lighting the way for the children and families we serve. With every act of kindness, big or small, they help brighten the path forward and remind each child of their inner light.
It Takes a Community to Help Every Child Feel Seen, Heard, and Supported.
Volunteers are the heartbeat of Shineforth. Together, we create welcoming spaces, strengthen families, and build brighter futures for children in need of stability and hope.
volunteer engagement opportunities
Join a Community of Volunteers Changing Lives Every Day.
Explore the opportunities that match your interests, schedule, and passion — and see how even a small commitment can create big impact for children and families.
Mentors – On Hold
Our mentorship program is currently full, and we are not accepting new mentor applications at this time. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to check back with us in the future!
What to Expect: We’re looking for volunteer mentors to provide a consistent and positive presence for youth in residential treatment. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Location: Richmond only
Commitment: 1-year minimum
Schedule: Twice a month, two hours per visit (additional visits with training). Available timeframes include:
- Tuesdays: 3:30–6 p.m.
- Fridays: 3 –5 p.m.
- Sundays: 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Focus: Building trust and supportive relationships
Requirements: Background check and training
Tutors
What to Expect: Volunteer tutors a paired primarily with high school student who need support with reading and math SOL goals. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Location: Richmond only
Commitment: 1-year minimum
Schedule: Once weekly on school days between 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Focus: Academic growth and positive connection
Requirements: Background check
Family Champions
What to Expect: As a Family Champion, you’ll join a local email list and receive alerts when there’s an opportunity to provide monetary support to children and families
Location: Family Champions provide support that’s fully remote and can get involved from anywhere in Virginia or beyond. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Focus
- Requests for support vary in frequency and often are contingent on on the time of year
- Request are generally focused on fulfilling a need, such as collecting gifts for a birthday or holiday. Requests may also be made in response to a family emergency, in which a child or family needs urgent support
- A gift-in-kind tax receipt will be provided for any donations of goods or services
Requirements: A background check isn’t required.
Operational Support Volunteer
What to Expect: Shineforth’s operational support volunteers play a critical role in the success of our programs and provide much-needed help to Shineforth staff, including marketing, IT, and development. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Location: Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Virginia Beach
Schedule: Generally one hour per week
Focus
- Clerical support (scanning, data entry, etc.)
- Skills-based support – apply your professional expertise in support of our marketing, IT, and development teams.
Requirements: A background check is required, but you won’t often have direct contact with the children or families we serve.
Foster Care Support Group Volunteer | Dinner
What to Expect: Volunteers provide a meal for foster parents during support groups. During support groups, foster parents receive essential training. In addition to providing a meal, volunteers are welcome to serve food but no required to do so. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Location: Richmond, Fredericksburg, Farmville, South Hill, Lynchburg, Virginia Beach
Schedule: One weekday evening per month; frequency varies by regional office.
Focus
- Purchase or prepare a meal for a foster parent support group
- Provide food service (optional)
- Great volunteer opportunity for small groups and families
Requirements: A background check isn’t required.
Foster Care Support Group Volunteer | Childcare
What to Expect: Volunteers provide childcare for children in foster care and biological children while parents attend trainings and support groups. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Location: Richmond and Virginia Beach
Schedule: One weekday evening per month; frequency varies by office.
Focus
- Provide children with a fun and safe environment: serve pizza, lead crafting activities; play outside or inside; watch a movie
- Volunteers will always be accompanied by Shineforth staff
Requirements: Background checks are required.
Group Volunteering
What to Expect: Group volunteering opportunities vary by season, organizational needs, and budget. Group projects can include anything from supporting with donation drives and events to campus beautification endeavors, like landscaping and painting. Please click here to complete a volunteer application.
Location: Primarily Richmond
Focus
- Group volunteers collaborate with our staff to create a stronger and more vibrant Shineforth and ultimately multiply our impact.
we go farther together
As a Community Champion Partner, your church or organization will play a vital role in the mission of Shineforth by “adopting” your local regional office for an entire year. Rather than participating in one-time engagements, you’ll step into a trusted, ongoing partnership, and be someone we can count on during key moments that matter most.
Our Champions signed up to bring dinner to their home for the next week until their fridge was repaired. The community was able to provide dinner, thereby taking one more thing off the parents’ plate during a stressful time. This allowed them to focus their energy on caring for the kids in their home. Here is what one foster mom had to say about receiving these supports:
“The ability to volunteer is a gift. It’s an opportunity for me to focus on others, be present and affirming, and help them envision a brighter future with hope and confidence. As Winston Churchill said: ‘We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.'”
– Mike H., Shineforth Volunteer
Volunteer Now
If you questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Kate Ockerman at [email protected] and 804.353.4461 x1153.
