Current Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering with El Nido Family Centers enhances the lives of children and youth in your community. Whether working directly with our clients, with program staff, or with our Board of Directors- you can make a significant difference.

Please click on any of the following opportunities to see additional details.

Are you over 50? We encourage those over 50 years of age to volunteer because El Nido believes that elders and youth each benefit when working together. Our goal is to make an impact on providing meaningful inter-generational services to strengthen these bonds in our community.

If you have any questions about the following opportunities, please send an email using the “Contact Us” link below.

View our locations page to find an office near you.

For internship opportunities, contact us via our Internship Page.

P.E. Kits-to-go: Spend the morning assembling duffel bags with sports equipment and help us engage kids in athletics! Sponsored by Play It Forward and Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities

Activity good for: Students, families; individuals; company team building
Where: FamilySource Center Pacoima, 11243 Glenoaks Boulevard
When: Saturday March 12th, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
What: Volunteers are needed to assemble duffel bags with sports equipment and other fitness essentials.

Virtual Tutoring for Middle & High School Students

Activity good for: Individuals aged 18+
Where: Virtual
When: Anytime, 1 hour sessions
What: We need volunteers for virtual tutoring and homework help for Middle and High School students with our Southwest Los Angeles Family Center.
Subjects needed:
Math: Arithmetic, fractions/decimals, Algebra, Calculus, or Geometry
or
English: Elementary English or advanced High School Literature analysis

Safe Child Custody Exchange Program

Activity good for: Individuals aged 21+
Where: San Fernando Valley
When: 2 hours/week for 6 months
What: El Nido Family Centers provides critical services to children, youth, and families of Los Angeles county, monitoring custody exchanges at a choice of police stations located throughout the Valley. Exchange Coaches are trained in assisting parents with severe conflict to exchange their children in a safe environment where their children won’t have to experience seeing their parents argue.
The commitment is a minimum of 6 months for 2 hours/week. Must be over 21 years old and complete an 8-hour training and certification provided at no cost to the participant. Must be able to pass a Live Scan background check. Volunteers should have an interest in working with families, law enforcement, and conflict mediation. Please contact Janice Stevenson; at El Nido Family Centers: (818) 860-2997, or respond to our listing on VolunteerMatch

Family Visitation Center Program

Activity good for: Individuals aged 21+
Where: Panorama City, San Fernando Valley
When: 2 hours/week for 6 months
What: El Nido Family Centers has provided critical services to the children, youth, and families of Los Angeles county since 1925. El Nido Family Centers has a partnership with various churches throughout the Valley. Each church allows us to use their space as a visitation site where parents, granted weekly supervised visitation rights through the court system, can visit their child in a safe and family-friendly environment.
As a coach, you would support, “cheerlead,” and overall assist the parent in ensuring that the visit goes smoothly, providing re-direction when needed.
The commitment is a minimum of 6 months for 2 hours/week. Must be over 21 years old and must complete a 24-hour training and certification provided at no cost to the participant. Volunteers must be able to pass a Live Scan background check. Please contact Janice Stevenson; at El Nido Family Centers: (818) 860-2997 or respond to our listing on VolunteerMarch

Community Garden: Cultivation, planting, and maintenance

Activity good for: Families
Where: El Nido’s Pacoima Center
When: Ongoing, weekend mornings
What: Help tend our newly restored Pacoima Garden, with weeding, turning compost, removing leaves, pruning damaged limbs, or fertilizing & mulching.
Help maintain our garden tools, raised veggie beds or drip irrigation system.

Virtual Career Exploration Guest Speaker

Activity good for: Individuals aged 18+
Where: Virtual
When: Anytime, 30 minute discussion
What: Volunteers are needed to join our Mentorship Community and offer support for college-aged youth.

The purpose of this program is to familiarize youth with careers that they are interested in, and introduce them to new career opportunities. A select group of business professionals, in a variety of professions, are asked to have an informal, virtual conversation with El Nido high school youth (s) for a 30-minute discussion about their career experiences. Most important, we want to engage young people with experts in their fields, and give them a sense of hope for the future during these challenging times.

Here are a few career or topic suggestions: Resume writing and mock interviews, Career planning, Finance, Computer programming, Engineering, Real estate, Law, Film or TV tech, How to start your own business, Teach yoga, dance or a music class, or Demonstrate a craft.

Mentorship Community: Provide academic, occupational, and/or other supports to college-aged youth

Activity good for: Individuals aged 18+
Where: Virtual
When: Anytime
What: Volunteers are needed to join our Mentorship Community and offer support for college-aged youth.

Additional Hands-On Program Needs

Mentorship and guidance at our College Corner
Assistance in our Culinary Arts program (instruction/ cooking/lend expertise)
Support our Pacoima Garden (planting, maintenance, cultivation)
Offer your business for field trip visits
Volunteer at client seasonal holiday parties
Donate toys, books or back-to-school items
Organize a holiday food drive for families
Youth need transportation to activities. Set up a schedule of trusted designated drivers or organize a carpool with other parents
Help one of our locations with a holiday event for our children and families. Holidays might include Valentines Day, Halloween, back-to-school or winter holidays
Tax Prep – During Tax season, our Our Pacoima FSC can benefit from volunteer tax preparers. VITA training is usually in January and it is a commitment of at least three months during late evenings and weekends.

Special Skills Needed

Videography and editing
Photography
Pro bono digital and print advertising campaign
Host a fundraising activity
Research savvy scholars: Help with analysis, data entry, research or database maintenance or construction, and data analysis.

Host A Collection Drive

Examples include:

Collect donations of diapers and formula for young mothers and their babies.
Promote education by donating much-needed new backpacks and school supplies for elementary and high school students.
Donate grocery gifts cards for parents who are struggling to feed their families or organize a food drive to assist families in need.
Collect Clothing (children, youth, and adult), Toys (new and in the original wrapping), Books (children, youth), and Blankets and Sheets.
Organize a food drive for Thanksgiving baskets for our families .
Organize a toy drive for our winter event.