At the very heart of CIS is our commitment to bringing responsible, caring adults into the lives of children. Volunteers help our students to stay in school and achieve in life by providing supportive relationships for students during the school day through a variety of roles, including:

• Mentor/School Buddy – Serve as a student’s role model, motivator, and personal advocate, or simply be a friend during lunch.
• Academic Coach – Assist a student achieve academic success with classroom activities and assignments.
• School Aide – Make the school day possible by providing administrative assistance, classroom support, or leadership for extracurricular activities.
• Career Coach – Speak about your career experience to a group of students or host a job shadowing field trip.
• Event Specialist – Chaperone field trips, proctor exams, assist with special events, participate in campus beautification projects, or help with other one-time activities.

For more information about volunteering with CIS, please see the “FAQ” below and contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 704-943-9536 or volunteer@cischarlotte.org.

Companies/Groups

If you are with a company, faith community, or a civic/community group and would like to learn how your group can support CIS and the students and schools we serve, please visit our Partners for Success page or contact our Resource Development Coordinator at 704-943-9707 or partners@cischarlotte.org.

Volunteers – FAQ

How do I get started?

I’m glad you asked! Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at 704-943-9536 or volunteer@cischarlotte.org.

 

I belong to a company/church/community organization that would like to get involved with CIS. What should I do next?

Contact our Resource Development Coordinator at 704-943-9707 or partners@cischarlotte.org.

 

Is there a required length of commitment?

Mentors/School Buddies, Academic Coaches, and School Aides are asked to commit to one school year. There are no required commitments for Career Coaches and Event Specialists.

 

How frequently will I be asked to volunteer?

Mentors/School Buddies and Academic Coaches will be asked to meet with their students a minimum of once every other week to once a week. Depending on the program, these sessions will last thirty minutes to two hours. For School Aides, Career Coaches, and Event Specialists, the frequency will depend on the activity and your availability.

 

How old do I have to be in order to volunteer?

The majority of the positions require volunteers to be 18 years old. However, we love having younger volunteers in youth groups and organizations help us with events and one-time activities.

 

Do you have evening and weekend opportunities?

Because we work in the schools, most of our opportunities take place during school hours. Depending on the site, school hours are between 7:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.