Are you looking to lend your time, talent, and heart to help people through their cancer journey? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about becoming a Dempsey Center volunteer through the opportunities below, and become a member of the Dempsey Center family.
Have questions? Email us at volunteer@dempseycenter.org
.
The Dempsey Center offers limited internship opportunities. Please send inquiries to Maureen Higgins at mhiggins@dempseycenter.org.
The person in this position will work closely with the Nutrition Program Coordinator, supporting the coordinator with the preparation, proctoring, and clean-up of nutrition programs. This position supports the center’s nutrition and cooking programs as well as our comfort soup program.
This position will primarily serve as “host or hostess” while providing a calming, supportive, neighborly presence in the house – offering a listening ear and compassionate/empathic companionship to guests and caregivers.
The role of the Operations/Facilities Volunteer is to provide service to enhance the client experience and assists the delivery of the center’s mission. This is accomplished by taking responsibility for the overall look and feel of the facility and serving primarily in a supporting role with center functionality for direct services, programs, and volunteer groups.
The role of the Orientation Ambassador is to assist clients in navigating their first experience at the Dempsey Center (DC) and supporting those impacted by cancer. This is accomplished by meeting with new clients (patients and caregivers) and providing center orientations in Lewiston or South Portland with the goal of matching individual client needs and interests to specific DC programs and services.
The volunteer in this role will provide a personalized and comprehensive wig consult to individuals coping with hair loss or hair interruption due to cancer treatment. The goal of the consult is to provide the client a wig that works for them and care and acclimation instruction resulting in a prepared and successful wig wearing experience.
Garden volunteers plan and discuss garden projects at monthly meetings. Work sessions are led by Master Gardener volunteers from Cooperative Extension Service, and involve preparing raised beds, planting, watering, tending to various crops, harvesting and delivering produce to the Dempsey Center.
The Reiki Volunteer offers Reiki to clients of the Dempsey Center, creating a safe and trusting environment, for the purpose of relaxation, anxiety and stress reduction, and to promote better sleep. During a session, the volunteer’s hands are lightly placed on or above the client’s fully clothed body. Reiki may be used safely before, during or after any medical intervention, and is intended as a complementary rather than alternative practice.
Healing garden volunteers work as a group and meet at the Lewiston ornamental garden weekly to ensure the proper horticultural care, watering schedule, overall health, and look of our many plants, including both in the dedicated healing garden space and other plants throughout the Dempsey Center’s physical space.