What's a Chapter?
A Chapter just means that you are volunteering at a senior home. It is very simple: Visit a senior home at least an hour a month, and you qualify to be a Chapter.
​
​
How Many Members?
There is no requirement for the number of members
How Do I Join Hearts and Hands?
1) Review our Chapter Toolkit
2) Learn how to contact and volunteer at a local senior facility (the guide is below). If you need assistance with this, please contact us at the bottom of this page and we will provide personal support
3) Register your school chapter on our Chapter Application Form
Benefits of Starting a Chapter
- Gain valuable leadership experience
- Gain 100+ Verified Volunteer Hours
- Flexible scheduling: YOU choose when to plan activities
- Builds a bond between you and your facility (which can translate into letters of recommendation for your resume!).
​- Build a portfolio of your volunteer work through Hearts and Hands to showcase your amazing work!​
- Freely lead your own activities
Before you read the guide below, here is a message from our founder:
Hello and welcome to the first step of starting a Hearts and Hands chapter! Before you begin, I am going to give you a few pieces of advice. First of all, I created this guide because all volunteers for Hearts & Hands should feel fully supported in what they do. With our help, we are going to lift you off in to becoming a leader! We are looking for volunteers who truly care about improving the lives of the wonderful guests at senior homes. The requirements for being starting a chapter exist to ensure not only that you are meant for this role, but that this role is meant for you. My guide to becoming a Hearts & Hands Chapter President will not only help you gain experience, but confidence and passion. I know this process inside and out, so this guide is foolproof! Read this guide with the mindset that YOU have what it takes, and most important of all, have fun!
With all my love and support,
Founder of H&H
The Complete Guide to Finding and Leading Activities at a Local Senior Home
The First Step
Make a list of facilities near you
The Second Step
Get your materials ready for a call
The Third Step
Preparing for your call
The Fourth Step
Speaking to the Activities Coordinator
The Fifth Step
Following Up
The Sixth Step
Beginning Volunteering With the Facility
The Seventh Step
Leading your first activity
The Eighth Step
Consistency
The Final Step
Application
You are going to identify assisted living homes/memory care homes in YOUR area. Go ahead and look online, or ask your parents if they know of any near you. Look at our list of facilities that have already been claimed, and try to avoid choosing the ones on the list. Make sure to note that you should base it on your mode of transportation, distance, and travel time! (Disclaimer: I am the Youth Activities Assistant for both Bello Gardens Assisted Living and Greenwood Assisted Living, so if you want to volunteer there, you would directly contact me. But, we encourage that you branch out to other assisted living centers. It shows us that you are responsible and confident, and are able to do this process independently.) Remember, starting with just one, or a couple assisted care centers is key. Once you have done this, go to the next step.
Before you call, have a notebook and pencil or a google doc ready to write/type information. Do not make the mistake of calling them and gathering all your info and not writing it down. Keeping notes of names, phone numbers/emails, and times is a critical skill for an Activity Leader at Hearts & Hands to develop. ​
​
Before calling the facility, it is crucial that you type up a script that you are going to say. You will practice your script, and build confidence in order to present yourself well. In the industry, making calls to people you don't know like this is called cold calling. Many people can get suspicious when they receive a cold call, so make sure that you know what you are going to say, and you know what you are trying to get out of this call.
​You will have your introduction script:
"Hello! My name is (your name), and I am a (your grade) student at (your school) , and I would like to volunteer at your facility! Do you have an events-coordinator or an activities director whom I could speak with?"
​
And then the script you will say to the Activities Coordinator/Events Director:
-Open a google doc and write down questions that you would like to ask. Even write down things like your phone number and email address, to ensure tat you are telling them the correct contact info if they ask.
-Practice your script that you will say to the events director/activities coordinator. This should include an introduction about yourslef and what you can offer to the facility.
​
When speaking to the Activities Coordinator, be your authentic self. Be honest, and simple. Tell them about yourself, and that you would like to start volunteering at their facility.
Give them the website for Hearts & Hands, and tell them that it is a free volunteer service.
If you have specific skills that you can offer, like music or art, make sure to tell them! Make sure to mention that you are new to this, and talk to them about any support you might need from the care-takers. Then, have a conversation with them on how to start. Ask questions, listen, and write down information that they tell you.
​
Now, if you have never cold called before, then speaking with adults who don't know you will be nerve wracking. You must remember that even if you don't get the exact response you want, DONT freeze, DONT panic, and DONT hang up! In my experience, the first time I cold called, I was super nervous. The lady on the other end of the phone was not giving me the information I needed, and I was worried that they did not want me as a volunteer. But, after speaking with the activities coordinator, I found out that they were super welcoming, and now I volunteer there every weekend.
Remember: Set boundaries, and do not overcommit. Make sure to let them know when you will be available and when you won't be. Do not bite off more than you can chew, but also be consistent.
​
At the end of the conversation, be sure you understand the next step. Is it an in person meeting? Is it an orientation? Is it attending an existing activity? Whatever it is, be sure you document and understand the next step.
BE SURE YOU GET THE EMAIL ADDRESS/PHONE NUMBER OF THE PERSON YOU ARE TALKING TO, because the next step is sending them a follow up email. If they prefer text, that is fine too.
In this step, you are going to send the activities coordinator who you spoke to on the phone with an email/text, confirming all the things that you talked to them about. This could include your name, your contact information, the Hearts & Hands website link, and most importantly: Whatever you agreed to do as a next step (Place, date, time).
You are going to begin volunteering for the facility. You should be consistantly coming back on a regular basic. This might mean different things depending on both yourself and the facility. Whether this means attending volunteer sessions that the facility provides, or independently leading activities for the residents. As you keep coming back, your comfort level will grow, and you will get to know the residents at the facility. Keep volunteering, and once you have become comfortable, go to the next step.
Now that you have become comfortable volunteering with the facility, if you haven't already, start planning your own activities for the residents. If you have started doing this: keep going, and become comfortable with it.
Our Blog is a GREAT source of examples and ideas of easy-to-organize activities. Don't overcomplicate things! Here are tips:
​
- Make sure you have the right supplies for your activity. Find out if the facility already has them, or if you will need to bring them. If you bring them, then you must understand in advance who is paying for what. Make sure to ask the events coordinator how you will be reimbursed for the supplies. You can check out my Friday Night Cookie Prep blog post for inspiration!
​
- Bring the right amount of supplies. Based on your volunteer work, you should have a good idea of around how many residents will be participating.
​​
Note: Report back to the activities coordinator telling them if the activity was a success. You can send photos of the activity, but make sure to show that your activity made the residents happy!
​​
If you have ANY questions or need additional advice, contact our founder. To send a message, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Keep leading the residents in your activities. Consistency is key when you are building a positive relationship with both the facility and its residents. This will show that you are reliable and experienced in leading activities: which are key factors that we look for in Activity Leaders.​​​
After completing all these steps, you now have the skillset that is required to become an Hearts & Hands Chapter President! You are now able to lead activities. Additionally, if you would like us to promote any one of your activities to volunteers, please Contact Us. You will be able to guide the residents (and optional volunteers), and take the lead! By now, you will have your practice blog post ready which you will attach to your application.
Now, register to join!