Volunteer

"I like the 'doing of it, and the fact that the end result is worthwhile."
- Tom Morgan, volunteer

As a volunteer for The Kids’ Project you will be helping children with disabilities become more actively involved in the world around them. Your efforts will help a child with disabilities achieve greater success and independence.

Volunteers can spend as little as a few hours every month or as much time as they would like working with The Kids' Project. Many volunteers complete projects periodically as their schedules permit, while others volunteer continuously throughout the year. Volunteers can decide when they will volunteer and what type of equipment they will make. The Kids' Project will provide materials and/or reimburse volunteers for the cost of supplies. Most custom equipment orders will need to be completed and delivered within approximately a 4-8 week timeline.

There are always numerous opportunities to volunteer with The Kids' Project and they are not limited to what you see here. If you have an idea for a volunteer project, please contact us at the 207-443-3341 or kidsproject@pinetreesociety.org

Volunteer Woodworker

Volunteer woodworkers donate their time, experience and labor by constructing adaptive furniture and other equipment for children with special needs. Projects can range from toys, desktop boards and other simple pieces of equipment to more complicated custom-made projects such as supportive chairs, standing equipment and changing tables. Most of The Kids' Project stock items can be built from plans. Much of the custom equipment will be built from drawings, pictures or measurements and may require some innovation and creativity on the part of the woodworker.

Volunteer Upholsterer/Seamstress

Volunteer upholsterers donate their time, experience and labor by constructing cushions and straps for adaptive furniture and other equipment for children with special needs. Projects can range from sewing buckles on straps and sewing covers onto rectangular cushions to more complicated supportive straps and sewing irregularly shaped cushions. Upholsterers may also use a staple gun to attach padding to equipment. Some of the simple cushions and straps can be sewn from measurements and simple directions. More complicated items may have patterns or may require the upholsterer/seamstress to custom make the cushions to fit the piece of equipment.

Volunteer Delivery Person

Volunteer delivery people donate their time delivering finished equipment to the families, schools and therapists who have ordered the equipment. Delivery people may also help The Kids' Project by meeting volunteer woodworkers or upholsterers to pick up equipment or equipment parts and bringing the equipment to the Bath office or directly to the customer. Volunteer delivery people should have their own vehicle, preferably one large enough to fit medium to large chairs. The Pine Tree Society will reimburse the volunteer for mileage at a rate of $0.14 per mile.

Lead Volunteer

Lead volunteers are volunteers for The Kids' Project who have taken on an additional leadership role within the project. Lead volunteers store wood and other materials at their homes or workshops to have available for other volunteers. Lead volunteers also will have a set of equipment plans on hand to provide to volunteers as needed. Finally, lead volunteers serve as a source of experience and guidance for other woodworkers and upholsterers, as well as The Kids' Project staff.

For more information, please contact Jeremy Lucas at (207) 443-3341, ext. 112 or e-mail kidsproject@pinetreesociety.org.

Donations to The Kids’ Project

The focus of our program is to provide necessary pieces of adaptive equipment to individuals, families, schools and therapists at an extremely affordable price. The cost of our equipment is determined by the cost of our materials, supplies and shipping expenses. Our equipment is available for 40 – 70% below commercially made products because of our dedicated team of volunteers who provide the tools, talent and time to manufacture the products for The Kids’ Project. We are continually looking for donations of materials from individuals, civic groups and corporations.

There are numerous ways to support The Kids’ Project. We welcome “in kind” gifts, as they will be used in the construction of our equipment. Below is a list of commonly used materials. Your contributions may be tax – deductible.

Materials:

• Foam of various thickness (typically 1” or 2”)
• Foam pieces should be a minimum of 12” x 12”
• Soft, supple, fabric backed vinyl (easier to sew for volunteers without commercial sewing machines)
  • Minimum of 3 yards, same color
• Miscellaneous hardware (please call for needs)
• Water based polyurethane
• Various grits of sandpaper
• Industrial strength sticky back Velcro
• Baltic birch plywood of various thick nesses
  • Must be in 5’ x 5’ or 4’ x 8’ sheets
• Miscellaneous larger pieces of hardwood used for trim and decorative features
• Tools in good working order
  • Routers
  • Drills
  • Orbital sanders

Although this list represents a good portion of the materials used, you may have something that does not appear on the list, but might be beneficial to the project, please call to see if it will accommodate our needs.