Volunteers are the backbone of Mary’s Mantle; they provide support beyond compare. Our full-time and part-time employees do work diligently for our residents; however, volunteers offer us the incredible opportunity to do even more. Their expertise and creativity have contributed largely to the blessing of having been able to love and serve over 100 women in our Residential Program. We have also been able to provide continued support through our After-Care Program to moms and babies now living on their own.
It is not surprising that the number one volunteer request is to interact with our mothers and babies. Of course! Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to collect some snuggles? However, at Mary’s Mantle we are very conscientious about our residents’ privacy and sense of now being in a safe space – sometimes for the first time. Thus, we carefully limit the number of volunteers who may directly interact with the residents.
Vital, behind-the-scenes volunteer opportunities do exist. More details about each role are below. When you find one (or more!) that suits you, press the green button at the bottom of the page to fill out a form which will initiate the application process and put you in touch with our Volunteer Coordinator.
Fundraising
This volunteer position is ideal for someone who is outgoing and finds it easy to ask for monetary contributions. This position requires a person who thrives in an environment building new relationships and speaking about the mission of Mary’s Mantle. Duties may include: liaising with corporate and auction sponsors, and organizing general donations sponsorship. Our main events of the year include Top Golf (Spring), Women’s Brunch (Spring), and the Gala (Fall).
Event Planning
This volunteer position is perfect for a creative person who enjoys thinking outside the box. This person would coordinate with Mary’s Mantle staff on theme, locations, and decorations for various events. Volunteers for event planning would also be available at events to check in guests, coordinate silent and live auctions, and set up and cleanup of the venue. Our main events of the year include Top Golf (Spring), Women’s Brunch (Spring), and the Gala (Fall).
Sunday Suppers
These evenings are opportunities for our past and current residents to come together for food and fellowship. These evenings are filled with lots of conversations and children running and playing in the yard. This is a fan favorite for volunteers with the gift of hospitality and love of cooking. This opportunity is ideal for a family or small group to share a Sunday meal with our moms. We schedule Sunday Suppers once a month from April-October. This position does require a small amount of training from our staff in appropriate ways to interact with our moms and children.
Annual Birthday Party
Our annual birthday party is in August at a local park. We have food, presents and games for the children. A volunteer for this opportunity would love interacting with our moms and children. This position would require some physical work like setting up and cleaning up for the event. This position does require a small amount of training from our staff in appropriate ways to interact with our moms and children.
Christmas Party
The annual Christmas party is very fun for everyone at a chosen indoor venue. Volunteers for this opportunity would interact with our moms and play with children. Also, volunteers would help to set up and clean up for this event. This position does require a small amount of training from our staff in appropriate ways to interact with our moms and children.
Lawn Care
Mary’s Mantle sits on a gorgeous one-acre lot where we regularly see deer running through our yard. We have a wonderful play set for children and a beautiful meditative Marian garden. In warmer months, our mothers and children sit on the deck for meals, play in the yard, work on goals, or just enjoy the sounds of nature. As you can imagine, this requires a lot of work and is one of the areas where we need the most help.
If you love yard work, this would be the perfect volunteer position for you. This volunteer position has very flexible hours. This is a wonderful opportunity for groups to do spring and fall yard cleanup. In the spring, volunteers wash deck and deck furniture, clean flower beds, mulch and weed. Fall clean includes cleaning and storing deck furniture, leaf cleanup and weeding. Ideally, we also need monthly volunteers to weed flowerbeds.
Home Maintenance
This is our most-needed volunteer position. Mary’s Mantle is run by women with little maintenance experience who need to focus on other tasks. Like any other home, our residence needs tender loving care and sometimes outright repair. For example, we have a furnace that sometimes decides to stop working and plumbing that can be a little leaky. Ideally, volunteers for this position would feel comfortable doing minor home repairs. Ideally, we would really love a group of dedicated people who live close to our residence to become familiar with Mary’s Mantle so if something did break or need attention the person (group) would know how to approach the situation. This volunteer position suits YOUR schedule.
Prayer Team
This volunteer opportunity is very important to Mary’s Mantle. We believe in the necessity of prayer and discernment for our mission. A prayer team volunteer could introduce our mission to your local prayer circle, or set up a night of worship at your local church, or something as simple as adding the intentions of Mary’s Mantle to your daily prayers. We also have a weekly Zoom prayer opportunity to pray for Mary’s Mantle with our spiritual coordinator. No prayer is too small!!
Meal Ministry
Do you enjoy cooking? Is food your love language? Then this is the opportunity for you!! We’d love to have you make a meal to drop off to celebrate new babies, birthdays and Mass luncheons! We always love desserts! This is a great volunteer opportunity for a small group that may want to share their culinary skills with our residents. This volunteer opportunity is flexible. Mary’s Mantle staff can coordinate opportunities for you to bring a home-cooked meal to our moms.
Wish List Fulfillment
If you would like to volunteer at Mary’s Mantle but find that your schedule may be too difficult to do other volunteer opportunities, contributing to our wish list is a perfect way to help. You can shop for items at this link and they will be shipped directly to our residence. Although this may not feel like a big contribution, we are very often in need of items for our residents.
Questions about volunteering? Contact Jessica Gaderick by email or call her at 734-502-4765.
Are you limited on availability or looking for a special project to work on? Our monthly volunteer newsletter highlights our current most pressing needs and one-time opportunities. Stay in the loop … get on our newsletter distribution list by emailing our Volunteer Coordinator here.
Thank you for your interest in sharing your time, talent, and love with the mothers and babies of Mary’s Mantle!