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Leander House

Theme: Disabilities

Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Start:2019-09-01

End: 2020-08-31

Application:require 2 reference letters and a photo. Skype in- terview if we feel the applicant might be a good fit. After the interview, Decision within 1 week.

Vacancies:9

Languages: English

Project Description:

Leander House is a residential lifesharing organization for adults with develop- mental disabilities. It is made up of and affiliated with 7 lifesharing houses in the S. Berkshire region of New England, which is 2 hours from NYC and Boston. 2 of the houses are within walking distance to downtown of Great Barrington, MA. 2 houses are situated on a farm, offering animal and garden work, to the residents and volunteers. In addition to the host family, each house has 2-3 resi- dents and 1-3 volunteers. See www.leanderhouse.org and www.highspirit.org for more information.

Work: The residents have a busy daily program that includes part-time jobs, therapies, social events and classes such as singing, dancing, yoga, eurythmy, horseback riding, juggling, etc. The volunteers primary responsibilities include direct care of the residents, transportation and help in the household with clean- ing and cooking, as well as work on the grounds or farm. Responsibilities may entail helping to bathe someone, or prompting them to do so properly (or doing it for them), helping with other areas of personal hygiene, giving someone or a group of people a ride to a class or other activity, helping someone clean their room properly (or doing it for them if they are unable to do so themselves), helping someone to do other tasks properly, helping someone to write or read, or going with someone to a play or concert, as examples.

Requirements: Volunteer must be at least 18 years old and a graduate of high school, have a valid driver’s license and no criminal history. The volunteer must be willing and able to take instruction and to be corrected, to work and to be responsible. The volunteer needs the ability to care for others, good cooking and cleaning skills, as well as very good communication, teamwork and social skills. We are a smoking-free and alcohol-free facility.

Food: Meals are eaten with the household and come at no cost to the volunteer. We choose a whole, primarily organic foods diet. Some special dietary concerns can be accommodated, depending on the need.
Accommodation: Volunteers live in the households with the host family and with the people with disabilities. The volunteers have a small private bedroom with shared bath at no expense to the volunteer.

Pocket money: 175 USD per month
Insurance: Volunteers receive pocket money of USD175 USD monthly.
Fees: None
Visa: We require that the volunteer have their own medical insurance that will cover them while in the USA. Our organization pays for automobile insurance at no cost to the volunteer.
Others: Volunteers have 1 free day and several free evenings per week, as well as 6 weeks vacation per year. They may or may not have use of a car on their free day for local use. No cars are available for long-distance travel. Trainings to be obtained after arrival include First Aid, CPR, Human Rights, Positive Behav- ior Support, Fire Safety and others. There is no cost to the volunteers for training.