At Christian City, we accept children into our care regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Children come to us through private placement or State of Georgia custody through The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). The per diem payments provided for DFCS children are not enough to cover the cost of their care. Private placements most often come with no financial support at all. Your donations help provide our children with food, clothing, medical care, educational supplies, and more. Through your financial support, you are helping children to have a fresh start and a quality life in safe surroundings.
Yes! Birthday and special holiday gifts are always welcome – but never required. However, we do ask that you contact us first (770-964-3309) before you send gifts, to confirm that they are appropriate and are items we can accept. We also ask that gifts be sent to us unwrapped, although you are welcome to provide gift wrap and ribbon.
Understandably, the protection of our children must always be our first priority. Confidentiality and regulatory standards require that no one be allowed to visit with a child before completing a criminal records/background check.
If you are interested in more opportunities to share individual time with a child, ask about our Host Program. Call our Social Worker at 770-964-3134 for more details.
A respite family will provide our foster families time to relax, either for the weekend, a date night, or a school break. Our respite families must complete a home visit and criminal records check/background check.
If you are interested in helping our children and families in this way, please contact the Crossroads Program at 770-336-6566 or mguthrie@christiancity.org
Children & Family Programs Volunteer Form
- Let your family and friends know about Children’s Village and our Monthly Giving Program!
- Suggest that your Sunday School class or men’s/ women’s group support Children’s Village through a monthly or quarterly donation.
- Invite us to speak to your co-workers, church, or civic group.
- Employee matching gift programs can double your donation. Ask your HR department if your company will match your donation.
- Designate Children’s Village as the beneficiary of your community or church fundraiser.
- Host a neighborhood drive to gather items on the needs list.
- Dedicate your birthday to our kids. Ask for donations to Children’s Village in lieu of birthday gifts.
- Participate in the Georgia Tax Credit Educational program to redirect your state tax payment to The Children’s Village education fund.
- Include Christian City Children’s Village in your estate plan.
You can make a difference in the life of a child. Help provide hope and love for children in need.
Donate items
Items currently needed to help children and families at the Children’s Village:
- Laundry Detergent
- Socks/underwear all ages male and female
- Pajamas in variety of sizes for males and females
- Pull-ups for 4 and 6-year-olds
- Paper goods of all kinds
- Canned & dry goods
- Walmart, Target, etc., gift cards
- Toiletries, health & hygiene including products for African American hair care
- Household cleaning supplies
- Cereal
- Individual chip bags
- First Aid supplies
- Fabric and sewing supplies to make clothing for the kids
Items currently needed to help our foster/adoptive families:
- New clothing/shoes for ages birth-18+ (including socks, underwear)
- Luggage/bags/suitcases (for our children to carry their personal items with them when transitioning from home to home)
- First Aid Kits (foster parents will have to have one in their home)/first aid supplies
- Toiletries, health & hygiene products, including hair care for individuals who are African American
- Gift Cards (Walmart, Target, etc.)
- New toys/books for all ages
- Baby products (pacifiers, formula, diapers, etc)
- Pull-ups for 4 and 6-year-olds
- Food items
- Household cleaning supplies
- Scrapbooking supplies
- Chewlery – helpful for children on the autism spectrum
- Weighted blankets for infants 4-10 pounds – helpful for children who have experienced abuse or neglect
Click here for more information about items needed for Children & Family Programs.
It’s so easy to make a difference!
All volunteers must successfully complete a cleared criminal background check, and generally must be 21 years of age. These background checks must be signed in person and notarized and are not available online. Aside from the opportunities listed below, The Children’s Village is unable to accommodate individual volunteers interested in child interaction.
Host Family Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers typically develop close relationships with children they host. Children may stay with host families one weekend a month and many school breaks. This is a time for the child to develop an additional close family relationship outside of the group setting.
Volunteer Requirements:
- Must be at least 25 years old.
- Married couples preferred and required for overnight visits; singles can serve as a “day visit only” host.
- Attend church regularly, with a church reference.
- Pass fingerprint and background check without any charges/convictions.
- Complete an interview/home study with our case managers.
- Attend orientation/trainings.
Safe Place Volunteer Opportunities
Adults:
- Must be at least 21 years old.
- Roles: Youth pick-ups, community resource/outreach.
- Attend educational information session.
- Complete training for youth involvement.
Middle and High School Youth:
- Youth advisory board meets quarterly and is designed to get youth in local schools involved in student outreach.
- Student Leadership Development Program – Coming soon
Crossroads Foster Care & Adoption Program Volunteer Opportunities
- Tutoring – retired teachers/educators interested in working with youth or others with specific course knowledge/expertise.
- Respite families provide our foster families time to relax, either for the weekend, a date night, or a school break.
- Help with events planned for our foster and adoptive families throughout the year.
- Clerical opportunities.
- Help us during Foster Care Awareness Month in May.
- Help us during Adoption Awareness Month in November.
- Share information about the Crossroads program with your church.
Mentorship Program
- Must be at least 21 years old.
- Successfully pass fingerprint and criminal background check.
- Commit to serve for at least one year, or the duration the child is in the program.
- Complete an interview with program director and attend two trainings during the year.
- See the child a minimum of once a month.
- Complete an interview with program director.
- Attend required trainings for child interaction.
- Attend church regularly, with a church reference.
Volunteer Group Activities
- We love for our children to have exposure to various cultures. Activity suggestions will be evaluated on an individual basis. Successful activities in the past have included craft nights, recreational game nights, painting lessons, etc.
- Groups may host group events with our children on a quarterly or monthly basis. Group interaction is preferred, so that events are more sustainable long-term. These interactions will be supervised by The Children’s Village staff and one-on-one interactions with the children are strictly prohibited.
- Individuals under 21 are allowed to be a part of these events as long as accompanied by someone 21+. If there are youth in the group under age 16, a 4:1 youth/adult ratio is required.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
- While opportunities are limited for volunteers to interact directly with our youth one-to-one, we welcome your volunteer involvement with our program.
- Some of our volunteers share their talents with our children. For example, a friend of the Children’s Village who enjoys baking voluntarily bakes a cake for each child’s birthday and delivers it for the cottage family to have a party. A quilting team makes quilts and matching shams, so each child has their own special bedding. If you have a skill, gift, or hobby that you would like to share with our children, please reach out to us. Your gift may provide the meaningful blessing a child needs.
Tutoring
- We welcome retired educators and others with specific course knowledge/expertise who are interested in tutoring youth on a volunteer basis. We especially need tutors who are experienced with current high school curriculums, particularly Math, Science, and ESOL.
For more information about volunteering at Christian City Children’s Village, call 770-964-3309.
