Discover Volunteer Opportunities

---

 Office Support
We also welcome help for our administrative offices. Various duties may include data entry, record keeping, filing, and telephone duties. Fundraising responsibilities can range from preparing mailings or thank-you letters to organizing fundraising events and contacting possible donors.  

 Your visit can make someone’s day! Our volunteers bring companionship to our patients and their loved ones. You can visit and read with patients, run errands, write letters, listen to music, play cards or games, take walks, assist the patient and family with projects, provide transportation to appointments, and give the caregiver time to get away for short periods. You can make a profound difference in a family’s life as a compassionate and calm presence who understands what they’re going through. 

 No one understands the questions and concerns of a U.S. military veteran better than a fellow veteran or active-duty service member. That’s why we have developed the We Honor Veterans program, which matches volunteers with similar backgrounds with U.S. military veteran patients and assists in their care.

Why are veteran volunteers essential to us?

• Veterans share a common language, a code of conduct, and a sense of honor, which may help match patients and volunteers more effectively. 

• The culture of stoicism and societal reactions can discourage veterans from sharing their war experiences with non-veterans. When one veteran talks to another, sharing stories supports life review and healing, and secrecy may dissolve.

Pets pay little attention to age or physical ability; they accept people as they are, making them valuable companions and friends. Visiting with animals is a welcome change from the patient’s daily routine and can help alleviate feelings of loneliness, depression, and stress. In addition, pet interaction is a heart-warming time to look forward to and provides a great distraction from pain and infirmity.

There are numerous benefits to the Hospice Hounds program, with lasting effects. Patients often “speak” to the pets, sharing thoughts, feelings, and memories they may not share with human companions. Petting and stroking the animal using the hands and arms is an easy way to encourage a patient’s movement, such as stretching and turning. Time with animals can inspire happy thoughts of the present and the past.​

The Hospice Hounds team may visit the patient in their private home, a long-term care facility, an assisted living facility, or wherever the patient calls home.

Visits may be arranged by request through the patient’s nurse or social worker or with a direct call to Hospice of Odessa’s Volunteer Coordinator.

  You can work closely with Hospice of Midland's bereavement staff in duties that range from assisting as a support group facilitator to being an understanding listener for family members whose loved ones have died. Bereavement support volunteers receive extensive training beyond the training of patient companion volunteers. 

 Funded by four local foundations (Abell-Hanger Foundation, Scharbauer Foundation, Helen Greathouse Charitable Trust, and Chaparral Foundation), the Legacy Scholars Program promotes student academic success and the development of philanthropy and leadership skills. This program provides access to college through full-tuition scholarships and support for success through leadership training, networking, community involvement, and success coaching.