Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease and the most common form of dementia. The Alzheimer's Association of Long Island’s mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. 

 

To help clarify and explain this disease, the Alzheimer's Association of Long Island is asking Women's Connection for volunteers to serve as Community Educators, Caregiver Support Group Facilitators, Early Stage Support Group Facilitators, and Community Representatives

 

The Alzheimer's Association provides a program overview/orientation and comprehensive training to all volunteers.  

 

If you are a good communicator, share their values and mission.

BOOK FAIRIES

Can you imagine never having a book to call your own? Right here on Long Island countless children do not own a single book and countless public facilities like schools, shelters, and prisons do not have adequate books for their population. The Book Fairies, located in Freeport, collects reading materials from people, schools and businesses and then re-distributes them where needed throughout New York to foster literacy and academic success, provide a respite from personal struggles and nurture a love of reading across all ages. Our volunteers can donate books  and volunteer in the warehouse in Freeport to sort books.  Help is also needed to assist monthly book fairs at the warehouse on weekends. 

CARE TO KNIT

(Women's Connection Stitchers)

We are knitters and crocheters of varying skill levels who make hats, scarves, afghans, lap blankets, etc. We donate our items to Care To Knit. They, in turn, distribute these items as needed to LI shelters, hospitals, etc. and special programs such as SEAN'S GIFT blanket program, THINK PINK for breast cancer patients, WOMEN HEART for heart patients, and the BROOKE JACKMAN FOUNDATION.  We meet the 1st Wednesday afternoon of each month which is when we collect the finished items, share ideas, and put together afghans. 

Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS)

CAPS/Bully Prevention Center (Child Abuse Prevention Services) is dedicated to the prevention of bullying, cyber-bullying, child abuse and neglect, and the only volunteer organization that works directly with children and youth in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk elementary, middle and high schools.  It is Long Island’s expert resource on bullying/cyber-bullying, child abuse prevention, Internet safety, relational aggression, and sexual harassment and date rape prevention.  Volunteers are trained for 2 ½ - 3 hours on material and presentation techniques to use in classrooms serving children from grades 1 – 12.

FAMILY SERVICE LEAGUE

(Brentwood Shelter)

Under the auspices of Family Service League, our goal as Women's Connection Volunteers is to help enhance the lives of the more than 350 children living in this 100 room shelter in Brentwood. We help with Halloween and Christmas activities, special programs, and a Prom Boutique for graduating seniors who live at the shelter. We collect much needed items for the children.

HAIR WE SHARE 

Hair We Share is a non-profit organization, located in Roslyn, that collects human hair and makes wigs for people with medical issues, such as alopecia and cancer.  They have become inundated with donations of hair, and found themselves in a backlog of nearly three months of unprocessed mail.  The women in Women's Connection have been helping  this organization open and process donations.  This will be an ongoing situation which will need  “a few good women”  to donate their time on a regular basis.   Once they catch up, we’ll help them stay caught up!   Please consider volunteering your time for this worthy cause. 

HOPE FOR YOUTH

Hope For Youth is dedicated to facilitating positive change in the lives of children, adolescents, and families.  They provide stable, nurturing, residential care, foster care, preventative and out-patient programs which educate, motivate, and empower individuals to become self-sufficient and achieve their full potential. 

ISLAND HARVEST

Island Harvest provides critical food, products, programs and services to Long Island families, seniors, veterans, and children who live with food insecurity and hunger every day. They do this by distributing the equivalent of more than 10 million pounds of food, 8 million meals, to more than 316,000 Long Islanders living with hunger each year. Women's Connection Volunteers work in the office, help with mailings, help prepare backpacks for children’s take home weekend food, help with Island Harvest’s special projects, and help collect food donations which are distributed to over 570 Long Island based food pantries and soup kitchens that offer food to those in need.

LONG ISLAND CRISIS CENTER

The Long Island Crisis Center provides  24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotline services via multiple telephone hotlines and live online and mobile chats. Trained and knowledgeable volunteer counselors answer the calls, offering free, confidential and non-judgmental responses to individuals and families in crisis; listening empathetically while giving short term counseling, information and referrals on a very broad range of issues. At this time, due to the pandemic, all volunteer work is being conducted virtually as all calls are forwarded through home computers.  There is a training program (which at this time is conducted mostly virtually) to attend before becoming a volunteer counselor!  

The Opening Word

The Opening Word is a non-denominational holistic literacy, ESOL, and job
readiness program dedicated to helping immigrant and refugee women. Its mission
is to enable future personal empowerment, increased civic and social responsibility
and enhanced skills for membership in the workforce. The program provides
coaching and financial and legal assistance for Citizenship classes as well.
Students have come from over 45 countries. Current students have lived
everywhere from Central and South America to Afghanistan. The Opening Word
Program needs volunteers to work weekday mornings as teacher aides with New
York State certified teachers. Clients not only develop English fluency but acquire
practical aspects of life in America such as how to read a medicine label,
correspond with their children’s teacher, schedule a medical appointment, and read
recipes and nutrition labels.
Other volunteer positions include teaching simple finance and computer skills,
coaching candidates for citizenship exams, and helping with fundraising events.

SAFE CENTER OF L.I.

The Safe Center LI provides services for women who are victims of domestic violence and women and girls who have been sexually abused. They offer counseling, advocacy, a safe home for women and their children escaping abuse, transitional housing and education to the community to raise awareness. Our Volunteer Committee donates new clothing and personal items, makes blankets for the babies and shawls for the women. Each year the Center holds a day long Retreat for girls, ages 9 to 16, who have been sexually abused. Our Volunteers make beautiful gift bags for each girl and these bags have brought so much joy and a message of caring to the girls.

SOUTH SHORE CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER

The South Shore Child Guidance Center provides comprehensive outpatient behavioral health services to children and families residing in Nassau County.  Located in Freeport, the Center needs volunteers in many areas.  One-on-one opportunities are available to help school age children with homework, reading skills, math and other subjects and build a relationship with them. Volunteers will be able to specify the age group they will want to assist as well as choose to help via zoom or in person.

Art teachers and artistically inclined volunteers are needed to choose after-school art projects and lead the children in completion of the projects.  A SSCGC therapist will be present to facilitate the endeavor.  Money management skills are needed for teens and parents.  Volunteers teaching budgeting skills, essential for everyone, are needed.  Guidance for navigating the college application process for middle and high school students is also welcomed.