Children’s Home Society is a private non-profit organization that provides adoptions and intervention and prevention services to stop child neglect and abuse.
Contact: (352) 334-0955, volunteers.chs@chsfl.org
Address: 711 NW 1st St., Gainesville, FL, 32601
Who they are: Children’s Home Society is a private non-profit organization that delivers a variety of social services to protect children who are at risk of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. They help to stabilize and strengthen families and find loving, safe homes for children.
What YOU can do to help:
In July and August, Children’s Home Society has a Back-To-School Drive, where they collect backpacks, lunch boxes, clothing, pens, crayons, pencils, pocket folders, notebooks, glue, rulers, and other necessary school items. Donations can be dropped off at their office.
Starting in October, Children’s Home Society needs volunteers to organize Holiday Gift Drives at their church, service club, company, or neighborhood. The gifts are for neglected and abused children in the community. Each child has a wish list of three holiday wishes, along with the age, sex, and clothing size of the child. As a volunteer organizer of a gift drive, you can obtain the wish lists from Children’s Home Society, distribute the wish lists or the wish list gift requests, and then collect the gifts and bring them to the Children’s Home Society.
Volunteers are needed in the following areas year-round:
• Upscale Thrift Shop
• Youth Mentoring
• Assisting in visits at the Alachua County Family Visitation Center
• Participating in the Speakers’ Bureau
• Assisting with general administration
• Planning and implementing community outreach events and activities
• Entering data
• Communicating with legislators about Florida’s children’s needs
• Raising charitable funds
• Observing and documenting visits between children who are in foster care and their birth families
• Planning holiday parties for the children and their families