Volunteering as a Transition to Employment

In a win-win for Olean Center individuals and community organizations, we have a number of participants volunteering at a variety of sites across the region.

Emily, Gwen, and Stacy volunteer at the Westerly Animal Shelter; Michael and Denise are at Westerly Health Center; Donnie and Lisa are at the Johnny Cake Center; Richard volunteers at the Blue Mitten, and Jamie gives time to the Cross Mills Library in Charlestown.

The win for the organizations is extra help and appreciating all that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have to give, and the win for Olean Center participants is community interaction and, for those interested in transitioning to a paid position, learning employment skills.

Team Coordinators Tabitha (Tab) Brennan and Brenda Burroughs highlighted the benefits of the Center’s Volunteer Program as a training opportunity for the Employment Program.

“Volunteering in these settings helps our participants learn patience and social skills, and just as importantly, boundaries – that not everyone is your friend,” Brenda said.

Both mentioned the importance of building stamina and the ability to focus on details.

“It’s important to start out with just a few hours and then work up from there to make sure everything is working well,” Tab said. “Some of our individuals then move on to work with a job developer who helps find a good match based on their interests. The state used to fund vocational training programs, but it doesn’t anymore. Our job developers are providing those skills in addition to helping find the right match.”

If you’re interested in learning more about our Volunteer and Employment Programs, contact Karen Babik, Director of Community Supports, at  kbabik@oleancenter.org or by calling the Olean Center at 401-596-2091.