Jubilee truly runs on the power of volunteers. Annually, volunteers, both from the Jubilee community and from the greater Dallas area, donate over 35,000 volunteer hours to Jubilee. To get involved, click on the button to complete the Volunteer Form.
Volunteer Watch the video to learn how volunteering at Jubilee can impact your life.
Read about the impact of volunteering on one Dallas family.
LAUREL'S STORY
The first time that I visited the Jubilee Park neighborhood was about four years ago when my husband and I signed up through our church, St. Michael and All Angels, to help a family make minor repairs on their home. Our sons were fairly young at the time, however we thought it would be a good time to expose them to another neighborhood in our city that was less fortunate. Over the next few weekends, we assessed the scope of the project, went to Home Depot for supplies, and finally installed a new screen door, and enclosed a hot water heater that was exposed in the family’s kitchen. More importantly, however, we worked alongside our new Jubilee friends, while our children played along with theirs, as we all hoped to make a difference in their neighborhood.
Needless to say, the experience stayed with me for weeks and months afterwards and I often kept the church bulletin with the intention of calling to volunteer at Jubilee again. Over those next few years, however, I didn’t get around to making that call. “Life” (mine and my family’s) kept getting in the way.
That is, until recently, when my sons’ youth groups started doing activities with our Jubilee friends, and I started making it a point to volunteer for these activities. I then made a few phone calls and made an appointment to come down to the new Center to meet with the Volunteer Coordinator, and get more information about how I could get more involved myself. I could not contain my excitement about the growth in the neighborhood since my family first came to volunteer 4 years ago. I was so impressed with the new buildings that have been added, and the schools, athletic organizations, and corporations from all around Dallas that have partnered with the Jubilee neighborhood. As this growth and enrichment continues, I knew that I wanted to become involved on a permanent basis. Carrie directed me to Jennifer Stiff, the volunteer coordinator at O.M. Roberts Elementary School, and I started tutoring a 2nd grader the very next week, as well as reading to his classroom afterwards. The reception that I have received from both the staff at Jubilee, and the staff at O.M. Roberts has been immediately, and completely welcoming! I have really fallen for the 2nd graders in Mrs. Westley’s class, and find myself wishing that every day was Thursday!
I know that it has been said before, by others who volunteer, however it bears repeating because it is so true. As I give of my time, and myself, while helping a child with his math problems, or reading aloud to a classroom of second graders, it is not about what I give them, it’s about what I get back! It’s about the connection that I made when my second grader came back to me on our second week together, with the answer to a question, that I posed to him the week before, or the smiles on the faces of the children when I am reading to them. Whatever I give to them, it comes back to me tenfold!
In closing, the people of the Jubilee neighborhood are now in my heart, and I am passing this on to my two sons. Before Halloween, my mother sent my boys brand new Halloween costumes, however they were too juvenile for them. After opening the gift, my younger son had a slightly puzzled expression on his face at the “little boys” costume, however, after a few seconds of thinking this over, he excitedly exclaimed, “let’s take them to the kids down at the Jubilee Center!” My older son, who loves to read (and loves to hold onto his books), helped with the Library Project, and donated a lot of his own collection. And just this past Sunday, our family got up a little extra early to attend Jubilee Sunday at our church. We loved sharing our faith with the families that attended from the Jubilee neighborhood, as well as hearing the teen-agers stories from their mission trip to New Orleans, and worshiping through music with the Baptist choir. What a wonderful way to share God’s love during Advent, just as volunteering in the Jubilee neighborhood, is an expression of God’s love all the year through!
Through many volunteer opportunities Jubilee has benefited from the thousands of hours of service from hundreds of people. Volunteers help children with their schoolwork, work alongside neighborhood residents at special events, paint, landscape, and much more! Teen volunteers from many areas of the city are important to the success of the Jubilee summer program. Eagle Scout projects have enhanced the appearance of the center and neighborhood as well. There is a place and job for any and everyone at Jubilee. We welcome you and any innovative volunteer ideas you wish to share!