Volunteers are the heartbeat of CIELO. Without them, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for us to deliver the services we do. Fortunately, those who dedicate their time and energy to our clients seem to get as much out of it as they put in. 

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Anyone can volunteer at CIELO, including high school and college students looking to fulfill community service hour requirements. Being bi-lingual is a plus but not a requirement.

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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Food Banks

At CIELO, we believe that no one should go hungry! This is why we have partnered with local businesses and organizations to offer monthly food bank events and increase food security. 

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Olympia Food & Hygiene Bank

On the fourth Friday of every month (dates may vary due to holidays), we offer food and hygiene products to our community members in need with the help of our friends at the Thurston County Food Bank and The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd. We also invite local community partners to share their resources with our clients, and who is present may change every month. Our Olympia food bank is located at 1601 North Street SE, Olympia, WA 98501.

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Volunteer shifts last between 2-3 hours, and duties include:

• Event set up and tear down

• Food and hygiene product distribution

• Greeting families

• Moving heavy boxes

• Traffic management 

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If you would like to learn more about this food bank or sign up to volunteer over the phone, please contact our team at (360) 709-0931.

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Shelton Food Bank

To meet the increasing needs of our families in Mason County, in December of 2021, CIELO was able to lead and pilot a food bank in Shelton successfully. Over 100 families went home with culturally appropriate foods from Coastal Harvest and CIELO, and in no small part thanks to the generosity of our volunteers who helped our team pull this off! 

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CIELO currently offers a monthly food bank event at the Faith Lutheran Church, located at 1212 Connection St, Shelton, WA 98584, on the fourth Friday of every month. We continue to partner with Coastal Harvest, which provides culturally appropriate foods for our community members in need. 

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Volunteer help is needed from 10 a.m. - to 4:30 p.m., and duties include:

• Event set up and tear down

• Food distribution

• Greeting families

• Moving heavy boxes

• Traffic management 

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If you would like to learn more about this food bank or sign up to volunteer over the phone, please contact our team at (360) 709-0931.

 

Education

 

CIELO's education program consists of many courses for adults and youths to advance their educational journey. The Education Department is where most of our volunteer core spends their time, and we are always looking for more volunteers as our class rosters continue to grow. Below is a description of each volunteer opportunity. We invite you to sign up to volunteer if any of these opportunities interest you!

 

ELL Teacher

 

Time commitment: 5-6 hours per week / 3 quarters (Fall, Winter, and Spring)

 

​Instruction time: Weekday Evenings

 

Skills:

• Knowledge of the following programs: Zoom, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office

• At least one year teaching English Classes.

• Sensitivity toward students' various cultures and languages and the ability to not make assumptions about their life experience and background in education.

• Multilingual in the following languages is a plus but not required: Spanish, Q'an'jobal, Mam, or other indigenous languages from Latin America.

 

Expectations:

• Instruct groups of 6-15 students in an online classroom setting via Zoom two evenings a week.

• Create a safe and positive learning environment for all students.

• Develop educational plans that fit the needs of the students in the classroom.

• Prepare lesson plans for each session using the Ventures curriculum and approved materials.

• Maintain the required participant progress documentation, including attendance, unit test, homework, or other assessment forms.

• Attend monthly teacher meetings.

 

ELL Teacher Assistant

 

Time commitment: 3-4 hours per week

 

Instruction time: Weekday Evenings

 

Skills:

• Knowledge of the following programs: Zoom, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office

• Sensitivity toward students' various cultures and languages and the ability to not make assumptions about their life experience and background in education.

• Multilingual in the following languages is a plus but not required: Spanish, Q'an'jobal, Mam, or other indigenous languages from Latin America.

 

Expectations:

• Assist ELL teacher with a lesson plan that the teacher forms.

• Understand the role and responsibilities of the ELL teacher and get to know the students in the classroom and their individual learning needs.

• Lead breakout room sessions on Zoom with the teacher to allow more student participation and interaction.

• Assist students with one-on-one technology assistance when completing assignments, tests, or other tasks.

• Attend training and arrange a time to meet with the ELL teacher for lesson planning.

• Be available to support as a substitute teacher if needed.

 

English Lab Teacher

 

Time commitment: 2-4 hours per week

 

Instruction time: Weekday Evenings 

 

Skills:

• Knowledge of the following programs: Zoom, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office.

• Some experience teaching English learners.

• Sensitivity toward students' various cultures and languages and the ability to not make assumptions about their life experience and background in education.

• Multilingual in the following languages is a plus but not required: Spanish, Q'an'jobal, Mam, or other indigenous languages from Latin America.

 

Expectations:

• Instruct groups of 6-15 students in an online classroom via Zoom once a week.

• Work closely with the Education Coordinator and English Lab teachers to design and deliver academic instruction and support to diverse students who need assistance in vocabulary, pronunciation, conversational, and fundamentals of the English language.

• Understanding that all students have different learning abilities and might be at different levels.

• Each English Lab teacher will rotate, leading and designing weekly lessons/topics for students.

 

Advanced English Book Club Teacher

 

Time commitment: 3 hours per week

 

Instruction time: Weekday Evenings

 

Skills:

• Knowledge of the following programs: Zoom, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office

• Some experience teaching English learners and students with diverse educational backgrounds.

• Sensitivity toward students' various cultures and languages and the ability to not make assumptions about their life experience and background in education.

• Multilingual in the following languages is a plus but not required: Spanish, Q'an'jobal, Mam, or other indigenous languages from Latin America.

 

Expectations:

• Instruct groups of 5-10 students in an online classroom setting via Zoom one evening each week.

• Create a safe and positive learning environment for all students.

• Develop educational plans that fit the needs of the students in the classroom.

• Prepare lesson plans utilizing books selected by the teacher and students.

• Maintain the required participant progress documentation, including attendance and homework progress.

• Attend monthly teacher meetings.

 

1:1 Tutoring

 

Time commitment: 3-4 hours per week

 

Instruction time: depending on the tutor and student schedules

 

Skills:

• Knowledge of the following programs: Zoom, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office

• Sensitivity toward students' various cultures and languages and the ability to not make assumptions about their life experience and background in education.

• Multilingual in the following languages is a plus but not required: Spanish, Q'an'jobal, Mam, or other indigenous languages from Latin America.

• Some experience teaching English learners and students with diverse educational backgrounds. 

 

Expectations:

• Assist students who need 1:1 support with English language acquisition.

• Understand the role and responsibilities of the ELL tutor and get to know the student(s) to support their learning better.

• Meet two times a week with your student via Zoom.

• Assist students with technology needs who might not have the necessary skills to understand.

• Attend training and arrange a time to meet with our Education Team.

 

Homework Club Tutor 

The Homework Club Tutor is responsible for helping students in 1 – 12 grade understand the various academic subjects covered in school. Each tutor assesses, assists, and encourages the students in the learning processes. They also review materials, explain multiple topics, and answer all the student's questions regarding their studies.

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Time commitment: 3-6 hours per week / at least two quarters

Instruction time: Anytime between Monday-Thursdays between 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

 

Skills:

• Knowledge of the following programs: Zoom, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office

• Some experience tutoring school-age children on different subjects: Elementary Math – Algebra 1, Science (Biology, Physics, and Chemistry), English, and History.

• Passionate about helping others, specifically English learners; and school-age students from low-income households.

• Sensitivity toward students' various cultures and languages and the ability to not make assumptions about their life experience and background in education.

• Multilingual in the following languages is a plus but not required: Spanish, Q'an'jobal, Mam, or other indigenous languages from Latin America.

 

Expectations:

• Provide Tutoring and academic assistance to an individual or small group of students to enhance skills and knowledge and resolve any roadblocks in various subject areas; assist students in understanding and completing assignments, homework, and projects.

• Attend live Zoom sessions and prepare other educational materials.

• Assist students with educational tasks assigned by the students' teachers from school.

• Help students who are behind with academic skills to reach their goals.

• Take notes on student progress to evaluate the learner and report to our Education Team.

• Get to know the student's individual learning needs and find ways to engage students with learning positively.

• Create a safe space for students to grow and develop leadership skills.

• Identify areas of strength or improvement for the student and report to Education Advocate/Education Director.

• Attend volunteer training.