Volunteer
There are many ways you can get involved in the work of the Boaz Trust. The best way to be kept up to date with opportunities at Boaz is by signing up to receive our monthly email update. Just click on the Subscribe bar on the Home page to sign up! Or if you would prefer to receive a paper copy of our newsletters, get in touch.
Here at Boaz we estimate that at least a third of the work done by the organisation each month is carried out by volunteers. We are so grateful to each and every person who dedicates time and resources to supporting our clients- it never goes unnoticed.
The latest opportunities to get involved in volunteering for Boaz are listed below. If you are interested in any of these roles, would like more information, or have something else to offer, please give us a call on 0161 202 1056 or email us.
Boaz Ambassadors
We now have a network of Boaz Ambassadors, representatives from different churches across Greater Manchester, who promote the work of Boaz in their local areas. We’re really grateful to everyone who is part of this and would love to see it grow- get in touch if you don’t know who your church ambassador is, or if you’d like to be one!
Latest opportunities
As always, if something grabs your interest please do get in touch…
Meaningful Lives projects:
One of our clients who recently was granted 3 years leave to remain told us that without Boaz she wouldn’t be alive today, and that she was particularly grateful to her host and the volunteers who organise and lead our activities.
Creative nutritionist / dietitian wanted!
This year the Boaz core team of staff and volunteers carried out the Lent Food Parcel Challenge. This really highlighted for us all just how difficult (and boring!) it is to live on a basic food parcel or even £8 a week (what clients who aren’t on the food parcel receive from us). As part of our ‘Boaz Life’ programme, we are very keen to work with our clients to help them find ways of eating more healthily, in order to improve both their physical and mental wellbeing.
We would therefore love to run a couple of interactive sessions on healthy eating (within the parameters of living on a Red Cross Food Parcel or £8 a week). If you have a background in nutrition, would you be interested in leading something like this? Please contact rosholland@boaztrust.org.uk if you are interested.
May Free Shop
The Free Shop in May will happen on Wednesday 30 May. If you are able to help between 1-4.30pm, please drop Vicky a line – vickyledwidge@boaztrust.org.uk
We’ve been so encouraged by the donations that we’ve received, including some beautiful handbags following New Wine Women’s Day, and some books for World Book Day. Thank you so much – it brought smiles to many faces!
Nightshelter
The winter night shelter has been a lifeline to over 40 people this year!
Thank you to all those who have supported the nightshelter project this year either directly by volunteering or indirectly by supporting Boaz in other ways. We have been able to help 43 men get off the streets for at least one night and show them love in action. We’ve also helped them access legal support and primary health care to empower them to move on with their asylum case. Please do pray for the current group of clients who are looking for other places to stay as the project comes to and end.
Office support
Administrator & Receptionist – July & August
We are looking for someone who is available 3 or 4 days a week in July and August (either Tues-Thurs or Mon-Thurs) to come and help us out on reception and with the endless pile of administration that needs doing. We can offer a monthly bus pass and lots of coffee! You’ll also get experience of working in a very busy office and exposure to the work that the Boaz Trust does. It is also a good opportunity to develop relationships with our clients.
If you are interested, please send your CV to Vicky. We may interview for this role depending on interest, but are very keen to have someone who has some experience of working with Boaz and who can commit to the whole time period – vickyledwidge@boaztrust.org.uk
Gardening and DIY projects
We now have volunteers overseeing gardening projects at 5 of our properties. Our vision is to empower the clients and contribute to their well being through these various programmes. These projects involve the maintaining of gardens at the Boaz properties, but also the growing of fruit and vegetables to help the clients supplement their food parcels. The volunteers are supervising clients at each property to make this vision a reality.
Want to build a shed, or get your hands dirty with a house rennovation? Both these projects would be great for groups to get involved, and are projects we would love to start soon – please email Mark if you are interested on markcloherty@boaztrust.org.uk. Perhaps your church, small group, uni mates or neighbours would also be keen!
Events
The Lent Endurance Challenge 2012 raised £2,100 for Boaz with 13 people taking part (including some of the more hardy team members in the Boaz office!). We are delighted that so much has been raised and would encourage volunteers and supporters that even though Lent has ended, you are still welcome to try the challenge out throughout the year! Get in touch with Lucy Smith (lucysmith@boaztrust.org.uk) for details.
The recent Boaz Family Night was a great time for supporters, volunteers, clients and team to gather and share stories of hope together. Many thanks to Chenai, a Zimbabwean asylum seeker, for sharing her story! The next Family Night is Monday 2 July – pop it in your diaries!
Boaz is teaming up with Community Arts Northwest to present a costume and dance display as part of the Manchester Day Parade, happening on Sun 10th June. Please put it in your diaries to come along and watch the parade in Manchester city centre (from 12-3pm on the Sunday), but let us know if you can help out on Sat 9th June/Sun 10th June. We will need lots of hands on deck to make the event go smoothly! Please email katielamb@boaztrust.org.uk if you are interested and available that weekend.
Volunteers wanted to help with Escape to Safety, an interactive installation in a trailer that will be situated outside St.Peter’s Chaplaincy on Oxford Road from June 11th-15th. The event is being run by Manchester City of Sanctuary. Boaz is a member organisation. Escape to Safety is an interactive multimedia installation, built into a 12.5m box-trailer, that enables you to experience something of what it is like to be a refugee seeking asylum in Britain. It is designed for young people and adults from the age of 10 upwards.Each participant walks through a labyrinth of 8 ‘stations’ depicting the different stages a refugee experiences before seeking asylum in Britain. On a portable CD player, they are accompanied by refugee voices from Rwanda, Afghanistan and Palestine interacting with border immigration officials and the media. Escape to Safety is an emotional experience combined with facts and figures, that challenges racism towards refugees. We need volunteers to help supervise participants and manage equipment. Those with some knowledge of asylum can talk to participants as they exit the installation. In addition we need some First Aiders. Sessions are from 10.30 – 12.30, 12.30 – 3.30, 4.00 – 7.00. It is hoped that volunteers will be able to commit to a full session. Please contact Dave if you are interested – davesmith@boaztrust.org.uk.
Donations needed - we would still love some donations for our monthly free shop, and also food and toiletries that our clients can access throughout the month. We are particularly keen to recieve clothes in sizes 6, 8, and 16 and above, and all kinds of toiletries if you fancy cashing in your Boots or Tesco points!
If you don’t live in the Manchester area, why not search www.ecsr.org.uk for projects you can get involved in near you…
