Volunteer & Donate

Hopice Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers serve as a member of the hospice team by sharing skills and interests in a manner that provides comfort and enriches the quality of life for those served. Volunteers serve on a regularly scheduled basis and provide the following:

• Support services — companionship, friendly visiting, active listening, bedside sitting, letter writing.
• Sharing hobbies and special interests — reading, gardening, listening to music, sports, travel, crafts, etc.
• Assisting caregivers — giving caregivers time to grocery shopping, pick up prescriptions or just taking time for themselves.
• Transport patient/family — appointments, shopping, social outings.
• Homemaking tasks — light housekeeping, dishes, laundry, meal preparation, child care.

The most important task our volunteers do is just "be there" for patients to reassure them they are not alone, to hold a hand, to offer a smile, or to just listen. The personal rewards are enormous. The strength and courage of patients provide a constant source of inspiration, and our volunteers usually feel they gain more than they have been able to give.

Hospice of the Northwest volunteers also play key roles throughout the organization: handling administrative chores; supporting special fundraising events; and making presentations to explain our work in the community. Other volunteers donate their professional services, whether as doctors, nurses, lawyers, musicians, or massage therapists.

Those with other unique skills or life experiences can find a way to put these to use as well. For example, Hospice of the Northwest has licensed massage and music therapists who provide terminally ill patients with their gifts.

Some volunteers choose to share their professional expertise by serving in advisory capacities, as a member of the hospice's board of directors or on other board committees.

One Year Rule

Please note: We ask everyone to wait for at least one year after experiencing a loss before applying to become a volunteer. We have found that it takes this long to live with one’s own grief before truly being able to help others.