Volunteer Coordinator
Olivia Wargo
208-338-0033 ext 0170
owargo@jannus.org

Agency for New Americans relies heavily on the support of our volunteers. Some positions become available more often than others; however, we are always looking for people who want to help our local new American population. We believe in matching volunteers’ unique talents to the needs of ANA.

​All volunteers must go through a volunteer orientation before they can start volunteering. To start this process, please create a profile and sign up for volunteer orientation through Better Impact. 

During volunteer orientation, you will learn how new Americans arrive to Idaho, the services ANA provides, and how you, as a volunteer, fit into that larger picture. At orientation, you will also learn about our current volunteer needs. After orientation, all volunteers are required to complete a background check. Below is our Volunteer Orientation Calendar for 2022. 

"Refugees are the most important members of the community in
Boise. We are so lucky to know so many incredible people who have come from circumstances beyond our understanding." -Camilla, ANA volunteer

"I support refugees because I am a refugee myself. I believe everyone deserves a life filled with safety and happiness. Refugees are amazing people looking for a better life." -Farida, ANA Volunteer

Agency for New Americans Volunteer Orientation Calendar 2022

Volunteer Orientation Schedule at Jannus Inc. 
Address: 1607 W. Jefferson St., Boise ID 83702​
Time: 10:00 AM Mountain Time
January 7th, 2022
March 4th, 2022
May 6th, 2022
July 1st, 2022
September 2nd, 2022
November 4th, 2022 - CANCELED
November 18th, 2022
January 6th, 2023

Volunteer Orientation Schedule at St. Stephen's Church
Address: ​2206 N Cole Rd., Boise ID 83704
Time: 6:00 PM Mountain Time
February 15th, 2022
April 19th, 2022
June 21st, 2022
August 16th, 2022
October 18th, 2022
December 20th, 2022

Currently, we ask for a minimum commitment of 6 months for most placements. If you have questions about volunteering, please call 208-338-0033 ext. 0170 or email our Volunteer Coordinator, Olivia, at owargo@jannus.org.

General Volunteer Opportunities

AIRPORT ARRIVALS ​​

Join us at the airport to greet our newest arrivals when they first land in Boise! You can make welcome signs, bring flowers, or bring a smile to help welcome Boise's newest residents as they arrive. ​(No balloons, please!)

​APARTMENT SET UP

Setup apartments for new arrived refugees, including setting up kitchens, making beds and generally making the apartment look nice and ready for the refugees to live in.  You can meet at the apartment and help setup everything, or you can assist the donations manager with the heavy lifting and moving furniture and items into the apartment. Move-ins typically happen during normal business hours. Our housing specialist coordinates with our team to schedule the move with the apartment management. Move-ins scheduling often happens with short term notice with the current housing situation, so this is a great opportunity for those with flexible weekday schedules! ​​

BUS TRAINING ​

Explore Boise public transportation with a newly arrived refugee!  We need volunteers to help clients use the Boise bus system. Volunteers will meet the client at their home and show them how to walk to the nearest bus stop. Then, the volunteer will ride the bus with the client to different locations such as the English Language Center, jobs and appointments in order to familiarize the client with the bus routes. ​​

transportation assistance​

We need help transporting clients to a multitude of appointments and events.  This volunteer opportunity has requests both in advance and the day of the appointment, depending on the transportation need. Transportation request locations may include appointments at the agency, Social Security, apartments, and the English Language Center. Rarely do we schedule drivers for evenings or weekends, it is most often during agency hours of M-F, 8:30AM - 5:00PM. ​

Hygiene Baskets

Provide support to our agency by assisting with Hygiene basket building! Put together a list of hygiene items into baskets, do small inventory on current items, and restock hygiene supplies on agency shelves. Must be able to walk down a steep flight of stairs! This volunteer need is once per month. 

FAMILY MENTOR ​

Build relationships with refugees by giving new American families an Idaho friend to help them with integration. Mentors meet with families at least twice a month to help with English language practice, grocery shopping, paying bills, school orientations, and cultural sharing, such as having a picnic, going to the zoo, watching a movie, or having a pizza party. This is a great option for those are seeking a more involved volunteer opportunity.

FRONT DESK

Do you like being the first person visitors see at the office? Help at the front desk greeting refugees and answering calls. Assist Case Managers with paperwork and filing. Work on promotional and outreach materials. There is a plethora of options available to help in the office during our regular business hours. Ask our volunteer coordinator for which front desk shifts are  needing to be filled! 

Women's group

Great for volunteers with a consistent weekly schedule. Promote a safe environment for women to meet and socialize! Female volunteers are needed to help with childcare, transport women to and from weekly meetings, and provide support with the setup/take down of supplies. Women's group occurs weekly on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Contact our Integration Specialist, Jodi, at jfarrow@jannus.org. ​

Storage Unit Organization

Do you have a large group of volunteers that you want to do a large group volunteer project with? We are always needing help with organizing our storage units! From donations constantly coming in and going out to our clients, our storage units quickly get filled with items that we could use volunteer help sorting and organizing. Reach out to our volunteer coordinator to organize a day and time for your group to help with storage unit organization! 

Opportunities for Students

SERVICE LEARNING

We ask for a minimum of 20 hours for the semester. You would be seated at the front desk and be responsible for greeting clients and answering the phone, helping everyone connect with the staff member they need. If it is slow, we would also give you small projects around the office. You would be assigned a weekly time and there would be an expectation that you would commit to coming weekly for the semester. We have times available during our regular office hours, 8:30-5:00, M-F. If you are interested in this project, please call or email Mark at 208-995-0161 or mhomco@jannus.org. ​​

Student Projects

Students of all ages, from elementary to college, have conducted their own student led projects to support Agency needs. Projects have included donation drives, marketing campaigns, hand written greeting cards for new Americans, airport arrivals, and student-led fundraisers. If you are a student or an educator interested in doing a student led project with our Agency, please reach out and we would love to collaborate with you to make your idea a success, in support of both your educational endeavor and our mission to improve the lives of new Americans in Idaho.